How many DU parents of small children (say 4-10 yrs old) would buy their

[JanMichael]

child their own personal e-reader (Kindle, Nook, or any other device)?

I am just curious...I don't really have an opinion on it right now; just saw an ad with a little kid in bed reading a children's book with one of those readers-

[jp11]

1. Don't have kids but if I did and said child was an avid reader or showed an interest

as well as had some level of awareness about not treating everything like it was made of rubber I'd get a 6+ year old one with limited features/price.

Here is a comparison of many ereaders though slightly outdated on prices, it also explains some of the technology so you can better understand the strengths/weaknesses ereaders have.

http://chamberfour.com/ereader-comparison/

[JanMichael]

2. wife is a librarian

:) so we are pretty well versed in e-readers. Thanks for the link for others though; it's helpful

[Codeine]

3. Umm, maybe toward the higher end of that range.

I can see a 9- or 10-year-old with a Kindle, but with your average 6-year-old (not all of them, mind) you're just throwing a hundred and thirty bucks away because that sucker will be broken in a month.

[johnroshan]

4. Paper books are better...

I just love the feel of an actual book. Just take them to a public library or a book store and let them explore. Too many things have become virtual, let not the experience of leafing through books on a shelf, getting so captivated by the start of a new book that you sit down on the floor beside the shelf and start reading it, the smell and texture of the paper...


On a more practical note, ebook readers are fragile things and expensive!

[ejpoeta]

28. i agree. while i have been reading on my ipod because that is the only way i can right now,

nothing beats the feel of a book in your hands. it's an experience!! I think e-reading has it's place, but cannot replace the experience of having an actual book.

[bettyellen]

5. I would get them an old I Pad. I know I'm going to flamed and called a Mac zombie

but it is am amazing toy as well as learning aid and E book reader. I'd rather they play with that than Wii or Xbox.

[KittyWampus]

23. You changed my mind when you said 'I'd rather they play with that than Wii or Xbox'

Although I'd probably encourage kid to seek out second hand books.

I grew up with parents who were notoriously reluctant to spend money on us kids. That means even a few pieces of clothes when our old stuff didn't fit.

But both were teachers and my father would bring home books for me... and I got trips to the library.

[bettyellen]

49. and I think printed books are important too. i love buying and sharing books...

but any kind of kindle is a great supplement. I pads just have some ingenious games on them, as long as a kid knows that sometimes it must be put away. I have no problem with it.
My nephews are addicted to video games and Nickleodeon, and it's not juts crap parenting that worries me, it;s the crap content they ingest all day. Nickleodeon is horrendous,

[Brickbat]

6. From 4-8, I'd keep them with paper books, because at the bottom of that range, there are still a lot

of kids who get a great deal out of picture books. Older, maybe, but probably not.

[KittyWampus]

24. Good point about picture books sparking their imaginations. Good learning tool, good comment.

[Brickbat]

45. Tactile input is so important at that younger age, still. Part of the pleasure of reading is the

feel and smell, and it's good for kids to learn that.

[sofa king]

7. My niece has blossomed with her netbook.

She must be taking in a massive amount of information in addition to goofing off with the Sims and Robot Unicorn Attack.

For years now, I've been regaling her with tales of Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Madame Curie, pangolins and platypuses and the differences between a crowd and an army. These days, I barely have to mention some new thing to her and within a day or two she's gone and read up on the subject so that she knows just as much about it as I do.

Yes, we all have our concerns that among all that information there are evil things we wish she'd never learn, but currently the benefits are outweighing the disadvantages. Your future President seems to be doing just fine.

[JanMichael]

9. :) I am sure she is doing great; but I specifically wanted to know about

children's literature downloaded onto an e-reader- no doubt kids are all over the internet right now-

[sofa king]

61. Well, in that regard....

...I think that younger children benefit greatly from the process of seeing and selecting books from the library. As we all know, children cannot help "looking" with their hands, and I suspect a physical book provides a better overall experience in that regard.

An e-book simply cannot provide the same sort of information that a children's book can. Apple juice stains, crayon markings, and torn pages by previous users provide their own sort of information that is also useful to children.

