There's some competition going on in my house between my 7-year-old and 4-year-old. My older child can read, my youngest child cannot. But that does not deter her from trying!
She sees her brother delving into books and has taken it upon herself to learn to read. The last few nights have been filled with "learn to read" style books with her at bedtime. And she's rocking it! I'm so proud of her!
It actually takes a lot of brainpower to help her ("What's the best way to teach the 'th' sound?) and is a bit more intensive than the "Let's just read Peppa Pig and go to sleep" model we were using. But she's goal-oriented, and it's great!
There's no stopping technology and the importance of children learning to navigate all the electronic items that are placed in front of them. It's our society's future, and I get that. But for now, I'd rather let them get into a good, "old school" book. Those seem to have the best impact on them at this age.
For my youngest, there are wonderful books about planets by Stacy McNaulty, and we also love all things Peppa Pig — sorry but Bluey doesn't translate well to pages. For my oldest, he still loves Football Week by Future Fans (a great company that's doing so much for kids and parents), as well as Dan Wetzel's Epic Athletes series, and Magic Tree House.
I'm not an expert in teaching, reading etc., but this is what works for us! Personally, I love a good book — especially at night. It's soothing and enjoyable and relatively escapist.
Again, this is our experience. That doesn't mean it should be everyone's. I know I went through a stretch where I didn't read anything for years, and then the pandemic brought books back into my life. Now I'm seeing the importance of reading with my kids and I'm so happy we've all gotten into books.