Reading is a part of study process
I am a reading teacher, and early reading is a way to acquire language to communicate.
Are there skills necessary to make one a good reader?
Yes.  For good readers, however, the skills seem easy as they are learned at such a young age.
So what are the requisite skills then if they are learned from a young age?
Well, to understand what we read, we first need to understand spoken language. Hearing conversation.