[Phentex]

11. I think it will become the norm like other things...

and not in a bad way. My son is older and was one of those kids who could not have too many books. He loved being read to more than anything in the world. And was always curious... the kind who would ask a million questions (which I would google!). Now, as a teen, I see him looking up all kinds of things especially references to things in books and games.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. I have a couple of dogs in that age range and I would definitely get them the e-reader.

They'd eat the paper ones in no time. :+

[woo me with science]

13. My sentiments exactly.

Our family *always* picked the wrong format! :banghead:

[Coyote_Bandit]

10. I'm not buying one of those things until

they frickin standardize thge format. If I use a Nook and it dies then I should be able to move the library to a Kindle or a PC. As is, it is reminiscent of the vhs/beta firmat conflict.

[jp11]

18. You can download applications for phones and desktop pcs that will work with the

various proprietary formats of ebook. And of course there are other ways that require more effort and aren't exactly within the terms of service for the purchase you want secure.

Standard format is unlikely for a long time as the different formats offer different benefits. As it is something like a tablet pc, seems to offer the widest range of formats since they can download and install nearly all the proprietary applications for various vendors like kindle/nook/etc as well as the numerous free applications that work with the non DRM/proprietary formats. Tablets have worse battery life and some people have issues with reading the lcd screens for extended periods of time, also costing more as you go up in features ala IPAD.

However if one isn't picky and willing to mess with something without a lot of direct customer support the Android tablets are numerous and not too expensive around $100-160, last I saw $160 side offered better options with $100 being refurbished/maybe too low end for the $60 savings. The cheaper android tablets have the less desirable resistive touch screens which are adequate BUT don't work like the IPAD or many smart phones people might be used to. The IPAD might run those programs too I have no idea, but of course it costs significantly more.

Difference between resistive and capacitive touch screens
http://www.calvinshub.com/2010/04/resistive-vs-capacitive-touchscreen-whats-the-difference/

Resistive is perfectly fine for web browsing and navigating ebooks, and menus beyond that I can't really comment I don't try to draw works of art on my tablet nor ever expected to.

[Coyote_Bandit]

52. Thanks

Even though I love gadgets I'll probably never use an e-reader.

I like books.

I remain adverse to buying something in a non-standard format that might well become obsolete. Been there, done that. More than once. Don't really want to repeat the experience.

More importantly, I am vision impaired. Partially sighted in one eye with corrected vision in the other eye. There are no electronic screens that are good for that. Text size can be an issue. So can glare and eye fatigue. Much more so with electronic gadgets of all sorts than with old fashioned books.

[NutmegYankee]

12. I'd wait until the top end of that range.

Young children just don't know how to treat electronic stuff.

[blueamy66]

14. Nothing beats the smell of a book

I wouldn't buy my kid anything other than a real book.

[nenagh]

15. Specifically an e-reader?

I would say.. enjoy the local library first... with all those colourful free books..

My local library has a decorated children's section.. and it is a family event to go to the library.

Personally, I had a son that found reading very difficult.. when he was that age.. but he loved computer games.

So, years ago, I bought him what he really wanted.. those monthly magazines about computer gaming.. and he taught himself to read because he wanted to figure out the games.

My e-reader is a KOBO.. good for long trips.. but no colour.. so, next time.. I'd get something that has colour illustrations :)

and it was the colour of the cartoon characters etc., and the gaming hints, in the gaming magazines that guaranteed my son kept on learning to read.

[WillowTree]

54. There is a color version of Barnes & Noble's Nook.

Have one. Love it. Pages look exactly like paper book pages.......color illustrations and all.

Bit pricey for a youngster, though.

[Happyhippychick]

16. If my daughter were an avid reader I wouldn't hesitate.

Anything to encourage reading would work for me. I have a kindle and I love it.

[JanMichael]

17. if you don't mind me asking

how old is she? Would this be an age-dependent decision based upon the type of literature she likes?

