It is no secret and no surprise that the young are best-equipped to use technology. Whilst their elders sit scratching their heads, youngsters can get to grips with cutting edge technology in the time it takes others to make a cup of tea. So with all their technological nous, it’s little surprise that ebooks have started to find favour amongst the young.
Whilst many adults have poured scorn on the ebook, claiming it to be inferior to the printed novel, children have been decidedly less quick to judge; putting the ebook reader up there with their gaming machines and music players. Now, ebook readers are featuring highly up Christmas and birthday wishlists, with books to fill them following quickly behind.
Realising this, publishers noted the demand and now childrens’ books are available for the ebook; with some faring just as well as their adult counterparts, if not better.
Now, modern classics are found just as readily on ebook stores as they are on high street shelves with authors such as Jacqueline Wilson, Stephanie Meyer, Eoin Colfer and Garth Nix. Modern books are not the only ones getting the modern treatment, however; as long-established classics have been getting an electronic makeover, with CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and Roald Dahl all being made available in ebook form.
This, of course, has been hailed as extremely good news by publishers and parents alike; with ebooks and electronic readers encouraging children to read more. At a time when the press it full of stories about libraries and high street bookstores encountering difficulty, any methods that will encourage children to read – on their own terms – is being widely praised.
So whilst there may be some adults who are still not convinced by ebooks, countless children are and given that it’s the children we always turn to with our tech questions, they may well be onto something.