--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We want a book to be a book. We'll have…" description: "\"We want a book to be a book. We'll have all the interactive bells and whistles but our intent is to engage young people in reading, not to show them a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/levar-burton-15789_bells_we-want-a-book-to-be-a-book-we-ll-have-a_780472.jpg" --- # We want a book to be a book. We'll have all the… ![“We want a book to be a book. We'll have all the interactive bells and whistles but our intent is to engage young people in reading, not to show them a movie.” quote by LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/levar-burton-15789_bells_we-want-a-book-to-be-a-book-we-ll-have-a_780472.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/levar-burton-15789_bells_we-want-a-book-to-be-a-book-we-ll-have-a_780472.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/levar-burton-15789_bells_we-want-a-book-to-be-a-book-we-ll-have-a_780472.jpg) > “We want a book to be a book. We'll have all the interactive bells and whistles but our intent is to engage young people in reading, not to show them a movie.” [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates for books as reading tools, warning that interactive media should not replace the act of reading for youth engagement. **In simple terms:** Books should remain primary for engaging young readers. Key Takeaway Prioritize reading over passive media. Themes education media literacy children Mood encouraging reflective Type educational media critique When to use this quote - school libraries - digital classroom tools - parental guidance Key Concepts digital distraction interactive media literacy promotion Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance interactivity with reading? - What strategies keep kids reading in a digital age? A Different Perspective Technology can enhance but also diminish deep reading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Intent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intent/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [Public television works hard to engage young learners and build the skills needed for a jump-start on life. We need our youngest to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/public-television-works-hard-to-engage-young-learners-and-build-the/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Even before I started going to movies, I loved the idea of them. When I started learning to read as a kid, I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alonso-duralde/even-before-i-started-going-to-movies-i-loved-the-idea-of-them-when-i/) [Alonso Duralde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alonso-duralde/) > [One performs a very different act when reading a movie and when reading a novel. Your attention behaves differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/one-performs-a-very-different-act-when-reading-a-movie-and-when/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [The way one perceives a book and a film are totally different. You read a book in the privacy of your room. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/the-way-one-perceives-a-book-and-a-film-are-totally-different-you/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I've always said I want to have a book with my name on it in the shops one day, so to have that actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-hope-fletcher/i-ve-always-said-i-want-to-have-a-book-with-my-name-on-it-in-the/) [Carrie Hope Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-hope-fletcher/) > [“I'll say whatever I want. I'm not a book. You can't burn me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lasky/i-ll-say-whatever-i-want-i-m-not-a-book-you-can-t-burn-me/) [Kathryn Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lasky/) > [I want this book to be facts, to be important, to be history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoli-boukreev/i-want-this-book-to-be-facts-to-be-important-to-be-history/) [Anatoli Boukreev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoli-boukreev/) > [As a reader, I want a book to kidnap me into its world. Its world must make my so-called real world seem flimsy. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/as-a-reader-i-want-a-book-to-kidnap-me-into-its-world-its-world-must/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [You want to give him the book of his own life, the book that will locate him, parent him, arm him for the changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/you-want-to-give-him-the-book-of-his-own-life-the-book-that-will/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-am-not-a-fan-of-books-i-would-never-want-a-book-s-autograph/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [I want the 'Book of Basketball' to do well if only so I can shop an absolutely ridiculous topic for my next book: like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-simmons/i-want-the-book-of-basketball-to-do-well-if-only-so-i-can-shop-an/) [Bill Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-simmons/) > [Your regular teachers will get mad at you. If you keep asking something again and again, they will get tired of saying the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/your-regular-teachers-will-get-mad-at-you-if-you-keep-asking/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Predictability is boring! I want a book to take me someplace I haven't been before, show me sights I haven't seen, make me ponder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-fowler/predictability-is-boring-i-want-a-book-to-take-me-someplace-i-haven-t/) [Therese Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-fowler/) > [I think having a good agent is key. I've been with mine for ten years now, and she's very honest with me. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-having-a-good-agent-is-key-i-ve-been-with-mine-for-ten-years/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I didn't want it to be a book that made pronouncements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-didn-t-want-it-to-be-a-book-that-made-pronouncements/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) ## More by LeVar Burton > [Kids are sponges. They will emulate what they see and what they're exposed to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/kids-are-sponges-they-will-emulate-what-they-see-and-what-they-re/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [Maturity is a series of shattered illusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/maturity-is-a-series-of-shattered-illusions/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [I fly my geek flag proudly. Absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/i-fly-my-geek-flag-proudly-absolutely/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [There would be no Star Trek unless there were transporter malfunctions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/there-would-be-no-star-trek-unless-there-were-transporter-malfunctions/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [We have an amazing advantage right now in that we have developed technology that is so sexy, so engaging for kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/we-have-an-amazing-advantage-right-now-in-that-we-have-developed/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [I want to live in an America where we are able to marshal all the resources we have at our disposal and that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/i-want-to-live-in-an-america-where-we-are-able-to-marshal-all-the/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [Yeah. I do. I think that we have to continue to expand the areas in which we want our kids to be literate. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/yeah-i-do-i-think-that-we-have-to-continue-to-expand-the-areas-in/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [If we marry educational technology with quality, enriching content, that's a circle of win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/if-we-marry-educational-technology-with-quality-enriching-content/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [Libraries do one thing that no other institution does and that's provide access to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/libraries-do-one-thing-that-no-other-institution-does-and-that-s/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [Human beings are the laziest creatures in the history of creation. We would rather not do anything if we could avoid it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/human-beings-are-the-laziest-creatures-in-the-history-of-creation-we/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [We can't afford to sacrifice another generation of American children to bureaucratic politics. We've got to get it done. The future, the health, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/we-can-t-afford-to-sacrifice-another-generation-of-american-children/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [We had to figure out how to produce books in a cost-effective way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/we-had-to-figure-out-how-to-produce-books-in-a-cost-effective-way/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [I genuinely believe we have an opportunity to revolutionize how we educate our children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/i-genuinely-believe-we-have-an-opportunity-to-revolutionize-how-we/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [As long as we are engaged in storytelling that moves the culture forward, it doesn't matter what format it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/as-long-as-we-are-engaged-in-storytelling-that-moves-the-culture/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) > [With the technology of tablet computers, if we bring the right content to them and distribute them ubiquitously throughout the land, we can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levar-burton/with-the-technology-of-tablet-computers-if-we-bring-the-right-content/) [LeVar Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) [Explore all 42 LeVar Burton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levar-burton/) ## More Bells quotes > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“But it’s bells at twenty-seven thousand feet as the plane breaks into the clear again, as its motion steadies again; it is bells; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-bells-at-twenty-seven-thousand-feet-as-the-plane-breaks-into/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) Jerry Glanville > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [There is nothing better for me than to bring the bells in, in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharleen-spiteri/there-is-nothing-better-for-me-than-to-bring-the-bells-in-in-scotland/) [Sharleen Spiteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharleen-spiteri/) > [Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-see-that-noble-and-most-sovereign-reason-like-sweet-bells-jangled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [This world o' God's is brighter Than we ever dream or know; Its burdens growin' lighter- An' it's Love that makes 'em so! An'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lebby-stanton/this-world-o-god-s-is-brighter-than-we-ever-dream-or-know-its-burdens/) [Frank Lebby Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lebby-stanton/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Browse all 790 Bells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We want a book to be a book. 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