It is a pleasure to once again endorse “Ask Amy‘s” program to encourage parents to share the love of reading by putting a book on every child’s bed so that the first thing they see when they wake up is a wonderful story.  The holidays may be filled with things that beep and flash and connect to the internet, but it is a good time to remind children of the power of words.  Some of my favorites:

The Secret Garden A fierce little girl with a new home in a mansion on the moors discovers a secret garden where more than flowers bloom.

The Phantom Tollbooth A boy goes on a journey to a mysterious land where two battling kings have lost touch with rhyme and reason.

Press Here Touch the yellow spot and you will find that imagination can transform even better then technology.

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch A lonely man gets a mysterious letter with the message in the title.  It changes the way he sees the world — and the way the world sees him.

Z Is for Moose This hilarious adventure through the alphabet has a surprisingly tender finale.