A Cross-Cultural Examination of Parents’ Book Selection & Shared Reading Practices in Spain and Israel

Abstract

Research Findings: Cultural differences emerge in the home literacy environment and the nature of shared book-reading (SBR), yet the impact of culture on parents’ book selection remains unexplored, despite the centrality of the book in SBR. Parents in Spain (n = 132) and Israel (n = 123), two Western countries with different cultural patterns, reported their considerations in buying/borrowing books, support for books’ socio-emotional and structural complexity, and frequency of SBR of different genres. In both countries, the book’s summary on the back of a book was a key selection criterion. In Israel, other parents’ recommendations, sale price, and child’s choice were important when selecting books, while in Spain, educators’ recommendations ranked higher and less autonomy was given to children. Israeli parents showed stronger support for books’ socio-emotional and structural complexity. Parents in both countries favored narratives over other genres for SBR. Relations emerged between child’s sex and book genre, with greater frequency of reading e-books with boys than girls in Spain and greater frequency of informational books with boys than girls in Israel. Frequency of SBR related to support for books’ complexity in Israel more than Spain. Practice or Policy: A cross-cultural approach can help facilitate culturally-appropriate guidance to parents regarding selecting books for SBR.