I had to laugh when I read this New York Times article, which at the start seems to suggest that parents who use e-readers are hypocritical by insisting their children read paper books. To quote a bit, “They freely acknowledge their digital double standard, saying they want their children to be surrounded by print books” and they “fear that a shiny gadget might get all the attention” and “if little Joey is going to spit up, a book may be easier to clean than a tablet computer.”

     Chah! There’s no double standard here. There’s intelligence. Wisdom, even.

     I have no fears that little Joey will grow up to be at least computer literate. His parents already own e-readers, so there’s a decent chance that they own other electronic communications devices, and there are also computers at the very libraries and schools that little Joey may visit or attend, and, oh yeah, his place of work will likely have a computer, too. So I’m not worried that little Joey will think an e-reader is a shiny paperweight.

     I’m a lot more worried — as are his parents obviously — that little Joey will think of the e-reader as a nifty projectile. Seriously, what do toddlers do when they’re done with a book? They throw it. Okay, maybe, if they’re particularly gentle children, they’ll drop it. Super. Imagine, all my faithful readers, going to your bedroom and repeatedly dropping, oh, say, your alarm clock, which probably cost a whole lot less than your precious e-reader. After even two drops, are you still thinking that giving little Joey an e-reader is a good idea? Of course parents are hesitant to hand their kids devices that cost hundreds of dollars. Witness the evidence; this second picture is from a friend who handed his iPhone to his toddler. Not as pretty as the first picture above, is it?

     So let’s imagine instead that you choose to simply hand little Joey a couple hundred-dollar bills (the cost of the e-reader). What will he do with the bills? Why, tear them! Obviously! That is why books for the young are BOARD books, because otherwise the books would end up shredded all over the living room or chewed up in baby’s belly.

     And, yes, I must concur with parents that electronic gadgets don’t enhance a child’s concentration. How many times have we seen children hit buttons just to see what will happen? It’s power at their fingertips!!! “Forget what Curious George did at the zoo!” thinks little Joey. “Look what happens when I press the bat! He flies! Yippee!” It’s cool and all but doesn’t exactly help him sound out the word “bat.”

     So I say, don’t feel too hypocritical if you refuse to surrender your electronic gadgets. They’re yours for now. When little Joey can handle it and respect it, he too can enjoy all the whiz-bang extras of the latest and greatest electronics. He’ll be just fine for now.

     A New York Times article says booksellers are cutting back on the number of picture books they offer because parents are pushing their children to read chapter books earlier. That, along with the recession, is cutting sales, so booksellers are offering fewer titles.

     My gut reaction to that was, well, what’s wrong with parents buying their kids what they want them to read? The world constantly pressures parents in countless other ways; this is one area where parents have real control. If they want their children to read more advanced books for the sake of improving literacy and/or test scores, that’s their right. Also, many children aren’t satisfied with picture books once they learn to read. I taught each of my kids to read at age 3, so they were reading chapter books well before kindergarten.

     But the longer I stew on this, the more I think it’s sad for a whole lot of children, especially reluctant readers. If parents are absolutely forbidding picture books simply because of their packaging, they’re missing out on a lot of the benefits that genre has to offer. Some picture books cover deep themes and use higher vocabulary than chapter books specifically because they’re meant to be read aloud by an adult rather than being read by a child. Moreover, picture books provide a comfort that can translate into a love of reading. Pushing kids to read something that’s too difficult for their level can make them see reading as a huge chore. And really, do we need to force the end of childhood at age 4? Don’t these little humans have an entire lifetime to read boring budget reports?

     To be fair, the article pointed out the many distractions in life now that may have something to do with decreased sales, and e-books are surely cutting into sales of physical books, but the trend to eschew picture books seems wrong to me, and, frankly, I don’t buy it. I think the picture book will survive.

     The timing couldn’t be better for Comic-Con 2010, those who love a good comic book, and those who find themselves constantly defending them. A new report by the Canadian Council on Learning says comics and graphic novels boost boys’ reading abilities.

     The study states what researchers have long held as true: girls are generally more inclined to read than boys and score higher in literacy tests. However, the researchers stress that may be due to the fact that boys’ reading choices aren’t represented in school libraries and classrooms.

     The study cites findings that comics were boys’ second most popular reading choice after newspapers and magazines, and the proportion of elementary school boys who read comics stood at 75 percent compared to girls’ 50 percent.

     Is this all to say that comics would improve boys’ reading? The report calls comics an effective gateway to reading novels. It also suggests that if boys’ reading choices aren’t represented in libraries (where most kids get their books), then those boys aren’t reading as much as they might otherwise, thus they’re lacking practice in reading. And we all know practice makes perfect.

     Of course, the counter argument is that the very reading of said comic books is what’s lowering boys’ reading capabilities; that comics are the junk food of literacy, and that if the kids were reading novels, their comprehension would improve.

     I’d venture to say that parents of reluctant readers are happy to see their children reading anything, be that comics or Herman Melville. Even parents of super readers will likely understand the occasional desire for a different, possibly lighter style of literature, say Batman over an aged classic.

     Let’s hope either method gets more kids reading.