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Ebooks Can’t Burn

But is that a good thing or a bad thing? This writer from theNew York Times Review of Books seems to think eliminating the physical aspect of a book for the ephemeral “pure” experience of reading just the words in sequence is the optimal way for a reader to engage with a book (or at least with “literature” and “literary experience”). I’m not going to get into it now, but I don’t agree with this at all. A physical book is a sensual experience and that can certainly contribute to reader engagement! The writer does make the point that in a censored society, burning an ereader doesn’t have the same impact on access to information that burning physical books does, which is true (unless Amazon or a publisher yanks the book), and is one of the pluses of ebooks.

At the same time that the NYR is expounding on the joys of ebooks, though, another article makes the opposite argument- in some cases, ebooks just can’t measure up. I suggest checking out item number 4, which also makes a valid point about the effectiveness of book burning when it comes to physical books vs. ereaders. And all you horror movie lovers, don’t miss out on #5. The ebook version of the Necronomicon just doesn’t have the visual impact of the physical book, wouldn’t you agree?

I’ve grown to appreciate the advantages of ebooks, but the physical book is, I think, still too necessary, on so many levels, to ever reach extinction… It’s not only because it’s consumed by flames with more impact than an ereader is that the physical book burns brighter in the mind and hands of a reader than an ebook ever will.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by , Reply

Free Educator Resource: “On Halloween”

On Halloween is a very short Choose-Your-Own-Path ebook created by writer Michele Lee and her seven year old daughter Mini Lee for 7-12 year olds.  It deals with issues related to bullying (very timely, since October is National Bullying Prevention Month), encourages the exercise of decision-making skills, uses great descriptive language, and has both cliffhangers and humor going for it. Full disclosure, Michele is a co-conspirator here at MonsterLibrarian.com, and I was a beta reader for On Halloween.

It’s because I was a beta reader that I have gotten to see the positive impact this has on kids’ imaginations (or at least on one kid’s imagination). My precocious five year old, reading over my shoulder, wanted me to read the whole thing aloud to him. Then he wanted me to type up his own story about a haunted house. Then he wanted me to read it again. Then he tried to type up his own story (that was pretty funny as he doesn’t really have a handle on spelling yet). Then he sneaked onto my laptop, figured out how to open the file the story was in, and started reading it again. Then he wanted me to write another story.

Now, he is an unusual kid, but this is impressive. Teachers, parents, and librarians, take note: this is a story able to engage readers with even very rudimentary reading skills. Even if kids can’t read all the words, they can get the gist, enough to get caught up in the story. I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed I am to see that this story had such an impact on my own kid. On Halloween is currently offered for free to educators through Michele’s blog in ePub, mobi, and PDF formats. I encourage you to check it out.

And please do let Michele know if you use this with your kids.

Posted on October 24, 2011 by , Reply

Reading Is Fundamental

Hard to find anyone who would argue with that.  In fact, it’s a favorite soapbox of all kinds of politicians, who love to bemoan the state of literacy and the failure rate of American students on standardized testing of reading skills.

Well, to be fair, it’s one of my soapboxes too. The importance of reading, and getting kids (and other people) engaged with reading and learning, is something I’m really passionate about. And a big part of getting kids connected with books is to give them books. Seems obvious, I know. But not every kid grows up in a home filled with books,  or with parents who love reading and model it. There are a lot of adults who struggle with reading, or avoid it.  Some kids don’t even have a home… and without an address, you generally can’t get a library card.  And many don’t have the money to get a book of their own.

And that is why, as Nicholas Kristof wrote in a New York Times op-ed (a portion of which is quoted here) programs like Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and First Book are so vital to developing a nation of readers. The ownership of a book is an incredible gift of power. Not only does it increase children’s interest in and enjoyment of reading, but it positively affects family literacy and offers new opportunities for educators to involve their students in reading and learning.

So, if our elected officials agree that reading is vital, and programs like RIF and First Book encourage and promote literacy and reading for kids, families, and schools, with research supporting their practices, why are they cutting funding for these programs?

Hope for the future comes from reading and learning there’s more to life than what you see. Children, and the world,  need hope. And books. Or they’ll be left bereft, as well as behind.

Posted on July 25, 2011 by , Reply
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