Ebooks are books in electronic format.
Ebooks for children have words and pictures, just like traditional print books. They might also have interactive elements like recorded narration, music, sound effects, animations, games, inbuilt dictionaries and so on.
You read ebooks on ereaders like Kindle or Kobo, on computers, or by using apps on tablets and smartphones.
Like print books, well-designed ebooks can help children learn language and develop social, listening and thinking skills.
Ebooks can also be a different and fun way for children to enjoy reading, experience stories and learn information. For example:
Ebooks can help beginning readers and children who struggle to read independently, including children with learning difficulties. For example, these children can listen to narration while they follow the words. They can also use interactive features to better understand stories.
Ebooks can sometimes motivate reluctant readers.
You can start reading print books with babies as early as you like – the earlier the better. But it’s best to avoid reading ebooks with children under 2 years. Ebooks are unlikely to have benefits for this age group and aren’t recommended.
Ebooks can distract children from reading if animations, sound effects and games don’t work well with the text. For example, if ebooks have games that don’t really relate to their stories, children might just want to play the games rather than read the stories.
Sometimes interactive features can make it harder for children to understand stories. For example, this can happen if there are sounds that don’t relate to the story.
Reading and storytelling with your child promotes brain development and imagination, teaches your child about language and emotions, and strengthens your relationship. That’s why it’s good to read with your child every day. It’s fine to share a mix of print and ebooks.
When you’re choosing ebooks for your child, look for the same qualities that you’d look for in print books.
These qualities include:
It’s also important to look at features like sound, animation and games. These should work well with the text to illustrate the story and help children understand the story or learn something new.
You can also check whether you can customise the ebook. For example, it’s good to turn off the narration so you can read the book and talk about it with your child. A read-only mode is good too – this allows your child to listen to the story without the interactive features.
Your child will get the most from ebooks when you read ebooks together. These ideas can help:
Reading ebooks together gives you the chance to help your child learn to use ebooks in a positive way. For example, you can show your child how to swipe, scroll, click on words to hear their meanings, turn narration on and off, and use other interactive features appropriately.
Traditional print books are best for bedtime because they help your child relax and get ready for sleep.
If you want to use ebooks close to bedtime, it’s best to avoid noisy and exciting ebooks, which might overstimulate your child.
It’s also a good idea to use an ereading device that lets you minimise blue light. Blue light can make it harder for your child to get to sleep because it tricks their brain into thinking it’s daytime. Some devices have a ‘night shift’ or ‘night light’ setting that changes the light the device emits. You can also download blue light filters.
Ereaders come in 2 types:
These questions can help you choose the right device for your child and family.
What do you want to use the device for?
Kindle or Kobo devices are just for reading and come in black and white only. They’re usually not as responsive to touch as tablets. You can do more things on a tablet. For example, you can play games, use apps, access social media, watch videos and so on.
How old is your child?
Young children whose fine motor skills are still developing might find it easier to use ‘tap and swipe’ touchscreens on tablets. The controls on devices like Kindle and Kobo are harder for very young children to use.
Will you be using the device to do a lot of reading?
Devices like Kindle and Kobo have screens that are more comfortable to read because they use a technology that mimics ink on paper. Tablets have backlit screens that are associated with increased eye strain. If you’re using a tablet, smartphone or computer, it’s a good idea to turn down the brightness to prevent eye strain.
Do you want to borrow ebooks from your local library?
If you want to borrow ebooks from your local library, you can do this with tablets or Kobo. Kindle uses a file format that isn’t supported by Australian library systems.
Most times, when new writers picture themselves at the peak of their author careers, they imagine themselves living in their dream home with a traditional publishing deal signed and secured. Of course, this dream is possible, and no matter how you publish you CAN end up in your dream home. But before you marry yourself to a big-name publishing company, you should know these pros and cons of traditional publishing for children’s books.
Pros
Cons
Traditional publishing is a great option for many writers, but for others, there are better-suited options out there. Here are all the best bits of traditional publishing.
Publishing a book is an impressive feat. No matter how you publish your children’s book, and regardless of the pros and cons of traditional publishing, you will impress your friends and family when your name is in print.
But I will say, something about landing a traditional publishing deal can be even more impressive to your peers.
Why? It’s likely because getting a big-name publishing company to take on your book is very difficult. Even the world’s most successful writers (like J.K. Rowling) got turned down at first. Of course, Rowling went on to become one of the best-selling authors of all time.
If you can defeat the odds and traditionally publish, you’ll experience all the benefits of a high-status success story.
Another upside to traditional publishing is that big companies can get international distribution much faster and easier than independent authors.
If you want to see your book loved by readers in countries all over the world and get your name in all kinds of bookstores (small bookstores, big bookstores, chains, superstores, etc.) then traditional publishing will serve you well.
That’s not to say you can’t get your book in bookstores if you self-publish, but it might be slower or more difficult than if you had a traditional publishing house behind you.
Out of these pros and cons of traditional publishing, this one can be quite convincing. But you’ll want to make sure you have the whole picture before making your final decision.
This is one of the most appealing out of the pros and cons of traditional publishing: you don’t have to front any cost.
Unlike self-publishing, which requires you to cover every cost up front and assemble your own publishing team, traditional publishing has you covered. Most traditional publishing companies will already have a team of professionals hired and paid for to work on your book, meaning you don’t have to bear that weight on your own.
However, this does mean you’ll get less say on big decisions like which illustrator to hire or what your front cover will look like, which brings me to the cons of traditional publishing for children’s books.