A survey was conducted of parents of preschool children in a child development center to determine the current level of home reading behavior. Twenty-five parents completed the survey instrument, which consisted of questions concerning the number of available children's books in the home, the time spent reading with the child, and the quality or type of behaviors that accompanied or resulted from the shared reading time. The responses showed that (1) the parents placed a high value on making books available to their children, (2) they read to their children from four to seven times a week, (3) the mother was the major person with whom the reading was shared, (4) the child most often initiated the reading, and (5) reading at home encouraged oral language development, acquainted children with books and print, involved them in activities that extended the concepts encountered in books, and promoted good, social-emotional interaction among family members. Based on these findings, the staff of the child development center created a lending library designed to encourage children to take books home and share them with their families. An informal survey of the lending library's effectiveness indicated general parent approval. (FL)