214px-One_Made_itI saw several posts this morning which linked to the adult colouring books story I had in the Morning Links a few days ago. I was amused to see this story go so viral, in part because I have been enjoying a revival in my art skills this year and have used some of these books.

But I also find it interesting when such stories make the news because I feel like a lot of the book rhetoric these days is about how print is over, eBooks for the win, and nobody will ever need paper. This, to me, is a perfect example of why it is not a zero-sum game—even the most avid eBook fan would need paper for this genre of book!

I have always maintained that some genres of book are just more suited to paper. The Steampunk Lego book I reviewed in February is one example. I have the PDF version too, and it just isn’t the same. Cookbooks, for me, are another one. I simply can’t follow the recipe if I can’t see the whole page at once, with the special recipe layout.

But a book like a colouring book, where the paper actually serves a functional purpose? Try and make THAT an eBook! Even if you have a PDF (and some websites, such as this one offer them) you still have to print it onto paper in order to do the colouring. On a similar note, I remember buying a book for my then-toddler stepson called ‘Let’s Cut Paper.’ It was designed to teach young children how to use scissors, and in the same way as a colouring book, the paper is a necessary part of the experience.

Maybe eBooks will ‘win’ for plain-text fiction. But some books just need to be in paper!

One Made it” by Jimmy_JoeFlickr: One Made it. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

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"I’m a journalist, a teacher and an e-book fiend. I work as a French teacher at a K-3 private school. I use drama, music, puppets, props and all manner of tech in my job, and I love it. I enjoy moving between all the classes and having a relationship with each child in the school. Kids are hilarious, and I enjoy watching them grow and learn. My current device of choice for reading is my Amazon Kindle Touch, but I have owned or used devices by Sony, Kobo, Aluratek and others. I also read on my tablet devices using the Kindle app, and I enjoy synching between them, so that I’m always up to date no matter where I am or what I have with me."

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