Dr. Seuss wrote in "Horton Hears a Who," "Don't give up! I believe in you all! A person's a person no matter how small." What a beautiful, encouraging message this is to his readers. Millions of children can't figure out the words on the pages of their books, because they don't know the speech sounds of the alphabet. This is called the alphabetic code. These children feel great sadness and shame. They struggle to not give up as they come to realize their future depends on their ability to read. Reading walls seem to be towering over them and, sadly, they can't climb over them without key reading skills.