The New York Times recently reported that parents — even those who are avid digital downloaders — are shunning kids’ e-books for the real thing. It seems that the feel and texture of paper pages dappled with colourful illustrations trumps the static dimensions of a screen. Closer home, while digital books are scaling new heights, tech-savvy parents are going for both forms. Though they want their children to experience the feel of glossy pages and identify shapes and textures, many are definitely going the e-way.
Television producer Anil Sharma Bhatra, father of a six-year-old, reads to his son from real books as well as e-books. “For me it’s an e-book on the table and a glossy version in bed. While one is like a mechanical cycle, the other is like a motorbike. Both have their own pleasures,” he says.
Nothing can match the fun of cuddling her seven-year-old daughter and reading bedtime stories to her from a colourful book for homemaker Neerja Verma. On her bedside table rest fairytale reserves. Says Neerja, “I don’t think a Kindle can ever have the same effect on the curious mind of my growing daughter. It feels great to see her touch the shiny surface of the pages in awe with her little fingers. I myself love to read from a traditional book. My iPad gives me company only on long flights.”
Revisiting the books that you read in your childhood days won’t be the same with e-versions. There won’t be any memories of dog-eared or freshly printed pages. “Even if you go back to Alladin’s life, it will be a fresh journey in the digital format. The blues and pinks of their clothes will be much brighter on the screen but it won’t have the same feel,” says corporate trainer Dev Ganguly.
However, there are others who feel that in this drastically growing technological world there needs to be a shift in our assumption and acceptability of reality. “When we talk of the e-world, it does provide better visualisation to kids and helps in better understanding of the subject. So I feel it’s time we adapt to the amazing world of e-books. Real books won’t vanish so quickly, but kids will definitely be more attracted towards the new-age toys,” says Soumitro Chatterjee, whose weekends involve reading out stories to slum kids in Delhi.