With new media saturating American culture and classrooms, it is particularly important that this media be evaluated before integration into the classroom. Despite public calls for computer utilization in all levels of education, the research does not support the use of computers in teaching emergent literacy skills during early childhood. This project argues that despite the advances in modern technology, children’s picture books enhance literacy in ways that computers cannot. Although many skills are needed to become literate, three widely accepted categories of literacy skills focused on are: print and phonological awareness, comprehension, and social interaction. To utilize literacy instruction time most effectively, this project evaluates the media of computers and picture books through analysis of: media evolution in the classroom, the physical format of the media, and an original observational study.