[Happyhippychick]

22. She is now 11, self taught herself to read at age 4.

I am a huge reader, read to her everyday and never pushed her to read on her own. That was all her idea! I smugly assumed that if one was good at reading then one would love it, sadly that hasn't proven true. We have tried every genre, bookclubs, recommendations from her bookworm friends and it hasn't made a difference. I have not been too pushy (always weary that would turn her off more) but I have encouraged. Summer reading for school has been very unpleasant to enforce.

I did ask her about the kindle since I love mine, she had zero interest b

If you have any ideas I would love to hear them :).

[ejpoeta]

30. my daughter loves to read. she read harry potter books a couple of years ago.

she is currently reading the heroes of olympus. Not sure what would peak your child's interest. I always just took them to the library every week during the summer and read to her a lot. She didn't want to read Anne of Green Gables until I pushed her. I read those to her. Told her Anne was just like her. She really got into those after I actually started reading them to her. Maybe you could give her an incentive to read.... she could earn something if she reads a certain amount of books. I understand what you mean though... Reading should be it's own reward. Just the ability to get lost in a book!! Maybe she would read more if she didn't have anything else to do. Emily always wants to go on her laptop or watch tv and I limit those things heavily. I am not saying you don't do that, just that with Emily (who is 12), she will sit on her laptop all day if I let her. Sometimes I do, but rarely. I hope you can figure out a way to get her interested in reading. Good luck.

[Happyhippychick]

39. I tried reading HP with her. I was convinced she would really get into it and she would enjoy the

Shared experience of each reading a chapter out loud.

Didn't work. :(

[jp11]

42. You might check out the Boxcar Children

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boxcar_Children

I enjoyed the parts of the first novel a teacher read to me, have meant to read more just didn't get around to it, that teacher reinvigorated reading for me with 'story time' in the 5th grade.

[Happyhippychick]

46. Thank you, I will

:)

[Happyhippychick]

50. Yes, my girl definitely loves technology.

You are right, I should limit it more. I get tired of policing but that's no excuse.

[ecstatic]

33. My suggestion would be to give her adult level reading

choices. Actually, don't give them to her--leave the books lying around.

Are you pushing books like Harry Potter on her? I learned to read at that age too, and my parents didn't know and weren't involved in pushing me to read more. When I did read, it would be from books geared towards adults that happened to be lying around. I think at 11 she's old enough and definitely smart enough to process the information without any negative repercussions.

ETA--as far as which books to get, take a cue from her movie preferences. I liked horror movies and I loved reading Stephen King books back then.

[Happyhippychick]

51. Yes I tried HP. I think she really didn't enjoy that genre. Frankly, neither do !.

It's so hard for me to believe that there are people who don't love to read when it is/was a lifelong passion of mine. Oh well.

[JanMichael]

37. Wife says:

Put some magazines around about subjects that interest her...if she likes sports, get some on whatever sports she likes, Seventeen Magazine is a good one for dating/clothes/makeup....and just leave them around. On the kitchen table, den, etc...

:) good luck with that!

There are some interesting thoughts on e-readers on this thread-

[Happyhippychick]

47. Yes you are right. She loves kids Nat Geo and some Tiger Beat type things

And any reading is good!

[Bunny]

19. The commercial you saw is for a Color Nook, and at $250/pop,

I would not buy one for a kid in that age range.

[Motown_Johnny]

20. I don't have kids, but I am curious about your question because all the answers

seem to assume that the child would use the e-reader exclusively.


I think that having the reader as a "treat" for him/her at bedtime or in the car on trips would be a great thing. They can still have physical books to carry around with them.

I would also like to point out that most of the reasons given to not supply the child with a reading device is thc cost and the possibility of it being broken. Only a couple take the child into account as far as having a reason to not supply a young child with an e-reader and it seems that they did not consider the possibility of the child having limited access to it and still using paper books most of the time.


As an outside observer I think that it is a new world and the more comfortable a child can become with technology the better. I might have some concern over eye stress with a child using an e-reader but that is about it.

[jp11]

43. Agreed, I imagine a child with an ereader using it at home much like a

desktop or laptop computer, ie it doesn't leave home or maybe the 'den/library/living room/their room' at least until they were older or more responsible.

