Tales2Go

My first experience with Tales2Go was at the beginning of the New Year.  It had come across my Twitter feed to check out their on demand audio book application.  I was instantly intrigued to find a Pandora like app but for children’s books.  There are a number of adults who travel long distances to get to work and find themselves listening to books on tape, why not have that same experience for our children.

The Tales2Go app can be downloaded for free, however, in order to hear the books you will require a subscription. In addition, if you are like me who has an Apple device without the data plan,  then the listening will happen in the comfort of my own home or in a location that I can pick up free Wi-Fi access.  One of the many great things about this app is that they provide a free 30 day trial to make sure that you and your child will truly enjoy all that it has to offer.  At the end of that trial period you can decide if you want to continue for a month, 3 months or even a year.  I was amazed at the number of books that they had streaming. For those parents/teachers reading this review, this app is not just for the younger student.  This lends nicely to all ages and grade levels from Pre K – 8.   There are songs and a variety of authors like Junie B. Jones, Goosebumps, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Boxcar Children just to name a few.

As a teacher, I could definitely see this fitting in nicely to any classroom setting.  As I explored this application, I thought of our struggling readers and how they could find a love of reading by hearing those books that they want so badly to read.  I can just visualize students sitting all over the room during DEAR (Drop Everything And Read)  time as we call it with earbuds on as it plays on an iTouch or iPad.  Students can make bookmarks so that they can access books quicker and can star those that are their favorites. Tales2Go also has a category for various genres.  Why not hook up a set of speakers to your Apple device and share a book from the genre that you happen to be working on that month.  Once finished, a teacher could have a number of follow-up activities like : a classroom discussion, have students illustrate a section of the book, or even comprehension questions that they are to answer in a journal.   If using Tales2Go can not happen in the classroom, then why not use it at home.  It’s a great addition to any homeschooler or just as a parent getting their child to love reading!

If you would like to learn more about Tales2Go then be sure to check out their website.  Or you can download the free application by visiting them in iTunes here.