One step further and one can question the practice of telling fairy-tales. Some parents will argue that it is far better to discuss events that have occurred during the day, or plans for tomorrow. In the end, what children appreciate most is attention. Reading from books is a cheap way of compensating for the lack of attention parents give to their children, after going out to work, do shopping, sending children to school, etc. How much more valuable by comparison are conversations in which children can express their feelings to their parents.
Some parents make the deliberate choice to be with their children as much as possible.
That way, they have ample opportunity to have such conversations. They do not have to use books or make up stories. Instead, each conversation is in itself a poem, made up instantly and spontaneously, a song, yes a symphony, each word linked to the other, spoken at the pitch and tempo that best fits the situation. What to the outsider may appear as dull family life, is in fact a continuous development of creative talents. In this approach, there is no reason to set aside specific times for learning to speak, telling stories or for debating.