Electronic Books - the future is now.

Children and teens will be first to catch onto the world of e-reading. Why?

Don Tapscott, author of Growing up Digital, calls this new generation of learners the Net Generation, or N-Gen, because they're much more accustomed to reading and learning from a screen.

"Kids look at computers the same way boomers look at TV. This shift from broadcast medium (television) to interactive medium (the Net) signals a 'generation lap' in which the N-Gen is lapping its parents on the 'info-track," Tapscott says.

Children are fascinated by computers and anything electronic. They love pagers and cell phones, video games and boom boxes. TV and VCR's are a staple in their lives. Reading, for fun, and education even, is enhanced "fun" when presented in this mode.

Kids love new ways of doing things. Grownups are sometimes afraid to try new things. Children aren't. The newer, the better.

They learn quickly. Who programs the VCR at your house?

Interactive E-books cost less and last longer than print books with pull tabs, windows, and plastic buttons to produce sounds and music.

E-books come in a variety of forms-disk, CD, audio-with something to appeal to every child's interests and modes of learning. Some kids are visually-oriented, some comprehend better by listening, others are tactile with a need to touch or manipulate.

I see E-books in schools. . .

All of a student's textbooks can be loaded into one handheld reader that's smaller than a single book. No more back strain from heavy backpacks! This is a great health advantage.

Reference books are some of the first that schools will order. Encyclopedias can be stored, updated, and accessed easily this way. No one can tear out a page or color in them. Great for home use too!

Enrichment appears at a click of the mouse. With some books, the reader can click the mouse on a highlighted word and be whisked to sites that enrich a story. Example: Your child is reading about aquatic animals and the word "sharks" appears in brightly colored letters (hypertext). One click and presto-shark-infested waters appear. Tails slap and mouths snap, and the reader sees and hears them, gobbling up oral or written facts offered with sound and visions. Art and craft activities, games, poems and songs-the possibilities are endless.

Interactive E-books foster decision-making and independent learning. With my mystery book, Camp Cheer, about a girl who's uncovered a mystery at cheerleading camp, the reader helps Keely decide what to do next. Each decision leads to a new situation and another decision to make. Another example of lasting longer, this book is one that middle-graders and teens can read again and again, with dozens of ways to reach the 11 different endings.

Electronic books are less expensive, easier to store, attractive, and more durable.

Reference books are less burdensome and, being smaller, less daunting to children.

Interactive books offer opportunities for reinforced and extended learning, making it easier for school to teach to the individual child's needs. A child can see a vocabulary or spelling word, hear it pronounced, and access pictures that demonstrate or illustrate at the same time. As a former teacher of 23 years, I'm intrigued by the possibilities. A fast learner can go on to enrichment activities (vertical learning) while the slower learner practices and reinforces learning with activities at the same (horizontal learning).

At the annual meeting of the Children's Book Council in New York City in September, 2000, a unanimous vote amended its bylaws to open its membership to e-publishers. The meeting also featured a panel discussion titled, "The Good, the Bad, and the Connected: Electronic Publishing and Children's Books," moderated by outgoing CBC president Craig Virden of Random House. Virden opened the discussion by saying, "Inevitably we're all going to be connected to something."

And for adults...

I admit, I was an E-Book Holdout. "I want to curl up with a book," I wrote. "I spend enough time at my computer writing; I don't want to sit there to read."

Past diaries report that I didn't want to use a computer either. Times change and we learn. Change is good. Change is wonderful.

New publishing opportunities turned me on to E-books and I joined EPIC, Electronically Published Internet Connection, because I wanted to learn more and more.

And I did! There are new products on the market called PDRs (personal digital readers) that make the reading of an e-book as easy as reading any standard book. Portable and light weight, with a back-lit screen, rechargeable battery, built in dictionary, adjustable font size, a PDR is capable of holding from 10 to 100 average size books. With one of these, you can read in your easy chair, in bed, or anywhere else you choose. And think how great they'd be when you travel. (I have a Rocket eBook and love it. There are several new e-readers out, such as the Franklin eBookMan and RCA Reb.)

But...you don't have to have one of these new products to enjoy e-books. Most e-books can be read on any computer, IBM compatible or Mac, as well as on a laptop, PowerBook, or PDA-a portable digital assistant such as the Palm Pilot. You can read e-books on the screen or print them out to read on paper.

With over half of all of the homes in the United States having at least one computer, most schools and a growing number of public libraries containing many computers, access is not a major problem.

E-books are attractive, easy to obtain and easy to read, and more affordable than many traditional books.

Why e-books for authors and readers?

I'm not going to pit print publishers against electronic because there's plenty of room for both, and I still want to write and publish both ways. But with E-publishing, the opportunities to write and read a variety of books are expanded.

This country was founded on diversification, and there are many E-publishers, which gives me more places to submit, and a better opportunity to find what I'm looking for in work relationship. Print publishing companies are lumping together into huge conglomerates and saving money by cutting editors and staff. Editors are overworked and few nurture new writers. E-publishers, at least the ones I've met, care about their writers and while their standards are just as high, they'll encourage you to write the book of your heart.

So, why not e-books? The future is now.