According to a study published in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, children who grow up with books fare better in life.
Books have an impact on children from all walks of life but have an even greater impact on those from poor families.
Researchers from Australian National University and the University of California at Los Angeles looked at the issue. Their research involved 73,000 people in 27 countries and found that children who grow up with books obtain three years more schooling than those who do not.
The impact of books was the greatest in countries like China and South Africa.
Dr. Mariah Evans is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Nevada and a study co-author. She told the Star that having books "helps the most in children who are from disadvantaged homes where parents aren’t well educated or a considered to have a low income."
She adds that "You get some bang from your book all the way through society, but you get more advantage for those in the lower rungs of society… no matter how advantaged parents are the bookishness of the home always matters. Being rich and highly educated doesn’t entirely compensate for not having books around."