Paper Books Vs. EReaders

Before you get started into to this post please watch Le papier ne sera jamais mort/ Paper is NOT Dead (it is a short video and it should make you laugh).

This video got me thinking about the ease of reading on my eReader (I have a Kobo if you were wondering) versus the love I have for a good solid paper book. In the 15 months since I got my Kobo, I have devoured 17 novels. I have been able to read while nursing LB, in the car on long road trips and while waiting at the doctors office. I would not have read nearly that much if I had had to lug heavy books around (I carry enough stuff with me already... it is one of the side effects of having babies and toddlers).

In my former life as a student at university and then as a field geophysicist, nothing could beat a good page turner in paper form. Between GeoDad and I, we have 6 large bins of textbooks and 3 to 4 bins of novels. We used to keep most of these on our shelves until Monkey started trying to pull textbooks off (she was about 9 months old).

"Daddy read to me about Chemistry"

Although neither GeoDad or I read much on paper anymore (it is too risky - toddlers are not kind to books), we do want to have our children love books like we do. Most of the gifts we got Monkey for her first Christmas were board books and we make a point of reading to her and LB everyday.

Book shelves on Monkey's custom dresser (Made by WoodRefined Inc.)

Living in the Yukon has also allowed us to participate in a wonderful program called Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Monkey (and now LB too) receives a book in the mail every month. Children are eligible to sign up from birth until their first birthday and the books will continue to arrive until they turn 5. That is 60 books, all for free. It is a pretty fantastic program to be part of and it is filling up our shelves in a hurry. 

So while GeoDad and I read most of our novels on eReaders, we spend a few minutes each day reading good solid paper books to the kids. If I want to read while in the tub, a $2 paper back is a much safer choice than my Kobo. And if you are lost in the woods, your paperback will make a much better firestarter (but please refrain from book burning unless it is a matter of life or death). 

In the battle of Paper book vs. eReader we have a tie at our house. What about you? Paper or electronic books?

GeoMama