I recently read an article that children are too embarrassed to pick up books because they don’t want their friends to see it. I hope it’s just a phase at their age. Another study told that more than 70 % prefer regular books over e-books when they’re reading together with their children. Well, those parents obviously haven’t seen what book apps can offer with their interactions and multimedia enriched content. And shouldn’t parents follow their children's preference? Kids were pretty much 50-50 on this matter.

It’s only natural to be cautious of new technology, but times have changed. Diginatives clearly have better skills on using touch screen devices than their parents do. We’ve seen this first-hand while we’ve been in cooperation with a kindergarten to test our books apps.

According to the first study I mentioned, one-in-six children admitted they were too embarrassed to read in front of their friends for fear of being labeled a geek. Tablets could be a solution, right? High-tech isn’t for geeks anymore. Or then we’re all geeks now, because it seems that nowadays everyone wants shiny gadgets that have cool features and we're always waiting for Apple keynotes with their new product launches.

I know what you’re thinking. You doubt whether the same technology that has decreased our attention span and joy of reading could fix everything. Why not? It’s not the technology that has done the damage. It’s the content that has allowed passive consumption. Book apps give you a new perspective to familiar stories without changing their core. They only reveal you something from the story that you didn’t notice was there all along.

The feedback we have received from the kindergarten is telling us that interactive storybooks beat regular printed books. Kindergarten teachers’ reasoning for this was that the book apps keep up the interest longer, thanks to their interactions. Kids are obviously excited when they can have stories at their tiny fingertips. We’ve heard that they’re still going through our Heavysaurus app because they like to play with the band’s song.

How many regular books can keep children's interest that way when they already know the whole story throughout? That’s why our interactions are designed to support the original story, revealing you something totally new about it - and naturally allowing you to give the story your own touch.

The most interesting finding so far has been that interactive storybooks have increased cooperation between the kids. And there have been no signs of embarrassment. That’s exactly how it should be.

Read also:
How to Make Reading Fun Again?
Why to Make Book Apps?
Rovio Making Books Obsolete?
Shouldn't Kids Decide What to Read?