Kaelyn has had a love for reading from the time she was very young. At 3 years old, she is not yet reading on her own...but like many children, has a collection of her favorite books that she likes to have me and Daddy read to her time and time again. I love sitting down with my kids and spending that special time reading together, in fact...I wish I could do it more. Unfortunately, there are times when I have other things to do and can't always sit down and read with them every time they want me to. I want to help encourage that love for reading and learning any way I can though, which is why I was excited to learn about the AnyBook Reader.
A unique tool for children, parents and even grandparents...the AnyBook Reader helps to make reading fun and more enjoyable. The AnyBook Reader uses a simple touch, record and playback process which allows you to read any story and record your own voice while you read it. Now your children can hear your voice anytime they want to read!
Features/Benefits:
- Works with ANY book you own
- Does not require any special books to buy
- Does not use computerized or pre-recorded voices
- YOU can read to your child anytime, anywhere (even when you're not there)
- Brings stories to life
- Excellent tool to help children to learn word pronunciation, spelling and reading skills
- Easy to use
- Stickers won't harm pages of books and can be reused
- Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)
- 60 hours of recording time
- For use with children 3 years and up
I had a feeling the AnyBook Reader would be a big hit, and I was right! From the moment it arrived Kaelyn was begging to test it out. Of course, I couldn't say no. I was just as excited to see how it worked!
As we pulled it out of the box, I was happy to see that there were easy to follow instructions included. Step by step, the instructions took us through everything we needed to know. We also checked out the stickers. The AnyBook Reader comes with a selection of AnyBook stickers. Each sticker uses a unique code which allows you to associate different recordings with every page of your book. What I love is that these stickers use special glue that won't damage your book so you can remove them at any time.
There are actually two types of special stickers. There are 40 pre-recorded sounds which cannot be replaced or deleted. The animal sounds, transportation sounds and others really have helped bring stories to life for Kaelyn. There are also 220 stickers for your own recordings which can be replaced or deleted at anytime. These are the stickers we use most often, as I'm then able to record my voice reading a book. If we would happen to run out of stickers (which I think we will, as we love it so much that we're using it with many of the books we own) it's great to know we can visit Franklin and order more.
After checking everything out, including the AnyBook Reader itself...we were ready to get started. With a simple touch, record and playback process...getting the AnyBook Reader ready was a piece of cake. There is no need to install anything or hook it up to the computer...simply put in 2 AAA (not included) and get started.A special optical reader, built into the tip, reads unique codes imbedded in the designs of the stickers included with AnyBook reader. It’s similar to the way a scanner at the grocery store reads barcodes. Each sticker code is unique. When a voice recording is associated with a sticker placed on a page, AnyBook reader stores the recording and "remembers" which sticker has been associated with the recording. Touch the sticker again and AnyBook reader plays back the correct recording.
We placed the stickers on the pages of the book we wanted to record. I then took the AnyBook Reader, placed the tip on a sticker and began recording as I read the page. Although it does take a little time to get the stickers on and record...it's very simple and SO worth it!The following is a short video I made to show how easy it is to record on, as well as how simple it is for a child to use.
We've recorded several books now, and Kaelyn absolutely loves being able to sit down and have them 'read' to her anytime she wants to. The AnyBook Reader is the perfect size for her little hands and, it not only makes reading on her own more fun, but it's a great way to encourage her love for reading and teach her beginning reading skills. She's learning to follow along and has even started to point to the words as the book is read to her.
She and her brother both enjoy sitting and listening to the stories together.
My husband has recorded several stories for her using the AnyBook Reader as well. When he works late or is gone on business, she still has the books he's recorded to listen to. I think this would be perfect for Grandparents to do for their grandchildren too...especially for those who live far away and don't see them as much as they would like. How neat that a child can enjoy a bedtime story with their Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc...even when they're far away.I have been very happy with the AnyBook Reader. It has definitely far exceeded any expectations I had and is something I have already considered purchasing as gifts for nieces, nephews, and friends. What I love most about the AnyBook reader, aside from the fact that it's incredibly easy to use, is that it doesn't require any special books to buy so we can use any/all of the books we currently own. Not only that, but of course...one of the neatest things is that we can actually record our own voices for Kaelyn to hear, rather than having computerized or pre-recorded voices already on the stickers. With 60 hours of recording time and more stickers available for purchase online...I know this is something we will use for years to come!
I would highly recommend the AnyBook Reader to anyone with young children. For more information about this product, you can visit AnyBookReader.com.
Buy It: The AnyBook Reader retails for $59.99 and is available at a number of retailers, including Amazon.com
, Barnes & Noble and more. You can visit their website for a full list of where to buy.You can connect with AnyBook Reader on Twitter and Facebook.
**The product for this review was provided at no cost. All opinions found here are my own and were not influenced in any way. The opinions of others may differ from my own**
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