Leaders are Readers

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” ~ Harry S. Truman

I love to read and I am passing that love on to my children. Our daughter, the Dreamer, is seven years old and in the first grade. I've been reading to her since she was a tiny baby. Recently we've been reading the "Little House on the Prairie" series and we've been going through a children's Bible at night before bed. I don't get to read to her every night, but when I do, I cherish those moments because I know I am strengthening a leader.

I love that reading prompts questions in your mind and in your heart. I love that it teaches you something about a time and a place unlike your own. I love that it puts you into someone else's shoes and makes you feel their pain and their joy. And I love that reading increases your imagination and strengthens your thought life.

Dreamer is a natural born leader and a natural born reader. Even though she is in the 1st grade, she is reading (and comprehending) 4th & 5th grade level books. She tells me she wants to be a writer some day, and I don't doubt that she will be.

Reading is a powerful tool. Not everyone who reads will become a leader, as Harry Truman once said, but all leaders are readers. As a mom, I will do everything in my power to encourage Dreamer, and my other children, to read as much as they can. It is one of the greatest gifts I can give them.

Do you enjoy reading to your children? Did your parents read to you? What are some of your favorite children's books of all time?