
When first approached with an opportunity to review their new format, I was not very excited about it at all. I didn't think a computer version of a book would be very user friendly format for my three year old. I do however, like Sylvan Dell Publishing's strong math and science educational component and how how most of their books are about subjects of high interest to my daughter. So I after being asked very nicely to just give them a try, I agreed.


Unfortunately, we are a non-bilingual family, so I liked the option to switch back and forth between English and Spanish. You can get the text and oral read aloud in both languages, more are planned. The auto-flip feature is a must for us as figuring out the mouse is still a mystery to our three and a half year old. I will say ER REALLY enjoyed listening to several books over the course of a few days. She asked for them a lot, saying that she needed to use the computer, and even the longer stories held her attention. It was a great way for me to have something educational for her to do while I made some quick phone calls or did a few chores around the house.
Nothing can take the place of a parent child read together, and the interaction with a book that only a caregiver can provide but this is a good option for something different with limited use. While it can't respond to her personally, that can offer ER exposure to another language which I cannot. Children wanting computer time will enjoy this safe and educational format, that parents can feel comfortable letting their children have.

Sylvan Dell Publishing does a great job of providing extension activities for their titles, with free online resources that can be used to supplement their books in either paper or eBook format. By far I think the best audience for this new form of eBook are schools. I would have loved to have access to these in the computer lab or on my classroom computer, especially since so many wonderful related resources are provided for enhancing the educational content of each book:
- For Creative Minds - found at the back of each book and online
- Interactive Math and Reading Quizzes - great to check for comprehension
- Teaching Activities - quite extensive full of cross curricular ideas, very good resource
- Related Website - full of more resources for your child to use to research the topics covered in the title
- Crafts for Storytime Events - varying quality some are merely coloring sheets
- Trailers - previews "movies" set to music, not sure what one would use these for
- Calendar of Special Days - overview of which books would work well in specific months along with free related resources
- Blog Roll - more online resources
2 Friends Said:
Hi, Katie! Thanks for stopping by, and good luck in my drawing! Hugs, Terri
Thanks! Good review. Nice blog. I like this post. I am follow your blog.
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