Libro en papel vs libro electrónico

Paper book vs e-book

Although we are becoming more and more familiar with the concept of eBook, still the conflict Book on paper vs electronic book continues to haunt. Especially the children's book makes us think again which of the two we prefer to give to our children: electronic books or paper books?

Although adult audiences seem to be getting more and more used to the idea of ​​reading on a reading tablet, some parents wonder which of the two their children should use. A very interesting question that is worth analyzing.

Paper books: eternal friends

The book must be, essentially, a literary work, written to be enjoyed and read. But the book is also a cult object. Nothing can replace the pleasure of smelling its pages and inks, feeling the texture of the paper in your hands. Printing as a work of art is valued by many readers, who find in these bound and bound books the eternal and best friends.

When a father gives a paper book to a child, it is as if he were giving him a small treasure that the child will know how to keep and care for. No parent can deny how good it feels to read a paper book when we take our children to sleep, for example. But can a reading tablet spoil the intimate and magical moment of reading? The idea of ​​a paper book vs an electronic book occupies us again.

E-books: the fun new friends

The e-book concept is new. Very new when compared to paper books. Only until the end of the nineties were successful e-book experiences possible. But since then, thousands of freelance writers and publishers have not stopped making creative and interesting proposals and putting all their effort and love into these types of books.

Although I am one of the parents who would rather use a book than an iPad when I read a bedtime story to my daughter, I think it is not necessary to isolate her from hundreds of beautiful e-book developments that currently exist. Why isolate it from such beautiful electronic books as Morris Lessmore's Fantastic Flying Books or The bird of a thousand songs?

Complementing the digital and print

Complementing readings on print with readings on digital formats is the smartest decision a parent can make. One thing is very clear: an electronic book will never replace the magic of a printed book. But we must also think that electronic books offer beautiful possibilities, many times unknown.

One of the experiences of integrating the universe of paper with new technologies is the one presented by the publisher LuaBooks, which has developed a paper book that can be animated with a smartphone. The bird of a thousand songs is a children's book that through interaction with the BirdTron application allows illustrations on paper to be animated and have sound. Choosing between a paper book or a digital one will no longer be necessary, children will be able to enjoy the best of technology and the charm of reading on paper.

Digital books are the product of the careful and careful development of writers, illustrators, animators, musicians, storytellers, developers, translators; people who put all their effort into producing books with resources that paper books cannot have. For example, the possibility of switching to different languages, listening to a narration or setting the reading with music, seeing the animated illustrations, etc.

Risks and distractors on the books

However, there are several risks in the use of electronic books for children that keep the question of paper book vs electronic book current. The first, and most notable, is that the book is not used for what a book must be used for, which is to exercise the act of reading. If my son does not read with an electronic book, that indicates that it is not a well done book. There are many of these electronic books where the essential thing is not the reading, but the interactions and distractions. They are books full of effects, movements, sounds, games that hinder reading. That is a problem of editorial criteria of certain book producers, which should be noted, fortunately they are not the majority.

But be very careful: this phenomenon is also experienced in the world of the paper book. Currently, there are many books on paper that for a marketing effort include stickers, drawing exercises and activities that become distractions from a real reading. And it is interesting to analyze that this phenomenon generally occurs in books where there is also poor literary quality. For this reason, parents and teachers must have certain criteria in the selection of both printed and digital content.

Paper book vs e-book: Not everything is on paper

To finish these reflections about book on paper vs digital bookIt is worth emphasizing that just as not all printed books are in digital format, not all digital books are in print. And it is important to note that many independent authors and small publishers facing the power of large publishing groups have found a way to publish their works in digital media. Works that are often of the highest editorial quality, interesting and risky subjects to which the commercial criteria of the largest publishers did not pay much attention. For this reason, it is worth not only consuming books from large publishing companies, but also knowing and supporting new and alternative proposals that at the moment are only found in digital formats.

The debate of the paper book vs electronic book remains open. But one thing is very sure: a good story is always a good story, no matter how you read it.

 

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