Print books are preferred over e-books by parents as well as children when they read together, according to a new study from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop that found 89.9% of iPad owners read "mostly print books and some e-books" with their children, 7.5% read both formats equally with their children, and 2.7% read "mostly or exclusively" e-books.
Almost 75% of the responding parents said they prefer co-reading print books, with more than 50% of their children agreeing. Fewer than 10% of parents or children prefer co-reading e-books exclusively.
The center noted "these preliminary findings suggest that many parents likely perceive children's print books and e-books differently, particularly in terms the experience and expectations of co-reading. Moreover, in practice, e-books may be playing a different role in homes than print books are. Print books appear to serve as iPad owners' preferred co-reading medium even in homes where e-books are available. E-books, on the other hand, may play supporting roles for developing kids' literacy skills particularly when a parent can't be around to read to them or when families are outside of the home."
