Bob Books #1 – Reading Magic

Do you have a preschooler just learning to read?  Are you familiar and in love with the hardcover Bob Books?  Then this is the app for you!  As part of our nightly routine, like many other families, reading is key!  When my son was younger the number of books that he read did not matter.  As of today, the more the merrier! In school, he is working on his sight words and as we read books at night he wants to show off what he is learning.  Once a book is finished he will say, “Look, I just read that WHOLE book!” To see the excitement on his face is just priceless!

With their movable, adorable characters your child will begin to explore the Spelling Game.  A wonderful feature that I stumbled upon was the ability to change the spelling option from “letter names” to “phonics”.  I actually had my son playing in both modes, and found each to be just as useful for a pre-kindergartener.  While in the “letter names” mode, your child will actively tap, drag and drop letters into place as they are said by the narrator as you build three letter words.  Whereas in the “phonics” mode, your child will hear the sounds that each letter makes as they tap, drag and drop into place thus making a word.  Your little reader will experience the magic of reading through 14 story cards.  The user has the option to flip manually through a “picture scroll” of each card or to read page by page.

A story page will magically appear and these adorable characters will come to life.  As we progress through the cards we will be introduced to characters like: Mac, Dot, Mit, Muff and Ruff.  Initially stories start out as a black and white page and end with a multitude of colors.  At the bottom of the card is the sentence that will be built and read.   The reader will see objects on the page begin to shake and this indicates to them that they need to tap on them one at a time.  As each shaking object is spelled, the user will then hear the entire sentence and it will magically fill with colors.  My sons first reaction was, “Look how perfect it was colored in.”

Each card has 4 levels. Within the “About Bob Books”, a parent will see the meaning of each level.   Level 1 provides letter hints, gravity helps them drop letters in the right place, and you can play letters in any order.  Level 2 requires you to place letters in order from left to right.  If letters are dropped out of order it will just bounce out.  Level 3 the letter hints have now disappeared along with the gravity.  In addition, you will have to spell some words from the caption.  Level 4 now has extra letters that are not necessary.  The reader will need to remember how to spell the word in order to finish the game!  Interested in seeing how well your child is progressing on each card?  When you are in the “picture scroll” you and your child can visually see through sticker like stars  what level has been completed.  As a parent the positive reinforcement and level progression are two key components as to why I will recommend this application to other parents and educators.  A thought that came to me as my son read through Bob Books was what will happen when he has completed all 14 cards and each level?  Is there an option to reset?  YES, and it can be found in the options of this application.  Your child’s experience does not have to end because they completed the game.  It is a book that just keeps giving!! More reinforcement – LOVE IT!

If Bob Books are your child’s favorite books, then you too will want the “reading magic” that the application has to offer.  Be sure to visit their website and begin your download today here!