I used the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert. This book is a lively alphabet rhyme. All the letters of the alphabet race each other up the coconut tree. The story has a small suspense of whether or not all the alphabets can fit on the coconut tree. The book also has bright, bold, and cheerful colors that would catch the reader’s attention. This book is targeted for children ages six and under. The child I read the physical book and the e-book to was a four year old who is an English language learner. He was raised in China and came back to the United States a year ago. He is a child in my class and he loves to listen to stories. He isn’t able to read yet so I read the books to him. I read the physical book with him first and then the e-book which is on my ipad the next day. When I read the print book with him he was very engaged and interacted with the book. He repeated some of the rhyme with me and smiled when all the alphabets all fell off the coconut tree. Then the next day when I read the e-book with him he was not focused on the pictures and the content. He was very fascinated with the effect of the page flipping. He was more attracted to the technology than the book itself. Because this kid was in my class I know that reading a book twice does not make him uninterested in a book. I think it was the technology that threw him off. I think technology does throw off the book for the children. When the book was on the iPad, the children couldn’t feel the book if it was hardcover or softcover. The illustrated might have added some kind of texture to the book and if it is on a screen they won’t be able to feel that. I think books should be still left as print because it creates that intimacy, that connection that people have with reading whether it is in the classroom or before bed. Usually, the technology is not known to kids for reading so it becomes a distraction. They would probably be thinking about the game they could be playing instead of the book that they are reading. Without the print of the book children would not be able to learn print concept. But this was only one experience with e-book.
