What is your favorite way to read to your child or interest your child in reading? We’re really looking at picture-book aged children, but any and all opinions are welcome.

First, here’s the list I came up with and let me know if I’ve missed any. Maybe you read to your child via the WII (seriously, can you do that?), or just make stories up and write them down each night (if you do, I bow down before you)…Anyway, let’s start here:

• Hardcopy books
• Smart Phones
• Tablets
• Computers
• E-readers
• Active books (pop-ups, look ‘n feel, etc)

There are pros and cons to each, obviously, or there would be only one 😉

LCD screens might be hard on eyes, but there’s e-ink in the mix now for all you Nook and Kindle fans (sadly not in color yet). Hardcopy books are ripped and torn, but while spilled coffee might make them ugly, coffee on an e-reader could be a very sad day indeed. Computers are a bit hard on the eyes and sometimes do too much for the child (we still want them to imagine what it would be like if…), but there is a ton of content out there and interaction keeps children intrigued.

There seem to be 5 major things that we want in a children’s book format that we haven’t completely managed to pin down yet:

• Durability
• Interaction with all the senses
• Imagination
• As little strain on eyes as possible
• Colors!

Maybe someone out there has already come up with a solution, but in the meantime, a mixed approach seems the most rounded. I tend to prefer hardcopy books for putting little ones to bed and a mix of phones, tablets, and hardcopies during the day. Having a child occupied by an interactive book in the backseat can indeed be a lifesaver.

What do you all think? Any opinions or ideas for future picture “book” formats?

Filed under: about books