It takes a reader to shape a reader. Treat children as apprentice readers learning at the feet of a master. When they see you reading, they will join you. After all, if you don't read, why should they? Read for the fun of it. Find the good books and forget the rest. If you aren't enjoying a story, they probably aren't either. Go easy on the preachy morality tales (dump the phonetic workbooks altogether) and find stories that will take them beyond their ordinary lives. Ration TV as you ration junk food. Cola, chips and sitcoms may be great on Friday night but why ruin their taste for the really good stuff in life with a steady diet of empty calories and inane content?