Reading children's picture books to babies is an underestimated resource for addressing parenting skills and developmental issues, improving emotional attachment and satisfaction, and basic literacy. Although focused on pregnant and parenting teens, the READ TO ME program offers a model adaptable to a wider range of work with at-risk families. This inexpensive, nondidactic, and pleasurable intervention is effective because children's books contain the richness of art and literature that imaginatively touch on fundamental issues such as love, loss, relationships, and humor. By reading early picture books, parents potentially avoid conflicts, become aware of their babies' emotional lives, and receive some compensation for their own unresolved issues.