Read Me Stories - Children's books could be a daily classroom routine -- until the books run out, that is. For a short reading unit, teachers could present one installment per day of the Tuffy series in "read to me" mode for the whole class. After each story, kids can respond with stories of their own; predictions about what will happen next; research into fantasy tales, castles, and the like; and so on. Kids could also read on their own, but a teacher will need to stay nearby, as kids often get stuck needing a grown-up to unlock the screen and approve or turn down purchasing more stories. There is an option for grown-ups to unlock all purchased stories so kids can read as many as they want. This could be a good option for teachers who want to let kids have more autonomy in choosing books.
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Read Me Stories - Children's books is a collection of original digital storybooks. Books are categorized into various series such as Tales of Adventure, Animals, or an ongoing fantasy saga about a pony named Tuffy. Kids can read on their own or be read to, and some books have a few simple interactive features. Every day that kids open the app, a new book unlocks (though parents also can manually unlock books). Some series of books are free; others include one preview book with the rest available for purchase.
Read Me Stories - Children's books has great reading support: Before starting each book, kids choose whether they want to read on their own or be read to. All choices are voiced so prereaders can navigate easily. While the narrator reads, words are highlighted in the text so kids can follow along. Once in the Read on My Own mode, kids can always tap an icon to have individual pages read to them. Plus, high-quality narration, music, and sound effects make the stories come alive.
Unfortunately, the stories themselves disappoint. The language, vocabulary, and dialogue are mediocre, and the story lines are uninspired (with a possible exception for the Tuffy series, which is somewhat silly in its approach to fantasy but does manage to hold your interest). And though nothing is inappropriate, some aspects are even downright objectionable. Above all, navigation can be tricky and frustrating. There are no exit buttons once you're in a story; at the end of each story kids must get a grown-up to unblock the screen; and there's lots of content that's tantalizingly visible but only available through purchasing. This digital library may get kids to read a book a day, but what they're reading may be more filler than enrichment.