To ask if your child has any books?

[RabidEchidna]

As was just watching something on T.V about children not having access to books and DP (grown man top of his field and very very intelligent) pipes up with this little gem.... Children do not need books as there is internet and that most teenagers read at least a books worth of emails and social network stuff a day

Am I living with an Idiot, OK his field is programming and he reads everything online or via kindle but come on the man's being a loon right

Apoligies for not reading all messages, but how I love books. My biggest treat as a child was being dropped off at the library and left to 'devour' books until my parents collected me. I love the feel and smell of books, which is something that will never leave me. However, when I last went to the library with all three of my boys they found it BORING and did not engage with the books at all. Aarrhhh!

My DD has literally 100s of books and has always had a lot of books from being a baby.

I have taught children in the past who do not have books at home :(

Proper books are a requist in childhood.

I think children need books, definitely. Was just wondering how many books children need after doing a little bit of sort-out/prune of DS' books. STBXH and I are both techies, both enjoy Kindles but think books really very important for children too.

Reading is just that at the end of the day. Who care's what they read to a large extent as long as they do. My DS who is now 14 really didn't do the book thing. He loved comics etc. So bought them for him. I have found that getting boys to read more than two pages of something is a hair pulling out experience.

In saying that he did read Horrid Henry and anything "naughty". He also read Darren Shan.

My HV commented on our kids "library" when my twins were 2. We have books for all ages as my oldest is 11 and they have built up over time. My 6yo dd is a book fiend..she's reading everything she can. I will have to get more books for her as, like me, she reads quickly and constantly!

Just got Shenanigin's "not sure if the internet has pop-up and touch and feel stuff" comment

Sorry your DP is wrong, everyone needs books.
At least until someone brings out a colour 100 % waterproof kindle to read the New Scientist in the bath!

We used to have loads of physical books, bookcases of them and boxes in the loft. It's been great to get kindles and get rid of nearly all of them. As much as I love books on a shelf we dont have the room. I read stories on my kindle and shorter none fiction texts on the iPad.

Is your dp talking about physical books or not needing to read an entire story? To me it doesn't matter if you read the same story on a kindle or physical book. I may get my eldest an e-reader for his next birthday, it's much more convenient.

I often think that we don't have many books in the house for the kids and i should encourage them to read more. Actually we do have loads and we've always read to our children every day. They have free access to books but my eldest really isn't into reading novels that much, he didn't get that from me. Still he has a good reading age.

He does read lots of material on the Internet. I'm all for material that has gone through peer review or a publishing process and we have the odd chat about sources and quality of information. Thats like teaching an old dog new tricks! He rolls his eyes, of course kids his age read reviews, double check, go on forums.

I would like him to enjoy novels more but I'm not going dismiss reading on the Internet. At 10 he always bottom of the class but via the net he's 90% on the way to setting up a VPN for gaming. Picked up loads about ip. Run cmd is well used. Feck he's discovered the registry.

startail my kindle might not be colour, but it IS waterproof. At least it is when I put it in a plastic bag with a klippit on the top. :o Okay, I've not actually dropped it in the bath yet, but I'm fairly confident it's waterproof. The klippit has the advantage that it would also stop it slipping through the gaps in the bathrack. And unlike a book, a kindle doesn't go all wrinkly in the steam.

I love books and my children have loads.
I think there is something wonderful about books and pages and flipping through and looking at text and pictures. Its not the same as electronic media.

Do you think our great grand children will have books?

My girls have a cupboard full of books! Their favourites are the encyclopaedia for kids and bible first stories (I am not religious but they love it). My boys have three drawers of books and I read them one or two every night. Faves are aliens love underpants, greedy goose and smelly sprout

I remember being horrified when I saw the teddy that reads stories to kids. Lazy parenting at its best

DD is almost 2. She has at least 100 books (but I'm a teacher so lots are books I bought before I had her). She loves books and we read several times a day.
She can recite Hairy MacLary, What the Ladybird Heard, The Gruffalo and a few others, turning the pages at the right moment (TBH I am a bit sick of them now).
I can't imagine a home without books, although I know that this is the case for some of the children I teach.

I think OP's DH may have a point, for teens anyway.
Not that any teen of mine is every likely to have a Kindle, but seems like most people wouldn't consider that extravagant.