‘The [bedtime book] is just so important. An important thing, a valuable thing. Just the sharing time, with the child and the book; and letting the book absorb the attention of the child, getting a bit scuffed, the pages a bit ripped, scribbled on perhaps.’
– Philip Pullman
(Read more about Philip Pullman’s option on how reading as a child ‘loosens the chains of the imagination’ here.)
1001 Children's Books 
Great article from the Guardian. Thanks for the link.