Digital media in the form of text, graphics, video and audio, usually integrated and increasingly delivered over mobile devices, are ubiquitous in homes and schools. Even the youngest children have access to these media with 83% of children aged 6 months to 6 years using screens every day for recreation, school work or reading. Here we focus on e-books and apps that are intended to support language and literacy learning by children. Reading books with children is recognized as one of the most important contexts for language and literacy learning in early childhood. Public health and education programs have long emphasized the importance of reading to children from a young age. There is concern that e-books will supplant the traditional book before we fully understand the impact of this medium on children’s learning. One device can hold an entire library of stories. Children find digital stories to be highly engaging and many students report that they read more from screens than from paper. The digital format includes features that are entertaining but potentially distracting. Some features included in e-books are designed to make it possible for prereaders and early readers to enjoy books without adult guidance. Overall there is much concern that the time children spend with digital media replaces opportunities for high quality social interaction with adults. Understanding how children learn from digital media will support recommendations for the design, selection and use of e-books and educational apps for young children.