Dd had an avid interest in the written word from an extremely early age. By 12 mo. she would totter around with this huge DK word book --- one of her first words was "readabook" and it meant that she was going to plop in your lap with this book and you would read it to her.
We did help her learn to read, and here's why. She was a very tiny thing (<3rd percentile on weight) and in an effort to get her to stay in the high chair a little longer to eat, we looked for ways to amuse her. At some point (18 mos.?) she showed an interest in the writing on the cereal box and we followed her lead. It took off from there. By shortly after her 2nd birthday, she was a fluent reader as defined other posters here (reading beginning readers she had never seen before as well as signs everywhere ("No Parking, Daddy")). We did censor massively when she was little (but I did finally give in to the queries and explained the feminine hygiene product dispensers - "What does Tampon mean?" - in public ladies' rooms when she and her twin were about 4yo).
Now 12 yo, she has never slowed down on reading, and calls herself a "book addict." She routinely finishes off two substantial novels in a day and on occasion a third.
