An interesting question....children and e-readers?

Angela Flynn published an article on Technorati on Tuesday that brings up an interesting question: Should children use an e-reader?

She feels that books should never be replaced in a child's life and describes her children's early years looking at board books, visiting the library, and story times.

I will admit that I'm annoyed by my children's use of iPods (they got them for Christmas, we have restrictions for when and how long they can use them), video game players, the computer, television, etc. But I've also come to realize today is a completely different world than when I was a kid. It's just part of their culture. And while I don't condone children using electronic devices all day long, every day. They are here to stay and my motto is: Everything in moderation is okay.

Now, when it comes to an e-reader, I would actually LOVE for my kids to want to use an e-reader before picking up any of those other electronic devices. If they are reading, I don't really care what the medium is, whether it is a book, magazine, comic book, or an e-reader. I don't think, at least in our household, we would ever get to the point where anyone is solely reading on an e-reader.

I get children's e-books from our library and put them on my Nook and it makes bedtime stories new and exciting for the kids. I don't do it all the time so it's a treat for them to get to pick the book. My oldest daughter has struggled with learning to read a bit. If she asks me to use my Nook, I hand it over. And I try to keep a few books on it just for her. Anything I can do to keep her excited about reading, I'm gonna do it! :-)

I think an e-reader would be a fabulous way to get a reluctant reader excited about reading. The only thing I'm not 100% on board with is the whole "app" thing that Nook is now doing. It makes total sense for Barnes and Noble to go this way. It makes their e-reader that much more desirable and versatile. However, for children, when you add the apps to the e-reader, they are most likely going to want to play a game of Angry Birds instead of reading a book.

For this Mom, I think I'll keep my Nook mostly app-free. They have iPods to play apps on. :-)