This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 1, 2022.

Literacy in the United States is at a critical level. One statistic shows that 43 million Americans between the ages of 16 to 65 can't read well enough to fill out a job application.

So, is the concept of reading out loud to our kids enough to get them ready for school? Writer, educator and literacy advocate Maya Payne Smart doesn't believe it is and she's challenging this idea in her new book, "Reading for Our Lives".