I am sitting in the dentist’s waiting room, trying not to think about the painful session that awaits me.
Next to me sits a four-year-old, an iPad mini on her lap. Though disapproving about children clinging to these screen devices everywhere they go, I am nonetheless impressed by the child’s speed and accuracy as she taps, scrolls, pinches and swipes the screen.
Her mother too, is busy, engrossed in what is my kind of activity. She is reading a book — Paulo Coelho’s Manuscript Found in Accra. For the wait to the dental chair, that seems like a bit too much philosophy for my liking. But then, who am I to decide what people read, and where — as long as they are holding physical books.
In the midst of loading a new game, poem or whatever on her iPad, the girl peeks into her mother’s source of captivation, and asks, “Mom, what is that?”
Mom replies distractedly, “Can’t you see? It’s a book.” And the little one persists, “Yes, I know it’s a book, but what does it do?”
The mother is clearly embarrassed by this question and looks my way, for she knows that I am listening in. I give her a smile that hopefully gives away none of the disdain that I feel. She says to her child, as a way of explaining: “It’s like an iPad, only this one is made of trees.”
Mercifully, the child is already distracted by the poem she was trying to load on YouTube. It is playing loud and clear now, much to the amusement or annoyance of others present in the waiting room.
My mind wanders to the lunchtime debate I had with a bunch of friends, regarding the importance of physical books in this digital age, where e-books clearly are the rage. Why the little girl’s innocent query makes me think of that discussion, I am not sure. But I know for certain that though this child is not reading an e-book as yet, she is already veered in that direction.
In 2008, a UN survey stated that the average Arab adult in the Middle East reads four pages of literature every year. And five years down the line, the situation can only have deteriorated, as distractions in the form of technology have intensified. And the effect carries to the children of these adults of course!
In April 2011, Yahoo! Maktoob Research questioned 3,667 people to evaluate reading habits in the Middle East. The survey results were disappointing, to say the least. Just one in five people said that they read on a regular basis.
Nearly 65 per cent of the sample size was under 25 years of age. Of these, about one in three said that they seldom or never read a book for pleasure.
Reading habits are hardly any better across countries. In an Arab League table of readers by nations, the UAE was placed fifth — behind Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Iraq. In the UAE, just 22 per cent of people described themselves as regular readers.
It is certainly sad that most children of this iPad generation do not (and will not) know what a book can do for them.
In January this year, the Arab Thought Foundation’s FIKR released its fourth annual cultural development report. It stated that the average Arab child reads “six minutes” a year, in comparison to the 12,000 minutes its western counterpart spends. It also reported that an Arab individual on an average reads a quarter of a page a year compared to the 11 books read by an American and seven books by a British person.
“If we adopt the minimum average time that the youth is on the Internet, that gives us 365 hours a year and if we compare that with the average time an individual Arab spends reading, which is six minutes a year, then the difference between the two becomes clear, and the importance of the internet in youths’ lives becomes apparent,” the report said.
The older kids might be using internet to read, for there are still many who do enjoy books. But the thing is, they want to utilise new technology like the Kindle, or other e-book readers and Tablets to do so.
While the ‘treePad’ generation rants and raves about the comforts to be derived out of holding a physical book, and turning crisp, or even worn out pages as you read through it, the e-book generation talks about how easy it is to access them on the internet, how portable they are and the most important fact — you don’t have to spend a penny to read them. They cannot see the point of physical books anymore.
The respect for books has to be instilled in children from a very young age and I do not see the older children growing up to do this in the future. Even today’s generation of parents find it hard to beat the winning edge that technology seems to have over physical books.
My children love fiddling with electronic gadgets. But they are also avid readers. Often, my six-year-old can be found curled up on an armchair lost in a colourful encyclopedia about dinosaurs. And my five-year-old is forever reading out loud from her favourite storybooks to anyone willing to listen.
My friends are always asking me for tips on how to instil the love of reading in their children.
Well, first and foremost, at this age, children love to imitate their parents. So yes, it is about setting the right example. There are piles of books on my bedside, study table and even one in my handbag. All those times when the children are not demanding my attention, is spent catching up on my reading.
I have made space for a small home library, where there is defined space for my children to stack up on their favourite reads. I make it a point to read with them, or at least let them talk about what they have read, asking them questions and feigning shock or surprise at just the right moment. It tells them that I am listening when they read.
I never bring home books that are too difficult to read or understand. Honed on by peer pressure, many parents make that mistake. And then they also have high expectations from their children — to reach a certain ‘stage’ in a book series. Attaching conditions to reading times makes them seem more like a chore rather than fun or relaxation.
Most important of all, I refuse to give my little ones free access to electronic gadgets — laptops, iPads and their equivalents, or even my cell phone. Not unless I have written instructions from the school to use the internet for homework assistance. These gadgets are taking over times previously reserved for books. In fact, they are even making up for instances that should be spent in quality (parenting and) bonding activities.
The love of reading is certainly not coming to an end. But yes, technology may be something of a challenge for the physical book unless we show commitment to ensure that the children of tomorrow do not have to ask what a book “can do”.
Rabia Alavi is a Dubai-based writer. You can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RabiaAlavi
