adfa, p. 1, 2011. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 Shared reading of children’s interactive picture books Claire Timpany, Nicholas Vanderschantz, Annika Hinze, Sally Jo Cunningham, Kristy Wright Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton New Zealand {ctimpany,vtwoz,hinze,sallyjo}@waikato.ac.nz, kaw37@students.waikato.ac.nz Abstract. We report on a study of children and parents shared reading of interactive printed books. We investigated the differences between books with interactive features and books with expressive typography in order to evaluate which features within a book encouraged interaction between the reading participants and the book. 11 parent and child groups took part in the study that involved three observed reading sessions. From our observations we offer suggestions for the development of books and eBooks to encourage shared reading practices. 1 Introduction The purpose of our study was to observe and subsequently evaluate shared reading between children and parents. By focusing on differences between books with interactive features and books with expressive typography, the aim of our study was to evaluate which features within a book aided interaction both between the shared reading participants and with the physical book. Children’s books are an important learning device for young readers. In a picture book the words and illustrations are equally important to the story. Both pictures and words work together to create one unified story [1]. Picture books are not simply limited to supporting literacy, but instead promote wider-learning through aspects of problem solving, socialization, hand eye coordination, creativity and an understanding of the world [2]. Interactive eBooks and digital libraries provide opportunities for developing books and collections that enhance the interactive reading experience and could further enhance the shared reading experience. 2 Related Work The significant related work to our study includes the literature around shared reading, interactive books and pictures, and expressive typography.