Pediatrician and community volunteer Dr. Brent Prather has added a Little Library to his clinic waiting room. ReadingWithKids.org has been reaching out to local physicians, urging them to encourage parents to read with their children. But Dr. Prather was already encouraging his pediatric patients to read.
Dr. Prather’s enthusiasm for reading and language is infectious. He is a long-time advocate of the ‘30 Million Word Initiative,’ which has shown that children who are exposed to 30 million words in the first three years of life— about 2 hours of talking and reading each day— benefit by a substantial and measurable amount in their education, and their mental capabilities. Prather is particularly impressed by surgeon and pediatrician Dr. Dana Suskind at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Her book Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain is “the first book to reveal how and why the first step in nurturing successful lives is talking to children in ways that build their brains.”
We spoke to Dr. Prather about his enthusiasm for books, reading, and language in children.
Why do you think reading is important for children?
Reading is the key to success in life. If children are readers, they will be leaders, they will be successful their whole lives. And if they don’t read, the odds are definitely not good, they probably won’t achieve the kind of success they could have had. They won’t be as wise, or have the depth of character they would have gotten from reading books. Nor would they have the vocabulary.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended reading to children since I was in medical school in the 1970s. I have given out books to children, and coupons for books. I ask my patients to read three books over their summer vacation, one a month. When they visit me in the fall, I ask them if they read their books, and talk with them a bit about what they read. If they have read 3, or really if they any books, I give them a t-shirt that is printed with ‘Summer Reader’ across the front.
How do children who read make your job easier as their doctor?
Children who read can communicate so much better. They are wiser patients. They can tell you what their symptoms are, which helps me do a better job as a doctor.
And they are just more pleasant to be around.
What health and personal benefits have you seen in your patients from reading?
Basically the kids who read are more bright-eyed, and more interactive when I see them. I’m not sure they’re necessarily healthier, but they are definitely happier. Their lives are better in so many ways because they read.
If you have any challenging, chronic disease, someone who reads will face it better than someone who is not a reader. So there is probably evidence that reading helps patients deal with challenges better throughout their lives. When I was sick as a child, I became a serious reader. I probably wouldn’t be a doctor today without all the reading I did.
Dr. Prather’s office is located at 200 Petroleum Dr in Lafayette. His office phone is (337) 988-9999, and his website is Ask Dr. Brent.
For information about how to obtain 2nd-hand books for a Little Library, contact ReadingWithKids.org here.