A recent article on Kentucky.com entitled "Everyday reading early in life is a priceless investment in a child's future" laid out some startling statistics regarding how important reading skills are in regards to adding value to the lives of future adults. The article referenced a study by from the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine that found that low literacy skills are associated with poor physical and mental health in adults. The article also referenced a survey from the U.S. Department of Education showing that 14 percent of American adults cannot read and 21 percent of American adults read below the fifth grade reading level. Sadly, 19 percent of high school graduates cannot read.
Why is this so important and so urgent? According to information presented on the One World Literacy Foundation website:
85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, more than 60 percent of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate and over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.
A primary focus of A. J. Cosmo's mission is to encourage this early skill development though silly stories in the form of children's books that engage children. The kid's stories are carefully crafted to help parents teach their children simple everyday lessons in an easy to understand manner. By artfully marrying beautiful illustrations and language, children are challenged to explore his magical worlds. Written for the transitional reader, A.J.'s stories allow children to develop and master a new level of reading.
"It doesn't have to be Shakespeare. Any literature is good reading. Any critical thinking is good thought."
A.J. is the author & illustrator of over forty children's books for the Amazon Kindle including the best selling "The Monster That Ate My Socks" which spent almost two years at the top of the Monster category and in the top 500 books overall. While much of his work is centered around the concept of monsters, A. J. manages to create characters that are funny, unique and wildly engaging.
"Literacy has always created a social class divide. If you want the best for your child, and yourself for that matter, find something, anything, that sparks a love for reading."
A. J. Cosmo is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at aj@ajcosmo.com. All of Cosmo's works are available at Amazon. More information is available at his website at http://www.ajcosmo.com.
About A. J. Cosmo:
A. J. Cosmo lives and works as a writer and illustrator in Los Angeles and has written over thirty children's books for the Amazon Kindle.
Contact:
A. J Cosmo
http://www.ajcosmo.com
aj@ajcosmo.com
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