Hi Chris,
Thanks for your comment! Yes, I agree that these programs are a great way to get children involved in reading and literacy. When I asked my neighbour if he would like to come to the library with me, he asked if he was allowed to play the Xbox there. I am in no way opposed to going to the library to use the Xbox; I think that providing gaming consoles is one of many fantastic ways that public libraries have responded to their users’ needs. However, as soon as we got to the library, my neigbour was engaged in the storytime, actually forgot about the Xbox and was even excited to borrow some books and DVDs afterwards (especially since the monkey suggested we do so!). I think this is a subtle but big step in encouraging his literacy skills.