Parents urged to read to children
Parents are urged by Schools Secretary Ed Balls to spend more time reading to their children.
Ref. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7163172.stm
I have no doubt whatsoever that reading to your child is an important and integral route to their learning, I have always spent time with my children doing this, and it becomes a habit that hopefully once they can read a bit for themselves they will be keen to choose books that they like for themselves.
Schools start by looking at pictures, and making up a story to go with that picture, I must admit that I find this a bit harder to do, but at least if you involve the kids in it, you'll be surprised how they each have an interpretation of the same picture, but see it a different way!