Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success
Edited by Susan Burns, Peg Griffin, and Catherine E. Snow
Publisher: National Academy Press, 1999

This beautifully illustrated guide clearly summarizes research on beginning reading and the instruction young children need in order to become lifelong readers. It is very parent-friendly, including benchmarks of reading and writing development from preschool through third grade. Very specific activities and resources are described to help parents and caregivers support language and literacy development.

Straight Talk About Reading: How Parents Can Make a Difference During the Early Years
Authors: Susan L. Hall and Louisa C. Moats
Publisher: Contemporary Books, 1998

This book provides a comprehensive guide for parents about reading development and what they can do to raise a ready reader. Topics include: "Who Teaches My Child to Read?," "Why Reading to Children is Important," and "How Does a Child Learn to Read?" A significant portion of the book is devoted to practical suggestions of what parents can do to support their child's literacy, from preschool to grade three. Also included is a clear and forthright discussion of reading difficulties and disabilities.

What Parents Need to Know About Reading and Writing Grade by Grade
Author: National Center on Education and the Economy
Publisher: National Center on Education and the Economy, 2001

This guide to literacy development was written as a supplement to standards for literacy development and instruction for teachers. It describes typical literacy development in kindergarten through third grade and offers 17 practical suggestions for ways in which parents can help children along the way. Illustrative samples of children's work and read-aloud book lists for each grade are great features of this easy-to-use resource.