If you haven't already, you should make read along books part of your child's regular reading routine. Not only will read-aloud books introduce your child to new words and how they are pronounced, but they will bring the words to life for your child in a way that silent reading doesn't. Read alouds can also give new readers a break from working so hard and make books fun, which can build a lifelong love of reading.
Favorite Read Along Books
Benjamin Bunny
Benjamin Bunny is one of the more well-known Beatrix Potter books. The books carry the reader through tales about animal characters as they overcome various challenges. Each page is illustrated and the words light up in red as the narrator reads them. This makes it easy to follow along as the book is read to your child. Your child will be introduced to vocabulary like "knitting," "lavender" and "tumbled." There is a stop button as well as fingers pointing forward or backward. If your child likes a certain part of the story, he can play it over.
Other books by Beatrix Potter are available as well, so if your child loves this story, she can also read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies and The Tale of Jemima Puddle Duck.
Mother Goose
What would childhood be without a few Mother Goose nursery rhymes to remember and repeat as an adult? The Real Mother Goose is an illustrated book that features read along rhymes like Humpty Dumpty, Three Blind Mice and The Cat and the Fiddle. Your child simply clicks on the title of the nursery rhyme he wants to read. The nursery rhyme is red, with the words turning red as each word is spoken. The illustrations change with each scene in the rhyme. For example, Humpty Dumpty starts out sitting on the top of a brick wall and then falls down to the ground with a shocked look on his egg-face.
Easily navigate back to the main menu showing the contents of the book, click "Play Again" to replay the nursery rhyme, or navigate to the next rhyme or back to the last rhyme.
Discover New Books
How Mona Lisa Got Her Smile
This book, written by Anne Elizabeth Eaves, talks about the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci of a woman with an enigmatic smile. How Mona Lisa Got Her Smile is narrated and has background music. As each word is read, it is highlighted, so your child can easily follow along. There is a stop button to pause the story. Your child can also navigate backwards or forwards or stop the story for a minute and then continue. The pages of the book are animated. For example, when the story talks about walking a mile in Mona Lisa's shoes, the illustrated character for Mona Lisa walks across the screen.
This cute story talks about everything that has gone wrong in Mona Lisa's life up to the point of getting new, more comfortable shoes and how her new smile made da Vinci notice her and want to paint her. The book is a fun one that your child will enjoy, but can also be a springboard to a discussion about history.
Pirate's Treasure
Pirate's Treasure by Carol Moore is a story that any child interested in pirates will love. This read along book has the feature of being readable with or without sound. Just click on the audio icon and the narrator will read the text to your child, or don't click it and see if the child can read it on his own. The story follows a little boy as he dreams about Bluebeard and then tries to find buried treasure. In the end, he discovers that it is hard work that really pays off. The book is easy to navigate by page number.
Educational Titles
Food From the Sun
Food from the Sun by Stacy Zeiger is the second book from the top of the landing page. Unfortunately, you can't go directly to the book, but you'll want to peruse this site of educational titles anyway. Food from the Sun explains how plants get their nutrients; the book can be used as a springboard to a science discussion about plants. The illustrations are not animated, making this feel more like a traditional book, and the words do not light up as your child reads along, so this read along is for a more advanced reader or just for informational purposes. Still, this title as well as this site is worth mentioning for the sheer science education behind it.
The Joy of Reading
One of the benefits of read along books is that your child doesn't have to work quite as hard to understand how to pronounce a new word or understand the meaning behind a story. Read alongs take off the pressure, so your child can just enjoy the written word. Later, after having heard the story read out loud, your child can go back, stop the audio, and try to read the words on his own. The titles above are on sites that regularly add new titles, so be sure to check the home pages and test out all that the online reading world has to offer for your child.
