Fairy tales and fantastical stories such as The King of the Golden RiverВ and AliceвЂ™s Adventures in WonderlandВ grew in popularity. By the 19th century, authors began to recognize that children, like adults, have their own internal conflicts, proclivities and fantasies.

In 1744, John Newbery published A Little Pretty Pocket Book, widely considered to be the first kidsвЂ™ book created purely for enjoyment, with games, funny stories and illustrations. TUER, HISTORY OF THE HORN-BOOK / PUBLIC DOMAIN (LEFT) CHRIS DEVERS / FLICKR (RIGHT) These paddles typically included numbers, letters and the LordвЂ™s Prayer or otherВ Bible verses.Д¬REDIT: A.W. Hornbooks, named for the thin layer of transparent horn used to protect their inscriptions, were a popular early education tool in EuropeВ and elsewhereВ for hundreds of years, beginning around the 1400s. вЂњThe idea of what the best possible child is has changed a lot,вЂќ Reynolds says. They contained only what adults considered essential: the alphabet, numbers and the LordвЂ™s Prayer. Hornbooks - typically wooden paddles with a single sheet of vellum or paper overlaid with protective, transparent horn - became popular, though they were hardly books in the modern sense. The children of nobles in ancient Rome read stories handwritten on scrolls, but it wasnвЂ™t until the 1400s, after invention of the printing press, that childrenвЂ™s reading material (and literacy) became more widespread. вЂњChildrenвЂ™s books have always wanted to help make the best possible child, the happiest child, the child who knows things, who understands the world, understands themselves,вЂќ says Kim Reynolds, a historian of childrenвЂ™s literature at Newcastle University in the UK. Adventures in childhood literacyД¬hildrenвЂ™s literacy tools were in use long before societies considered reading a necessary part of every childвЂ™s development. As artificial intelligence and interactive reading apps continue to develop, some educators and researchers see equalizing potential for situations where parents, for whatever reason, donвЂ™t or canвЂ™t read to their young children. Though the science is far from settled, themes are emerging: that less is more when it comes to fancy features, and that parent involvement is key - in most cases, anyway. As reading time and screen time become one and the same, parents of young children find it harder to draw the line between time well spent and time wasted.

Since the 2010s, when use of products like smartphones and the iPad were becoming widespread, e-bookвЂ“compatible devices have become more common in the home libraries continue to expand their e-book collections and schools increasingly include them in their curricula. The answers are important, Hassinger-Das adds, because e-books are becoming ever more interactive and popular. вЂњOn both sides, there are studies saying that e-books are detrimental and studies saying that thereвЂ™s no difference,вЂќ says education and learning researcher Brenna Hassinger-Das of Pace UniversityВ in New York City, who coauthored an overview of young children and digital mediaВ in the 2020 Annual Review of Developmental Psychology.В вЂњE-books are constantly changing, too, which is the other piece вЂ¦ and weвЂ™re trying to keep up with all the developments.вЂќ

Critics say the format is distracting and impedes focus and comprehension of the content. Proponents of digital storybooks say that the interactive features increase child and parent engagement, accelerating childrenвЂ™s grasp on reading and language. The Mind Effects of the pandemic on the developing child

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