It’s a prescription guaranteed to develop healthy brains, refine motor skills and prepare kids for school, doctors say. But few parents expect a physician to hand their children a book at their first wellness checkup at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

For 17 years, physicians, nurse practitioners and pediatric residents at our hospital, and presently, at more than 80 locations throughout the region, have been participating in Reach Out and Read of Greater Philadelphia (www.reachoutandreadphilly.org), a simple yet profound way to harness the power