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Maya Payne Smart's new book on the urgency of early literacy

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The latest nation's report card shows that American children’s reading skills reached new lows, while there is a debate about the best way to teach reading in school.

Maya Payne Smart is a writer, parent educator, and literacy advocate argues that America’s reading crisis begins well before children enter kindergarten. She says it starts at birth, which is why she wrote a step-by-step guide for parents to do what it takes to set their children up to thrive as readers from day one to early elementary school.

The name of the book is “Reading for our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help your Child.”

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Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book.
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