Introduction

Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List by Michael Townsend is an enhanced e-book in the form of a comic. An e-book is a book in electronic form that can be read on a computer or electronic device rather than print. According to Lamb (2011) enhanced e-books contain extra features such as, audio, images and other media. Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List has audio, or ‘read to me’ capabilities, along with highlighted text and the ability to click on words to hear pronunciations and see definitions. It fits into Lamb’s (2011) definition of an enhanced e-book and will be evaluated using criteria based on the work of Yakota and Teale (2014) and Walsh (2013).

Criteria 1: Is the story well told?

The main character in the story is Mr. Ball, who loves to make to-do lists but has trouble ticking off all of the items on his list. It is a fun story, full of energy that uses simple vocabulary and frequently used words suitable for beginning readers. The story is in comic book format that fits the trend of publishing graphic novels online (Moorefield-Lang & Gavigan, 2012), allowing a larger audience to access this text. The comic book format helps the author tell the story in a quite direct wat that engages children. It is well told in a logical and sequential manner suitable for its intended audience. The Goodreads (2022) reviews gave the print version of this text an average of 3.76 out of 5 stars, indicating that readers enjoy the story. This text was originally published in print and has been adapted into a digital version for the educational reading app epic!

Criteria 2: Are the language and illustrations appropriate for the intended audience?

One of the main strengths of the book is that it fulfils its purpose of engaging young beginning readers, the intended audience, through a chapter book format with vibrant illustrations and a story that children find relatable and funny. The illustrations are clear and help tell the story while the comic panels are set out in a logical manner that is easy to follow, with some guidance from the author about where to start reading.

The language used is appropriate for beginning readers and is very similar to Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss which used only 50 different words (Higley, 2021). The concept of using few words frequently helps beginning readers to recognise words and sounds the character is making.

Criteria 3: Do the digital aspects of the text enhance the story?

The main digital feature of the text is the optional audio narration and highlighting of words which helps children follow along with the story and provides a good example of fluent and expressive reading. The beginning reader is able to follow the comic format and the order in which the panels are read. The reader can pause the narration and read the text themselves which helps to differentiate the use of this text for readers. Readers may prefer to hear the words read to them (Lamb, 2011) while more confident readers are able to read the text independently. It also allows students to practise reading on their own with a built in support that is otherwise not possible without an adult presence (Roskos et al., 2014).

Overall the digital features enhance the story however there are some disadvantage with the technical design which distract from the overall experience. For example;  the accuracy and functionality of the clickable sections is not always reliable, pronunciation of words is not always correct i.e.: ‘loves’ converts to ‘love’ and the definitions provided in the written text are not at a level that will assist the audience the book is aimed at.

While the digital elements do not always enhance the story as other enhanced e-books might, the elements used are appropriate for younger readers to use more independently than they would be able to with the print version. There are minimal distractions of extra content that animations and inbuilt games may cause (Dobler, 2013). The focus is on the reading of the text with additional audio support.

Conclusion

Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List by Michael Townsend is a well-designed enhanced e-book for beginning readers. It is visually enticing and is supported with audio for readers to follow along. The digital elements of the book increase the accessibility for its target audience and aid in supporting early reading abilities. Accessibility to this e-book is another advantage in that it is hosted on the app epic! which has free content for educators and students who sign-up. This app can be accessed on any type of tablet and even has an internet browser version that can be used on desktops and laptops making Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List able to be enjoyed many times over by the beginner reader from school or home.

 

References

Dobler, E. (2013). Looking beyond the screen: Evaluating the quality of digital books. Reading Today, 30(5), 20-21.

Goodreads, Inc. (2022). Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List. Goodreads. Retrieved August 15, 2022 from https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18007640

Higley, D. (2021). The stories behind the stories. Bushel & Peck Books.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(3), 12-17.

Moorefield-Lang, H. & Gavigan, K. (2012). These aren’t your father’s: the new world of digital graphic novels. Knowledge Quest, 40(3), 30-35.

Roskos, K., Burstein, K., Yi Shang, & Gray, E. (2014). Young children’s engagement with e-books at school: Does device matter? SAGE Open, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013517244

Townsend, M. (2014). Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List. Blue Apple Books.

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. Primary English Teaching Association PEETA.

Yokota, J. & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital world: educators making informed choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6).