What every parent needs to know to prepare their child for kindergarten and to instill a lifelong love for learning

Longtime elementary school teacher Kim Jocelyn Dickson believes every child begins kindergarten with a lunchbox in one hand and an "invisible toolbox" in the other. In The Invisible Toolbox, Kim shares with parents the single most important thing they can do to foster their child's future learning potential and nurture the parent-child bond that is the foundation for a child's motivation to learn. She is convinced that the simple act of reading aloud has a far-reaching impact that few of us fully understand and that our recent, nearly universal saturation in technology has further clouded its importance

Secret of the invisible toolbox: a loving letter from your child's future teacher -- Build it with love: how reading, singing, and speaking to our babies form the structure of their invisible toolbox -- Kindergarten and the invisible toolbox: discovering the tools inside -- Greatest gift of the invisible toolbox, or, why we really read: awakening the inner life of your child -- Parent's toolbox: how you can become your child's first reading teacher, get past your own hurdles, and enjoy the treasures inside -- How to read aloud to your child: from birth to adolescence -- Important do's and don'ts