Daddy K and Babar come of Internet age

A couple of weeks ago I read a little blurp in the San Jose Mercury News that the Internet may not the child reading killer as many people believe.

Which is a good thing because my laptop is (unfortunately) wired to my hands, and we hope to instill a weighted imbalance in B between using the computer and using the library card. The library card will win.

But I want B to be proficient with a computer and savvy traversing the Internet – parent-approved traversing.

According to the article:

A national survey of children 5-17, designed in part by "Harry Potter" publisher Scholastic, indicates that the Internet is reinforcing some kids' interest in books instead of diluting it.

I can buy that. We're not talking about video games.

The 2008 Kids and Family Reading Report, from Scholastic and research firm Yankelovich, was released this week with some upbeat statistics about books printed on paper. Among the results: 62 percent of kids surveyed say they prefer to read books rather than on a computer or a handheld device.

Cool.

A key concern is that the time kids spend reading books for fun declines after age 8 and continues to drop off through the teen years. But this year's study also found that the kids who are high-frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day. One in four kids say they read books daily for fun, and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week.

Very cool.

Moreover, two-thirds of kids ages 9-17 who go online are using the Internet in ways that complement book reading - learning what other people think about a book, learning about an author and connecting with other readers. Just because they like YouTube doesn't mean they're abandoning the library.

Is there a site for kids to review and chat with one another about books? Interesting idea. There is Reading Rainbow. Very cool.

On a side note, you ever notice that reading some children's books as an adult can be an unsettling experience. Take The Story of Babar. I just bought it yesterday to read to Mama A and Baby B. One of my favorite books visually as a child.

Two deaths, a kept elephant, and Babar marries his cousin.

Really.