Pokemon DS: "Gateway Drug To Literacy"

When my son was five-years-old, he wanted nothing to do with Bob Books or any other kind of Early Reader.  They were too boring. Instead, I had to sneak in material that he wanted to read.  Cunning mother that I am, I gave him a Nintendo DS with Pokémon games.  I knew that he would have to read the instructions to advance in the game.  He couldn’t avoid practicing his reading skills. “Play your video games son!” I said, knowing that he would learn while playing. Now, don’t misunderstand me.  Playing video games was never a substitute for reading a book.  He still worked through phonics lessons at school and at home, as well as reading those boring Bob Books.  And we read to him during - morning snuggles, chilly afternoons by the fire, long soaks in the bath, and every bedtime. Following a current series of articles in The New York Times, The Future of Reading by Motoko Rich , I’m finding that I’m not the only one to adopt this 21...