How are books different from tablets in regard to children media?

1. Sloane Danziger
COM 410
Informal Writing #3
It is strange to think that only twelve years ago, I was buying books at book fairs
and reading paperbacks as my main hobby. When I was growing up, everyone read books,
of course we watched T.V. too, but books were a staple in my life as a ten year old. The
evolution from paperback books to tablets or e-books is a complex journey. In just ten
short years, paperback books became almost obsolete, and everyone started reading
books on a tablet, phone, or e-book. In this paper I am going to discuss my favorite
childhood books, and the difference between paperbacks and the forms of books that are
widely popular now.
As I have stated in class, when I was younger, a book I frequently read was the
Babysitters Club series. These books were about high school girls who started a club in
which they babysat for kids in the neighborhood. Although the books were mainly about
their experiences while babysitting, they also included their relationships, their family
issues, school issues, and problems amongst themselves. Since I was not yet in high
school, these books transported me to a fantasy world where I could pretend I was older,
cooler, and part of their “group”. I was absolutely infatuated with the series and read a
new book every month for a number of years.
This series can be compared to larger themes in society as well. Since the target
audience was girls ages 6-12, it teaches these girls about issues they will face in high
school, with families, and in society as a whole. There are certain chapters that were
devoted to the characters dating, and the stresses and issues that brought into their life, as

2. well as the happy times. There was one character who’s parents were going through a
divorce and the book went into great detail about her family issues due to that situation.
This can allow younger girls going through the same situation to relate to the
fictional character and not feel alone in the process. There were also chapters that
discussed girls growing up, the changes that went on with the girl’s bodies, and how their
peers judged them. These books were extremely educational to me in all of those aspects
because it sort of prepared me for what was yet to come and made me feel calmer and
more experiences about the situations.
I have not done research on how educational this series was for girls ages 6-12 but
if I had to guess, I would say it was very educational. I believe that physically holding a
book, being able to flip the pages, re-read parts you don’t understand, really allows the
reader to get pulled into the story and walk away with a experience when done reading.
This series was a great way for young girls to learn about their teenage years as well as
get caught up in a fun fictional world for a little while.
The difference between books when I was younger and books now is how they
are available to people. Most people today have tablets such as a Nook or Kindle or read
books online or on their cell phones. The paperback, hardback books have become almost
obsolete, and not needed.
This raises the question, is technology is helping or hurting us as a society? I
personally have a Nook and cannot get as wrapped up in stories while reading on that, as
I can with actual books. There is something about the lighting on the Nook, and the
battery power, that makes me prefer an actual book.

3. On the contrary, I have heard of studies where children were given tablets in class
and more children were willing to read and even had better test results after reading on
tablets than they did with actual books. I assume this is because the tablet offers fun
features and is very different from an actual book, making it an intriguing experience for
young kids.
There are many perks to tablets as well. For example, when traveling, you can
load hundred of books on your tablet to read at your convenience. You don’t need to lug
around hundreds of books in your suitcase. The tablet is much more convenient. Also,
tablets have a built in dictionary, so if you do not understand or recognize a word while
reading, you can quickly define it, and continue on with the story.
Another advantage to the tablet is the fact that you can make notes on the side or
highlights certain parts of the story; this is good for college students who need to take
notes while studying. And the last advantage for the tablet is text size. The consumer has
the ability to make the text as big or as small as they want to, which you obviously cannot
do with an actual, paper paged book.
With all of this being said, and the technology that I have spoken about, I do not
think children are as eager to get wrapped up into a series such as Babysitters Club. There
are so many magazines, blogs, online social media websites, and features on tablets, that I
personally think kids would much rather utilize than a series about being in high school
and what to expect as you are growing up. Technology has changed the way we get
information, now a days; kids can just Google changes your body goes through, or how

4. to deal with relationship stress. Getting thrown into a fictional series is no longer needed
or wanted.
In conclusion I think that when I was younger, books were educational,
informative, and a great way to pass time. But now, with the new technologies, they are
not as utilized or even needed. Children have different ways to obtain information, and
reading a fictional series may not be as fun or intriguing for them, since there are so many
other outlets to choose from.