Reading communicates

"There is a connection between the written language and the spoken language. The written language puts the child into communication with the thoughts expressed by other people without any sound - a communication from soul to soul, secrets told without even a whisper, a personal communication of thoughts which nobody else can hear. In this respect reading has a high spiritual value."

~ Maria Montessori, from her 'new' book Creative Development in the Child: The Montessori Approach