My office phone rings in a rare moment when I’m actually at my desk approving purchases for classroom materials.  The teacher says, “Mrs. Van, I have some amazing readers to send your way!  Do you have a few minutes to visit with them?”  Of course, I’m beyond excited to divert my attention to this important venture and wait by my door to see who’s coming.  Imagine my surprise when a group of learners appear with…wait for it…not “real” books, but their e-readers to share with me!  We begin a lovely conversation about the stories they are sharing, asking and answering questions, sharing illustrations, and talking in general about their work.  One child in particular summed it up this way:

Child:  “I’m a better reader now because of technology!”

Me:  “How come?”

Child:  “While I like ‘real’ books, my e-reader makes me smarter.”

Me:  “How does the e-reader make you smarter?”

Child:  “It gets bigger and smaller, has many chapters, and I can carry lots of books at once in my backpack!  Also, I think you need to tell your boss everyone needs one of these in school.”  (Please consider yourself on notice, Dr. Stewart!)  🙂

Story time definitely looks differently in the 21st century.  While I adore technology and engaging our learners in the latest equipment (because they always teach it to me), I still enJOY picking up a “real” book to share with learners.  Whether your family uses e-readers or “real” books, thanks for spending quality time building strong lifelong readers, writers, and all-around successful learners by talking and reading together!  Happy reading, LME!