by LearnAsYouGrow on February 5, 2010
The San Francisco Chronicle recently posted on their Baby Blog about reading children’s books aloud.
It is great to see some coverage on the topic, but I think the responses to the post is the best part.
The diverse reading habits of families are interesting and I wonder how some of these traditions and attitudes impact the child’s love of reading (or lack there of).
From “I try to steer away from the ones I hate reading out loud” to “while our daughter was still in utero I read ‘Anne of Green Gables’ to her” and everything in between.
What about your family? What are/were your reading traditions with your children?
by LearnAsYouGrow on January 31, 2010
I recently saw an article from The Providence Journal online about a children’s book written in 1972 called “2010: Living in the Future”.
According to the article, “Dan Sinker, who teaches journalism at Columbia College Chicago, bought the children’s book as a library discard in the ’80s, and is putting it online, a few pages a day of photos and text…Books that try to anticipate the future often seem to miss the mark, envisioning massive change where it doesn’t happen…On the other hand, the kitchen seems to anticipate the Peapod grocery delivery system quite well.”
The book is posted online at http://2010book.tumblr.com/.
Now that 2010 has arrived, it is interesting to read the predictions from 1972. While most are flawed, some of predecitons resemble some aspects of technology and society today.
If you visit the site, keep in mind that the navigation arrows are reversed. It is a bit confusing.
by LearnAsYouGrow on January 27, 2010
Apple is expected to launch its highly anticipated tablet device at noon CST today at an invitation-only event.
If you are interested, you can follow the event live and find more information at All Things Digital.
*** Update***
Here is some of the play-by-play from John Paczkowski at All Things Digital:
——————————-
“Let me show you another one of our apps that we’re very excited about,” Jobs says. “An e-book reader.”
Behind him appears a photo of Amazon’s Kindle. “Amazon did a great job with their reader and we’re standing on their shoulders here.”
“Today we’re announcing the iBooks store,” syas Jobs. It will be supported initially by Penguin, Simon and Shuster and a number of other big publishers.
The iBooks Store interface begins with a simple bookshelf view. Tap the screen and it loads a more iTunes-like view. Purchase a book and it’s added to your bookshelf with a slick little animation.
The reading experience seems very appealing. Much more book-like. From where I sit, the pages appear as though they are written on paper.
“We use the e-pub format, the most popular open book format in the world,” says Jobs. “We think iPad is going to be a very popular e-reader not just for bestsellers, but for textbooks as well.”
—————————
At a starting price of $499, it doesn’t seem feasible to buy the iPad (previously rumored to be called iSlate) primarily as an e-Book reader. However, for those that enjoy the other features offered by the iPad, this application could be a nice addition.
by LearnAsYouGrow on January 22, 2010
The Onion comes up with some very clever and funny pieces.
For those of you not familiar with it, The Onion is a parody newspaper and website. People may be offended by some of the content, but there seems to be a hint of truth in most of the articles. I think that is why I find it funny.
They recently posted a parody review of a children’s book called “Chomper & Clomper”.
“Scholars and critics across the country expressed outrage this week following the release of Chomper & Clomper, a children’s book that some have called an irresponsible and exploitative portrayal of the celebrated friendship between Clomper, a Brandenburger gelding, and Chomper, a caterpillar of the Junonia genus.”
Good stuff.
To me, this review (and The Onion, in general) serves as a reminder that we sometimes take things too seriously.
You can read the entire review here.
Enjoy!
by LearnAsYouGrow on January 20, 2010
We have reached a milestone with our first children’s board book – “God loves you so much…”.
It is time to set the retail price so the covers can be finalized and the book can go to the printer. Yes, we are getting close!
As a result, I have been doing some additional market research and attempting to determine an appropriate price.
Without boring you on the details of the process, I thought I would share some of my observations:
- Board books are more expensive to produce, but typically command a lower price than standard hardcover books and even some paperbacks
- Many board books sell in the $5.95 to $8.95 range with a few retailing above $10.
- If it is true the price we are willing to pay is an indication of how much we value something, does that mean we value…
- a greeting card as much as a board book?
- a medium pizza (with one topping) the same as two board books?
- a G.I. Joe with King-Fu Grip more than ten board books?
- a burrito (on a stick) about as much as a small board book?
I realize that this probably sounds like a complaint, but that really is not the intent. The reality is that some market forces significantly impact the price-value relationship and that seems especially true in the market for children’s board books.
So, the next time you find an “overpriced” children’s book, please take a moment to consider the value derived and compare that with similarly priced products.
