Teaching high-tech youngsters to enjoy reading a book can be an uphill battle, so the Gwinnett County Public Library has added a collection of children’s literature that can be read online.

The library system is now offering Tumblebooks, an animated, online collection of talking e-books for children.

The online TumbleBooks are created from existing picture books published by children’s book authors and converted into the TumbleBook format. There are over 130 TumbleBooks available from the library system’s Web site, and more books being added daily.

The collection includes animated books, language learning books in Spanish and French, audio books, educational games, quizzes, and book report outlines, Read More…

Here’s an interesting question I came across which was asked by a mother whose daughter has some reading problems. The source is The Desert Sun, California.
Question: Reading is a very hard task for my 6th grade daughter and her teacher suggested that I get books on tape for her to listen to this summer. My husband believes books on tape are not the same as reading and they are considered “cheating.” I’m confused, are books on tape really a form of cheating?
Answer: Although audiobooks can never take the place of reading aloud, many educators agree that audio books are considered wonderful tools for children for several reasons. Audio books are successful in providing struggling readers an opportunity to be exposed to literature they otherwise would not have been able to read. Reading is also about comprehending a story and audiobooks can help children develop strong listening and critical thinking skills.

The audios eliminate the frustration struggling readers experience with decoding, thus allowing them to focus on understanding a story. Many children use audiobooks to help them learn to read by following along in their book with the audio. They also provide opportunities to launch discussions between you and your child about what’s happening in a story, what will happen next, and how it connects to your own lives.

Brent M. Cooper, licensed educational psychologist, has a private practice and is the director of El Paseo Children’s Center for Psychological & Educational Assessment. He evaluates individuals for learning disabilities, attention deficits, and autism. Brent Cooper is also a school psychologist for CVUSD. If you have a question you’d like to see answered in this column, call 342-4900 or e-mail brent@helpmykid.us or visit www.helpmykid.us

Those long summer road trips with kids in the back of the car, bored out of their minds and constantly asking : are we there yet?
Turn that trip into an adventure by giving the kids a selection of audio books they can enjoy. There’s plenty for the adults to choose from too.

 Arthur’s Audio Book Favourites

The ideal audio book present for children under 10. The audio book you can listen to whenever you want to. No monthly fees on this website.

ARTHUR‘S FIRST SLEEPOVER Audio Book: What could top a sleepover in the backyard with Buster and the Brain? When rumors start that a spaceship has landed in the neighborhood the idea of camping under the stars takes on a whole new meaning. Arthur‘s sister D.W. is so sure that he will see an alien on his overnight that she gives him her camera. When they hear muffled footsteps approaching their tent and see strange flashes of light, it seems D.W. was right! Or was she?

ARTHUR‘S TOOTH Audio  Book: Arthur, tired of being the only one in his class who still has all his baby teeth, waits impatiently for his loose tooth to fall out.

ARTHUR‘S BIRTHDAY Audio  Book: Arthur‘s friends must decide which party to attend when Francine schedules her birthday party for the same day as Arthur‘s birthday party.

ARTHUR‘S PET BUSINESS Audio  Book: Arthur‘s determination to prove he is responsible enough to have a puppy brings him a menagerie of animals to care for.

ARTHUR‘S NEW PUPPY Audio Book: Arthur is delighted when he finally gets his new puppy, Pal, but his “accidents” and all-night barking make life miserable for the entire family, until Arthur comes up with a solution.

ARTHUR WRITES A STORY Audio Book: What makes a story entertaining? That’s the question Arthur asks himself when Mr. Ratburn gives a creative writing assignment to the class. When D.W. yawns through Arthur‘s first story, he worries that his tale isn’t exciting enough. Is the setting to humdrum? Maybe he needs to research his subject more thoroughly. With every new angle, Arthur‘s story takes one more hilarious step further away from his original idea – but is the end result really the tale he wants to tell ?