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Friday Consumer Culture: Priddy Books

At about ten bucks the average family can buy a couple volumes.

Fridays? Products, from one to five skeps.

We’d likely be kidding ourselves as parents if we thought all the stories we were reading to our very young kids were offering any more benefit than the sound of our voice and perhaps some loose vocabulary development. The girl is seven months old and I’m under no delusion that she is following the plot of “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” or “Charlotte’s Web” as we read aloud from them on a nightly basis. But there is a ritual there and I’d like to think that my voice has something of a calming effect on her little mind. This raises the question as to the value of books in the life of a “Really Young Thinker” when books can really be no more than colourful toys to be grabbed and manipulated by equally young fingers. To help answer this, we were lucky to be given an interesting cloth book as a gift early on, and its only recently that the girl has taken to it with devoted fascination and often giggling delight — so much so that we bought another in the series.

As far as I can figure there are a half dozen (plus or minus) titles in Priddy Books’ Touch and Feel series. The image below is of the “Big Rex and Friends” edition, the first we obtained. Like many cloth books, as one might expect, the pages are durable, the images are colourful, and the fabrics are multiple and inviting. But, the merits of this particular series — true of the “Big Rex” title in particular — hint at the science-thinking qualities of the author and publisher.

If you are able to take a look at this particular title, before you even open the pages, flip to the back cover and take note: there in friendly and inviting text are the phonetic pronunciations of eight proper dinosaur names — likely included for baffled parents, but present just the same. But let’s get down to business:

Pros, Pluses, and Brownie Points

Cons and Counter-Arguments

Overall, the fact remains that I’m just a big fan of books — and whether those books are for reading or playing, I’m fairly determined to have them as a big part of my kid’s life. We’ve already amassed a respectable kid’s library. Some have stories that can be read over and over while others are inane and insulting. Some are made of paper and others are solid board-books that will be enjoyed in the months and years ahead. Some are thick novels with plots that can be enjoyed by the whole family while others are (like this one) meant for playing and introducing future readers to the simple act of turning pages — and which manage to do it without insulting parents. Definitely recommended.

The skep/dad blog is meant to casually reflect on questions surrounding parenting and raising kids to become critical thinkers by asking questions and examining parenting ideas with a skeptical eye for facts and science. Each article is one dad's personal opinion, backed where relevant by literature and published research. skep/dad welcomes balanced discussion, comments, and ideas.

May 2, 2008 by Brad
Filed as: Encounters of the Mind, Reasoned Education

Popularity: 24%

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