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The Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition tablet was launched this
fall. With it, kids can navigate to eBooks
by topic and interest. I think this is
a great thing, to have digital shelves just for children and for them to decide
what they would like to read.
Used books are changing.
I now prefer vintage editions that have excellent illustration, thinking
that a large illustrated hardcover might still be the choice of parents when
they want to buy shelf copies. I am
staying away from “reading copies” of novels, editions that are not collectible but
are affordable for classics.
How do children become inspired to read? In my childhood, we had a babysitter who went
to her work with a large bag of books.
Dolly was a favorite and we begged for her to come, but were often told
that she was too popular to come every time.
She would open up her bag, containing some dolls and toys too, and then
she would spread the books out for us to open and pick for reading.
I’ve believed in that method. In Duluth, I worked at a bookshop that
concentrated on children’s books, also a lakeside book store that had a large
children’s room, and then I worked at a used books and antiques store where a
children’s book dealer had a large and cozy space. Children like to see displays and they like
to look for themselves, especially when it comes to illustrated books. Sometimes parents walked away from their browsing kids so that the children’s section became a kind of babysitter for
shopping moms. That could become an
issue. But the biggest issue to me was
children selecting books and imploring their parent to buy them when the
shopping moms were not out to buy books.
Children are used to libraries. I heard many parents explaining to their
child that a store is not a library, and that they couldn't take home anything
they wanted.
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I belonged to a Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club long
ago. Books were sent to me and I tried
them out. Now as a used book dealer, I
jump when I see one of those books I remember - Across Five Aprils, The Golden
Impala, The Winged Watchman.
Even then, I still browsed in the public library, looking for a book I
might like for sure. Now our libraries
have eBooks to download without cost and eReaders that can be checked out.
Traditionally, parents bought hardcover books, if they
bought children’s books. The paperback
was less expensive but, because children might not want to read a whole
paperback novel, the library or the school was usually the place where they
would select one.
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At one time, I thought of starting an internet site for children’s writing. Going to the few sites that had been created, I found out that some kids were spammers. The children’s sites had to invest in high level internet security. Even the children’s authors and illustrators site that I visited had the same problem. Children were coming in and spamming or attempting to leave messages for authors. That was the reason for the advanced password security at the site.
A child choosing for themselves, outside of school, will
lead to another type of education. That
experience will mean much to them. After
all, children are all sent to a desk job for 35 hours a week, and one
where they are constantly evaluated.
That has had a negative effect on book reading. If children can choose books outside of
school, then they might want to read more.
Libraries seem like a school environment. The tablet or eReader with children’s
choices, having other capacities too, might give the freedom that stimulates if
a child is in a quiet hour, in a car, or prevented from outside play because of
weather conditions. And hopefully,
parents, authors, and publishers will find out what young people really want.
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