Research indicates that there are positive effects when young children read and explore books for pleasure, as such activities help build the skills and knowledge that are critical to schooling. Reading for pleasure is facilitated when children have access to books in their own homes. There are great variations in children's book ownership throughout the world, however, due to social, economic, and cultural differences. Books (especially culturally relevant children's books) are not always easily accessible. In some areas of the world, oral storytelling traditions help develop many of the same comprehension skills as book reading does. In "Book Ownership and Young Children's Learning," Selamawit Tadesse and Patsy Washington discuss the effects on learning that can be the result of early exposure to books and book ownership, both in the United States and across the globe.