Highlighted in the ‘100 things to watch in 2011’ is children’s e-books. Ad agency JWT who put the list together, say that children’s dynamic stories will become more popular this year, and encouraging kids (who already know how to work the DVD player, laptop before nursery) to be even more ambidextrous learners who can switch seamlessly from text to graphics and games.
It seems to be an inevitable part of the trend in adults’ fiction, which saw sales in the UK drop last year, but more than a million e-books were downloaded.
Kids, already used to downloading music, will feel that it is normal to download books too. And many publishers are responding to the changing dynamic of reading, and will be publishing ebooks alongside their hardcopy version.
What do you think? Would you let your 4 year old handle your iPad? Would you buy them their own device? It sounds like a great way to get kids engaged with reading, who otherwise might not be. But, what about the joy of handling books, and the tactile learning that kids get from them?