Compare a child who reads books and another who merely watches TV all day, and you'll spot the difference right away. A child who reads books tends to be much quieter in the home, for the obvious reason that he won't make noise while he's flipping through the pages. When the child talks though, you'll see how much he has learned: impressive story telling and summarizing skills, wide vocabulary, sharp memory, and yes, an early semblance of cultured breeding.

A young couch potato on the other hand can be pretty talkative but compared to the reader, his conversations will lack depth, and will make use only of contemporary language and even slang words which he has “learned” from cartoons and other shows on the boob tube.

If you want your child to develop his reading habit at a young age, give him the right stimulus: the right book. Here are some interesting and fun types of books that will get your tiny tot start early in book worming.

• BED TIME STORIES. Children just love these. Your child may even develop a favorite for one story which he will make you read over and over just before bedtime, but the key of course to developing his genuine interest is variety.

Keep your child hooked to the stories first, then gradually into the reading next. When time comes that you cannot read him his bed time story, you'll be surprised at your child's initiative. He'll attempt to flip through the pages of the book by himself.

• DAY TIME STORIES. Apart from the obvious period that they are read, day time story books are different from bed time storybooks in terms of length and embellishments. Where bed time stories do not go beyond one page to read, day time stories can be the entire book itself which consists of several pages.

Illustrations and splashes of color are still there, but you can say that day time stories tend to be more embroidered with exciting details. A number of these books may use pop-outs so that the story literally stands out as soon as your child opens the page. Others may use cut-outs which allow your child to peep through the next page.

• NURSERY RHYMES. These books may come as stand-alone items, but often, they go with some audio CD which you and your child can sing along to. A book on nursery rhymes is very attractive to children because it's more on visuals and less on text.

You can start with subliminal messaging by playing the audio CD several times, then capture the attention of your little one once you bring the book to the open. Point your fingers to the word that gets sung aloud. Your child will love the activity and will soon be well on the way to give reading a try.

As you shop for something to let your child play with, try ditching toys and cartoon movies once in a while. Go educational and give reading a chance to enthrall your child. Get him some children's books today.