Get your child in love with reading at a very early age.

The Benefits of Reading
Reading is an addiction that parents should encourage well before their baby's first birthday. The bonding experience is unbeatable, says Patricia Cowan, national program coordinator for Reach Out and Read, a project that gives children books during medical checkups.

When you read to children, they're getting your full attention, and that's what they just love. Nothing -- no TV show or toy -- is better than that.

Birth to 12 Months
Birth to 6 months: Since an infant's vision is still developing, choose books with little or no text and big, high-contrast pictures. Also consider books with interactive stuff, such as puppets, mirrors, or peepholes, recommends Pamela High, MD, author of the Brown University reading study and a professor of pediatrics there.

7 to 12 months: Halfway through their first year, babies may begin to grasp some of the words read to them, says Cosby Rogers, PhD, a professor of human development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The most meaningful words are the names and things from their everyday life -- words like "doggy," "mommy," "daddy," "milk," or "bottle."

Books with just one object or person per age are best; hearing you name something he recognizes reinforces your baby's vocabulary and slowly helps him realize that illustrations stand for real things. Point to the pictures he shows interest in. And act out what you read with your face, hands, and voice. Let the baby babble back to you in return, suggests Dr. Rogers. This "conversation" helps him learn to take turns and teaches him about focusing on the same thing as someone else.

13 to 24 Months
13 to 18 months: Now you can begin to introduce books with a sentence or two per page. The sillier you are while acting out the story, the better. For instance, if you're reading about animals, make animal noises. Your baby will think it's really funny, Cowan says. Sooner or later, he will "moo" or "baa" back to you and you'll be ready to fall off the couch laughing.

19 to 24 months: Many toddlers find the familiar routine of reading reassuring and calming. The same goes for familiar books. This helps explain why, starting at about 18 months, children may ask for the same book over and over and over -- and why they won't let you change your reading performance by a single "meow" or "vroom." However, this dogged repetition has a learning benefit as well: Experts think it helps children make sense of and then remember new words.

Moms' Picks
Here are some other raved-about books that you might not have heard of yet:

• Moo, Baa, LA LA LA by Sandra Boynton
  "At under 2 years, my son can recite the entire book just by looking at the pages." --Michelle Speer, Edwardsville, Illinois
• Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom and Time for Bed by Mem Fox
  "I've read to my 5-1/2-month-old since birth, and he gets so excited when he sees these books, kicking his feet and waving his arms." --Judy James, Miami, Florida
• Maisy's Colors by Lucy Cousins
  "My daughter Grace is 11 months old, but she's enjoyed this particular book since about 4 months. I don't know if she likes the mouse or the colors, but it's already completely worn out!" --Catherine Brainerd
• Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
  "My 4-1/2-month-old daughter, Cara, loves Big Red Barn. She even helps us turn the pages." --Sandra Schneider, Berthoud, Colorado
• I'm a Little Caterpillar by Tim Weare
  "My 8-1/2-month-old son's favorite book is I'm a Little Caterpillar. He finds it so exciting because it has a cute little finger puppet attached." --Denise McKnight, Metairie, Louisiana

Here's some children's books that parents seem to adore for themselves!

• On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
  "I still get chills when I read that one." --Cindy Long, Wellfleet, MA
• Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
  "It's the most heartwarming book I've ever read." --Gail Denker, Bayside, NY