Reading to children

Does reading to children help them learn to read?
Eric Durbrow pointed me to this article in the Globe and Mail. Its lead sentence offers a surprising claim:Parents take note: Reading to your preschoolers before bedtime doesn’t mean they are likely to learn much about letters, or even how to read words.But aren’t teachers and literacy advocates constantly urging parents to read to their kids? Aren’t their entreaties backed by research?   Article continues