iTrog

As mentioned in your article, we don't give Kindles to 3 year olds (at least not always, but the media capabilities of ereaders have opened a Pandora's Box of options for children's book creators), and babies love books. So parents and relatives keep buying those books. When the music industry changed so dramatically with the easy entre of online ordering, the rapid change was facilitated in part by the near unanimous agreement of consumers young and old that the new product was more desirable. That decision wasn't made by vote, by discussion, or by mandate--consumers just began to use the new method of presentation and access en masse--we voted with our wallets.

As long as we raise babies in a tradition of books, actual ink on paper books, we create an early life memory love affair that preserves books in our hearts, and keeps us visiting the wonderlands that hold those treasures. Bookstores need to recognize their place in our psyche and actively court it. If they build engaging spaces filled with visual treasures, babies will come. They will come, and their parents will follow, wallets in hand.