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Thinking Outside the Book: Reading in a Digital World

by Stephanie_K 03:04 PM

 

My parents used to read to me before I went to bed. I’m sure they read picture books to me, but what I remember best was Pippi Longstocking. I’d get a chapter each night. And though I don’t really remember the whole story, I remember thoroughly enjoying it, begging my parents to read just one more chapter before I went to bed. If you ask my sister, who’s nine years my junior, her fondest memory was falling asleep to Ramona Quimby, Age 8 every night of her early childhood years. But the difference in our memories is not just the books, it’s the technology.

 

My sister grew up in the age of audio books. There were picture books that she read along with the audio, and there were novels that she got to enjoy even before she could actually read them. I remember countless family vacations where we were tortured by various books that she had to listen to over and over and over again. (This was before the days of personal DVD players with headphones.) The point is: my sister acquired a love for stories and books at a very early age, and she never lost it. She wasn’t forced to sit down and read a book; she asked for it. And more often than not, she asked to listen to it. And listening to a book didn’t stop her from actually reading the same book when she was able to do so. I’m sure my parents also read to her, but when they couldn’t, they found something that could. And my sister thrived as a result.

 

Nowadays, it’s all about the visual. Pretty much everywhere you go you’ll find a TV. And if not—no worries—with an iPhone or laptop, you can just bring your own. I’m even guilty of handing over my laptop to my 10-year-old stepdaughter, Anna, during road trips so she can plug in and watch a movie. But then we, as parents, complain about how we can’t get our kids to read, or wonder why getting them to do their reading homework is like the impossible mission. I’m starting to believe it’s because many parents read to their kids when they’re babies and toddlers but stop when they start watching TV. I think that gap in reading time is actually a crucial period in which kids really learn to love books.

 

So many of the wonderful guest writers here on Letter Blocks talked about how they read before they went to bed at night, and how beloved childhood books helped them become the talented authors they are today. I truly believe that every child can, and should, have that same experience, even if it’s by embracing the evolution of technology. On our recent trip to visit Grandma, I left the laptop at home and brought audio books instead. Before the trip I went to the library and picked out a few CDs I thought Anna would like. After a bit of hemming and hawing on her part, she accepted the fact that her ears, instead of her eyes, would have to do the work this time. And you know what? She enjoyed the story.

 

So let them fall asleep to a book on CD or pop in an audio book on your next road trip. Yes, TV and computers are tough competition for actual books, but why try to compete with technology when you can use it to your advantage? E-books, though not literal bound books, are still books. Audio books tell the same stories found in library-scented pages. As parents, we might have to be a little tricky when it comes to getting reluctant readers to enjoy reading—but instilling a lifelong love of books will be well worth the effort. And when they’re actually reading an ink-and-paper book, enjoy it with them. When I read with Anna, I read a page and then she reads a page. Sharing the experience of reading is something your child will take with her. Happy reading—however you read.

Message Edited by Stephanie_K on 08-25-2009 03:55 PM
2 comments
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by Rosei on 09-17-2009 09:21 PM
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I always read by myself. My parents never read to me before bed, so school was the place where I got my will to read and developed my own skills. We had many books at home, because my father was a military and the government encouraged culture and literacy through good reading. So, he was kinda "obliged" to buy a certain quantity of books every month. But we had not any activities at home for those books. School was where I learned that if we have the chance to hand a book, we always should open it and enjoy reading.

 

And as a good reader I love experimenting different reading materials. So computer and technology doesn't stop my will to read. I love books and eBooks and all kind of material I can get that is worth reading. So I agree that technology must work for what knowledge is important. I love the eBook idea and all internet based materials too. Added to conventional books, they can create a great legion of interested and critical readers.

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by Blogger Stephanie_K on 09-22-2009 09:36 AM
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Rosei,

I think it's WONDERFUL that school was a reading sanctuary of sorts for you!  I think there are so many different types of families out there and what parents are and are not able to do with or for their families.  I do believe that you are what I wish all kids could be like.  But, unfortuantly, Ipods, and Wiis, and XBOX, and DVDs have gotten in the way of a plain ol' book.  I think we're entering a visual age.  Now, if books and their pictures moved like they do in Harry Potter, we'd be getting a lot more readers.  So, I think to get kids to see how wonderful reading is, we need to look at other things besides just the book.  I love that you too have embraced the technology age...Ebooks are really cool and I think, more importantly, so easy to access.  So, if a parent has to work and can't get the child to the library, that child can just go to the library online...I guess technology has actually made it easier for kids to access books...we just have to show them the way! 

Thanks for pointing that out!

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