“As a practicing pediatrician in the early days of this pandemic, I was thinking, ‘Are books really that important at this time?’ Now as the weeks have gone by, I feel the Reach Out and Read model is as important to well-child care as immunizations are. There is evidence and it impacts our kid’s lives. While we can’t hold or hug our young patients, we can hand them a book (a brand new, sterile book!) for them to take home. Sort of a distant hug. This is more important than ever. Thank you!”