Thing 21 E-Books

We have Overdrive here at my library like Boston does, and we even had the Overdrive truck come for a demonstration for library patrons this summer. So, I decided to see what the New York Public Library had. I was intrigued with their TumbleBooks picture e-books for children. I had never seen a picture e-book before. I browsed through their collection. They have a wide range of books, all with good reviews. Since I don't work in the Children's Department and don't have children I was only familiar with the a picture book, Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story, which I had read in hard cover. It was recommended to me by the technical services staff, who see every book that comes along. I found it charming in the online version. The story is read out loud, and the illustrations are animated. The text that is being read aloud is highlighted in red. Children today are more engaged with computers and electronic format, and I think it is good that through the New York Public Library they can be exposed to this at an early age. I think more libraries should make this format available to children.