I don't know how many parents let kids that young have phones but the prices are close for basic ereader and there are I think warranty/plans to replace them for damages with most if not all of the big names ie amazon/b&n.

[aikoaiko]

21. My 6 year old is getting a iPad....

...in part to serve a reader. His school will have one for him there when he starts kindergarten, but I want him to be able to work on it at home, too.

He'll start to read, watch some of his favorite shows, and play games.

He's mastered wii, my wife's iPhone, and our netbook already.

edited to add more

[dddem]

25. I have college age and high school age children

Both have always loved reading, and both enjoy reading in bed. My youngest has a tendency toward migrane, and I suspect her sleep habits contribute. I have read somewhere that the LED screens on tv, cell phones, i-pod, etc. stimulate the part of the brain thats supposed to signal deep rem sleep. Whether or not this is true, I'm not sure, but at a young age, I would try to avoid anything that doesn't encourage sleeping, and I think this falls under that category.
On the other hand, at the middle school/high school/college level, i think serious consideration should be made to loading text books onto e-readers. my kids were walkers (within a mile and a half range of school) and often would be expected to haul between 15-20 pounds of books each day. I would love to see e-readers given to school kids. Not that you asked, just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents!

[ejpoeta]

32. that is definitely something to consider. my daughter is in sixth grade

and they usually don't have homework. I have never seen her bring home more than one book at a time. She is not a walker, mind you, but I think they try to make it so kids get most of their work done at school. Not sure what high school will be like though. but that is something to consider in regards to heavy loads. I remember how heavy my backpack was every day.

[JanMichael]

38. That is an interesting consideration

I read that too; one of the best arguments I have heard for e-textbooks yet-

[Horse with no Name]

34. We had to research this with the Kindle

because my granddaughter has severe seizures. From the tons of literature we researched, there is no risk for that.

I also think this would be a good format for textbooks--with the added plus that the idiots in my home state would lose control over what everyone else's kids have to learn.

[ejpoeta]

26. I think it depends on how responsible they are. My oldest daughter is 12 and

she reads incessantly. She doesn't seem too keen on reading on my ipod though. I let her read a book on there and she read it and then asked me to buy her the books. I know that an ipod isn't exactly the same since it's a lot smaller. but they aren't cheap and if your kid isn't exactly responsible, then I would probably not spend the money on it. I have a 5 year old that while I let her use my ipod while i am right there, would not get her something of her own like a kindle. Maybe if I had one I might let her use it in the car or something.

[DenverDad]

27. While my children understand and enjoy the new technology

the novelty tends to wear off quickly with them, and they move on to something else. We have very little trouble getting our 11 year-old to read, and our 4 year-old looks forward to our weekly trip to the library.

In my opinion, OUR family wouldn't benefit from it right now.

[ecstatic]

29. If I did, I would have radiation concerns

I would probably only allow brief, supervised sessions so they could keep up with current technology.

[Horse with no Name]

31. My granddaughter has one

She loves it. It hasn't replaced her paper books, but it is nice to travel in and was especially nice when she had a lengthy hospital stay. We could download books as she finished one without ever leaving the room.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

60. You've hit on the original selling point of the Kindle for me

I was in and out of the hospital. I'm a very fast and avid reader. With it I could escape into my reading all I wanted without having to pace myself for fear of out reading the material I had with me. I, too, still love my paper books best, but an e-reader has its perks as well.

[Fleshdancer]

35. I think the important issue is that the kids are reading

Kindles and most Nooks aren't backlit and you can increase the font size so you don't have to worry about eye strain. It's also much easier to read a large book in bed when little 8 year old arms aren't holding a pound of paper up for an extended amount of time. Anyone who has read the Harry Potter series knows how big kid books can get.

At the end of the day, I don't care if my own kid picks up a book or asks to read on my Nook. Reading is reading.

[hunter]

36. I have 3 dead iPods and a cellphone, and an upscale calculator on my desk right now...

... the wreckage of "responsible" teens. So far the only cell phone in our household that has survived to near-obsolescence is my own.

