Why books are now a vital part of children’s check-ups

At over 300 clinics in Minnesota, children’s healthcare providers are handing out brand-new books as a part of the well-child visit. While many of us might not associate children’s books with the doctor’s office, medical professionals all across the country insist that books have become an indispensable part of routine medical care for young children.

In fact, in October of 2024 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement highlighting literacy promotion as an “vital” part of pediatric care.

So what is the idea behind this program and what place do books have in the exam room?

Liam Mackin, Communications and Development Manager for Reach Out and Read Minnesota, sat down with Dr. Gigi Chawla, Chief of General Pediatrics at Children’s Minnesota and Medical Director for Reach Out and Read Minnesota, to talk more about how this program is changing how we think about pediatric care in Minnesota and beyond.

Liam: Typically when we think of a checkup we’re thinking of stethoscopes, shots, immunizations, “stick out your tongue and say ah”, but we might not think about children’s books. Why are children’s books becoming such a big part of the well child visit for young children?

Dr. Chawla:  What I really want families to know is that the nature of a well child visit is about preventative health and preventative healthcare. When we think about stethoscopes and other things it often is when kids are sick, but preventative care is really what pediatrics is all about. In doing that we really want to stress things that are important as literacy, child development, and things like books. Encouraging the reading between parents and caregivers and children really promotes bonding and mental health and sets kids up for a full lifetime of learning. 

Liam: That’s so cool. It’s all about caring for the whole child. So when you’re handing that book over to the child what kind of things are you saying to that parent or caregiver?

Dr. Chawla: When I hand a book over it’s really, really interesting.  When you’re actually in the exam room and you hand a book to a child there are so many things that we’re looking at. The first is  how do they use their hands to reach for that book? What do they do with two hands in turning the pages? How do they point to things, or track with their eyes? And then comes the content of the material that’s in the book.

When you can really see that a child has been using books in their own home, you can also see that when a child gets a book and they turn the pages and they’re looking at things. They will look back at their parent to verify what they’re seeing and what they’re learning. That is a really important piece of what books are all about because that’s something that we call medically serving and volleying. This is how kids learn. They try something and then they make sure that what they tried is the right thing, the right next step.

That learning process is what I try to teach families about, how important it is just to help kids learn anything. Whether it’s about reading, whether it’s about what the pictures are, or the sentiments that the book is trying to teach, like being sad or happy, or learning to ride a bike this is how children learn. Helping families understand that process and what learning looks like through something as simple as a book is exactly what Reach Out and Read is all about.

Liam: We know that not every parent, not every caregiver might feel comfortable with reading themselves. Maybe they didn’t grow up having books around them or aren’t quite sure how to share a book with a child. What kind of guidance would you give parents like that?

Dr. Chalwa: That is such a good question. Really it is about the act of sharing something with your child. It’s about getting in a nice cozy position, sharing the pictures, and finding things together,  whether you use the words or you don’t use words. What a book is wonderful for is making your imagination come to life. It honestly doesn’t matter what the words say. You can tell a story to your child without even using the words at all. In fact, some of the best “reading” really comes from using your imagination and pictures alone. That’s how kids really learn. The most important thing from my standpoint is repetition, imagination, and bonding with your child at that time to make sure that they know how important it is to you to help them learn.

Liam:  That’s so sweet. It’s just those moments of being together that really count. Can you tell us about a time when you’ve used the Reach out and Read program, when you’ve shared a book with a child, at a well child visit and it really made a difference?

Dr. Chawla:  I can tell you about a time that I actually really learned something. So we in Reach Out and Read use books that [can] be windows and doors into the lives of our patients and families. We use these books so that kids can see themselves, maybe a little brown boy or a little brown girl, as the lead characters in books. That can help spark their imagination and make sure that they know that they can be anything that they want to be.

Once in a clinic visit I gave a white family, a Caucasian family, a book with a Caucasian child as the lead character. That child accepted the book and started to turn the pages, but mom was very disappointed. She handed that book back to me and said “I actually want you to challenge my child with characters that expand their knowledge base too. Please give my child a book that has characters that are as diverse as the community we live in.”  That to me was such a good wakeup call because parents and children of all backgrounds all want to learn. They don’t just only want to see kids in books that look like themselves. That was a real learning for me too, that books are not just windows and doors but books are opportunities for all of us to expand our definition of diversity and to continue to learn.

Liam: Even at the youngest age we can learn so much from books. They bring us into and show us new worlds! Lastly, Dr Gigi, if a parent or caregiver wants to be receiving these books at their well-child visit, what should they be doing?

Dr. Chawla: Well first of all I hope they already are receiving books. We have Reach Out and Read Minnesota in 307 clinics across the state, so you should already be getting a book at your well child check, but if you are not Liam what would you suggest that families do well if they want to find a clinic that does participate in Reach Out and Read Minnesota already?

Liam: What they can do is they can log on to our website reachoutandreadmn.org and find our clinic map. We have a map all across the state with different clinic sites that are participating. Otherwise they should just ask their clinic and see if it is possible to start participating in this program!

Dr. Chawla: We want every clinic in the state of Minnesota so we might need your help to get there.

Did you know that you can get a free book at your child’s routine check-ups? Reach Out and Read Minnesota partners with clinics all across Minnesota to provide books and early developmental guidance for children ages 5 and below. Ask your child’s clinic if they participate in Reach Out and Read, or check out our clinic map here.