Children's Books discussion

I have recently considered buying some ebook versions of picture books for my kids but I have some hesitations. I thought it might help to get some feedback from other parents. My kids are 3 years and under. What are you experiences with ebooks vs traditionally printed books. Do ebooks hold attention as well? Do you get more interaction from your kids with one over the other? Thank you for any advice and opinions you would like to share.

Depending on your e-reader, some don'the translate over very well. You sometimes end up with pictures on one page and words on another. Or the pictures and words sometimes turn out really small. I would suggest downloading some free ones first or some from your library to see how they work out on your reader.

My daughter likes them okay, but she'd still prefer a real book. She's just become able to read better, so I bought her one chapter ebook, and she really liked that better than paper. My personal feeling is that picture books and chapter books with pictures are best in paper.

I think that regular books are good for little ones. That way the book can travel wherever they go without worrying. Plus, I just like the way real books feel, and even smell.

I agree with Amy. Book design is *very* important in illustrated books, especially in the better ones. And the pictures need to big enough to share so you can all read together. And it's nice to have a book that is a book, not a toy that is a book plus a game platform plus a music player plus....

Once they're in MG, and can be trusted to carry around their own device, and are reading actual novels, sure, ebooks are fine. I love my tablet for archived classics, but I can't stand the thought of reading, say Abigail on a digital multipurpose toy.

Erica, my 6 year old has a Kindle Fire and because I have prime it is something like $3.99 a month for Kindle Freetime unlimited which includes a variety of apps, ebooks and videos.

Now, there is a lot of utterly valueless stuff on there that they will just waste time with.

However, there are also some really fun ebooks by Dr Seuss and Mercer Mayer. They are considered 'apps', I assume because they have a 'read to me' feature. The 'read to me' feature is fantastic. The words change color as they're read so that kid's can follow along and the book changes the pages itself. I just love those and wish they had an option that allowed you to search apps for just that kind of book.

Additionally, we also borrow ebooks from the library on her kindle using an app called Overdrive.

My kid has 'reread' some of those ebooks a lot more times than she has the physical book.

But, if you have a library that does ebook lending, that can be a good way to try ebooks without spending a lot on them.

Since they spend so much time with electronic devices already, I am kind of hesitant to do ebooks. Plus there is just something about a printed book. It would be neat for some of the interactive book options though. Thank you for all the great feedback! It helps to hear from other parents.

I have found way too many picture books end up with minutely small and hard to read text on ebooks, especially with picture books that had not originally been conceptualised as ebooks.

I haven't introduced my little ones to ebooks. Their screen time is significantly limited and I'm also just kind of old-fashioned in loving the feel and look of traditional books. I've finally started reading some ebooks myself from Project Gutenberg because I'm interested in older books that are often out-of-print and difficult or costly to obtain a tangible copy. I haven't looked at ebook picture books but I would imagine, like others said, some of the formatting would be a bit more difficult that way.

Erica wrote: "I have recently considered buying some ebook versions of picture books for my kids but I have some hesitations. I thought it might help to get some feedback from other parents. My kids are 3 years ..."

I have the overdrive app. I've downloaded some of my favorite picture books for my grandchildren. As a teacher I truly prefer the paper books. The ebooks have been great for traveling & storage

Dina wrote: "Erica wrote: "I have recently considered buying some ebook versions of picture books for my kids but I have some hesitations. I thought it might help to get some feedback from other parents. My kid..."

Definitely for storage (I have way too many picture books), but it sure is annoying when the text is sometimes so minuscule that I need both my reading glasses and a magnifying glass.

My experience with children's ebooks is that it's unimpressive. The artwork is not as engaging through the screen, the formatting is often atrocious, and there is less fluidity while reading. I use the Kindle app and Overdrive. I really only use children's ebooks to decide whether or not I want to put the physical book on hold. My daughter does not get into the ebooks as deeply as she does physical books. The technology, itself, acts as a barrier to enjoyment.

I have bought some picture books recently as eBooks and I agree with your observations. My daughter does not seem to enjoy them near as much as physical books.

There is a difference between a book available in digital form, and a digital book.

Many authors will use the same PDF they provided for their hard copy book as their digital book. This gives digital books a bad name - what's the point of making a book digital, and then not maximising the benefits of the format? Traditional publishers looking to resurface their legacy titles for easy money are regular offenders.

A digital book should be designed for a digital format. When done properly, the kid's find this incredibly engaging, and the experience can bring interaction between reader and child, and child and book to a new level. I design books to make the most of the digital formats, and iBooks is by far the best from that perspective. Kindle, is one of the most restrictive.

I wrote a more detailed explanation of what I've said above with examples you might enjoy - http://oldmatemedia.com/ebooks-vs-books/ - in particular check out the video for Can You See The Magic, and how it uses digital to blow kids minds - https://youtu.be/MGvbWvdBhMQ

Chris wrote: "There is a difference between a book available in digital form, and a digital book.

Many authors will use the same PDF they provided for their hard copy book as their digital book. This gives digi..."

Very cool. I like the interactive aspects! Any children's ebooks I have ever bought have been the print version on screen and they loose quality because of that. I normally just use them to see if I want the full version. But an interactive book would be a completely different story.

Nothing wrong w/ making legacy titles available as e-books!

But exploiting the platform is a good idea, too.

Give readers both!

I totally changed my mind on this subject last year when watching my 10 yr old reading a kindle book. As she came to a word she didn't know, she simply used the thesaurus. I couldn't help but think that this was a brilliant way to learn, particularly for that age group, when there is so much to learn yet they are wanting to be independent and not asking an adult every five minutes. They are learning at their own pace without feeling foolish.

That's a great story John!! Such an awesome point.

Cheryl, I agree with you on legacy titles being available, just wish they showed off the platform in all its glory as their download rate is so high. They set the tone.

I am working on a story at the moment which will have a branching storyline so that the kids can choose which order the story unfolds - should be a lot of fun.

I like ebooks and physical books.

I used to really enjoy reading old books and I still do enjoy that sometimes. But, I've had a few too many fancy old books that just fell apart while I was reading them. That is depressing to me.

I don't mind when it happens with paperbacks, when they just crumble apart while you read them.

I enjoy displaying my vintage/antique books, but I don't enjoy reading them. I will thumb through them gently from time to time, but I would rather read them in ebook format.

One thing to remember though is that looking up every word one does not know (either in a dictionary or using the Kindle thesaurus), both for books read in one's mother tongue and in foreign languages is actually not something that should be done ALL the time, as one also needs to learn how to deduce, how to guess at meanings of words from the context of the narrative (and thus, the Kindle thesaurus, any of the Kindle tools, like with any dictionary, can be a great tool but also should not be relied upon too much).

Personally, what I do not all that much like with Kindle vs paper books is that with the former, flipping back and forth (which I tend to do often whilst reading) is not nearly as easy or as enjoyable (and it is especially a problem if one is reading an ebook that has a glossary or endnotes).

I agree about flipping back-and-forth. I have many, many reference/informative ebooks and I rarely use them because they're cumbersome in that way. There are the bookmarks, but if I find a book super-useful, I buy a paper version.

I "own" 100s of ebooks. It's almost as rewarding as having a house full of bookshelves, but without the issues when I move to a new city.

I appreciate that some folks use the technology better when it comes to children, but since it's not great for their eyes to look at screens for more than 2 hours a day, I'm okay with sitting down with a paper book. It's so cozy and easier on my eyes, too! There's something so rewarding about coming home with 20 library books! I get excited just thinking about our future reading time.