When my kids were 4-10 yrs old they were even harder on stuff. We've kept their favorite books from the time (our house is full of books) and these books all have battle scars that would have been fatal to electronics.

I'm still waiting for an indestructible e-reader, something that would survive being left out in a backpack in the rain, or a high speed fall down a flight of concrete stairs, mostly because these might be used to replace textbooks in school.

[Chorophyll]

40. I'm very happy to have a kid who reads.

That said, I'd like him to have a feel for real books -- because they do have a "feel," and a smell, and a physicality -- before I ever bought him an e-reader. Technology is a great thing, but other things are great too. (Son is 9, going on 10.)

[libodem]

41. Kid-nille reader

[MuseRider]

44. My kids are grown and gone but if they were little

I would stick with paper books because of what many have said. The look and feel and even the smell of books are something that one gains a real appreciation for. My little ones would fall asleep holding some of their favorites, something I would not think comforting with a big plastic reader.

My husband wanted a Kindle several years ago. He does not read a lot, I read voraciously. I was not impressed with the idea but since he thought he would like one we got one. I do love it. I also love reading on my DROID. Still there is nothing like a real, hefty book. They are always dependable, don't break....well some of my well loved books are pretty tattered but they will never be offline (so far so good with the Kindle).

I may just be reflecting on my own love of paper books but I think it is a good thing to pass along. Whatever it takes to keep kids reading and learning and if that is ebooks then it is ebooks.

[Xithras]

48. I have/have had kids that age.

I don't have a problem with the idea of young kids HAVING a digital reader of some sort, but I'm also a pragmatist. My kids have a knack for breaking expensive electronics.

My daughter got a netbook when they first became big. It lasted four months until its first break. She left it on her bed, where a blanked was kicked over it. Hours later she came into her room, hopped onto her bed, and *CRACK*...the screen shattered. The next screen died when she knocked it off the corner of her desk. And the next one when she stuck it in her backpack with her textbooks and dropped the bag on her classroom floor. Luckily I'm an electronics whiz, so I've just Ebay'ed replacement screens and put them in myself. Still, it's about $75 every time she breaks one.

My son is the same way, but with cellphones. He's had one for four years now, and he's on his seventh or eighth handset.

The problem with electronics like the iPad or eReaders is that they're designed to be handled by people who will take care of them. Kids generally DON'T.

[Incitatus]

53. I don't have kids yet, but if it would encourage them to read more, definitely. nt

[sarge43]

55. Books vs e-readers

Just checked Amazon. The complete works of Shakespeare (plays, sonnets, etc) for the Kindle, $3.00. The cheapest paperback starts at $23.00 and goes into orbit from there. The Riverside Shakespeare (hardbound) $89.00 and it weighs 5.6 pounds. No way mine goes anywhere with me; it's strictly stay at home whereas my Kindle and Dear Will slip neatly into my purse.

I believe we can have both; they're not mutually exclusive.

[w8liftinglady]

56. Mom of three boys... I would save it until Jr High

My kids all loved to read. The interaction between paper books and the reader is significant. My partner teaches 5th grade. He feels the same way. He says kids just DO better with manual possession of a book with pages...one they can share.

FWIW my 15 and 21 year-olds both have Kindle and love them.For those age groups,it is suitable.

[ileus]

57. We have a kindle put up for our daughters 9th Bday in July.

She'll check out 9 or 10 books and have them read in no time...she doesn't stop reading until she's read them all. We buy 100 bucks of books a month and are running out of room for her to store them (she won't give them away)

I suppose time will tell how she likes the kindle, she's used a friends several times and the format doesn't seem to turn her off. I like flipping the pages and feel of a real book IMHO....I suppose one day that'll pass.

[Vattel]

58. my kid just turned seven, and loves to read,

but I personally don't see any need to get her an e-reader. She does fine with inexpensive books, and parents in my neighborhood share books with eachother to reduce costs.

[jp11]

59. That's very cool that parents in your neighborhood connect like that. n/t