A key problem with ebooks is the lack of instant differentiation. It's all a sea of equality, no discernible difference until you in fact read it. This vs, say, my main bookcase (I've 26) instantly discerning deteriorating comic books from gold inlay leather bound classics ... and the key difference that my favorite works are in that case while lesser & disposable volumes aren't. This vs my ebook collections where everything is on what amounts to one set of racks differentiated only by retailer.
I mention this in context because my biggest concern is my children can with ease peruse a large collection of fine works worth their time and consideration just by the fact the titles are in a limited physical space, while the ebooks are mere bits in a dense sea thereof. Atoms are important for ensuring others can find them.
FWIW: one of my daughter's first words was "iPad".
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but I'm working with some illustrators on an interactive children's book, and I'm curious how parents feel about book apps for kids.
Does the idea of a richly interactive children's book appeal to you, and if so, how much interactivity is too much? At what point does an interactive book become a game, in your opinion, and do you think video games for young children (under 6-ish) present moral or developmental issues?
An interactive book is a good thing, but you have to know whether it is for increasing the parent/child reading experience, or to hand it over to the child for self entertainment (ie, stop bugging me for 5 minutes and read this).
In the first category - having things move/animate would be more important than story telling, in the second, having a self-led easy to use system for the child to work their own way through a story is important.
> do you think video games for young children (under 6-ish) present moral or developmental issues?
No, but if you let a young child endlessly play video games you've only got yourself to blame. Interactive books for children are to paper what illustrated is to text. There are no 'morals' in material (assuming the content is benign) ,only in the way they are allowed to access it. Developmentally, you have to bring up a child in the world it's going to live in, electronic devices are here to stay.
Thanks for your feedback. We agree with your two use cases, but we have no idea which will end up being dominant. I guess we will just have to ship it to find out.
It depends on the age of the kid... for a 2yo, moving pictures and talking characters in a book app offer similar benefits to pop-up books and those book-on-tape/CD/vinyl and deadtree book combos -- they help the child learn that the words have meaning, and demonstrate that meaning in a very accessible way, while keeping things interesting.
For an elementary schooler, a book should be a book. Any interactivity beyond the "choose your own adventure" style will cause me not to purchase. There's something to be said for letting reading happen, instead of distracting with things that could have been left to the imagination.
Over the elementary school age, I imagine that any child would find an "interactive book" at least as annoying and distracting as I do as an adult.
My idea of an interactive childrens book would be like a mix of choose your own adventure + scribblenauts.
Giving the child the chance to first set up the main character with any attributes they like, having a storyline that they can follow but allowing them to try and progress through some problems themselves with some puzzle solving techniques. (And adjusting the outcome based on their choices to solve the problems)
My daughters love the Sesame Street iPad translation of "The Monster at the End of this Book". Generally we read paper books to them, but they enjoy the interactive Grover story, too. I don't see any moral or development issues. Everything in moderation.
I mention this in context because my biggest concern is my children can with ease peruse a large collection of fine works worth their time and consideration just by the fact the titles are in a limited physical space, while the ebooks are mere bits in a dense sea thereof. Atoms are important for ensuring others can find them.
FWIW: one of my daughter's first words was "iPad".