The iPad: More Than Just Child's Play?

Despite the iPad's daunting price tag, some of its most frequent users may be children.

     It's been on the shelves for less than two months, but already it is opening the doors to a new generation of toys for kids. There are already over 5000 apps for the iPad, and many of them are games geared toward children. Also geared toward kids are the children's book apps, interactive storybooks that let children learn and play as they read. With its touch screen and multimedia technology, the iPad lets kids have a completely absorbing reading experience, and these book apps have the potential to be a significant educational tool.

 

     As AOL News recently reported, of the top 16 book apps for the iPad, a whopping 13 of them are children's books, a revealing statistic about the potential that multimedia e-reading devices have for the children's book genre. Many of these book apps are intended for the younger set, with activities that help children learn words and read sentences, engaging them in the plot of the story. For those too young to read, apps offer animated illustrations the reader can touch and move while a recording of the story plays, and children can record themselves reading as they progress in their ability. One app even lets parents make a recording of themselves reading the story on a web cam. Then, when the child reads the story on the iPad, the video recording appears in the corner of the screen - even when they aren't there, parents can read to their children.

 

     These apps are not all simple illustrated storybooks. Some of them use amazing animation and allow children to interact with the story at an unprecedented level. Many book videos demonstrating the capabilities of children's book apps have been posted, including a montage of anticipated books for various age levels from Penguin and an impressive look at the Alice in Wonderland book app.

 

     Yes, the iPad is a colorful, hands-on device with animation and sound, clearly much more like a game than a printed book - but will parents ever really consider the iPad a replacement for books? Starting at $499, could the iPad be a plausible toy for children?

 

     Such an expensive, technologically innovative device should probably not be placed in the hands of children too young to understand that it needs to be treated carefully. The problem is, those of the learning-to-read age are likely not aware that they should not touch its screen with dirty, sticky hands. Four of the top book app titles are Dr. Seuss books: can you imagine first graders having iPads? Perhaps this vision is a little extreme, but who knows what the future will hold?

 

     For now, it remains a fact that the iPad provides a completely new platform for the authorship of children's books, blurring the line between reading and playing. The educational value of the iPad is undeniable, as is its appeal to children (and adults) of all ages. Children's book authors should seriously consider digital editions, especially because this generation of kids is tech-savvy and eager for entertainment. While the iPad could never compete with a print book's durability, it certainly is making the interactive e-book a growing contender in the children's literature genre.