Books are an excellent source of early life experience. City kids can learn about country life. Parents provide plastic animals for kids to play with, yet picture books put the animals in context. Children can experience the size of the animals and the environment surrounding them. Books provide brain food.
Words are everywhere.
More than ever before we are surrounded by written language. Even the internet, once feared as rival to the written word, is promoting reading skills. The faster information becomes available the faster we expect to comprehend. Children identify words in their day to day lives, thanks to advertising. They see parents reading and imitate.