Parents of emerging readers have told me they want their kids to continue developing their reading skills, old-school style; using stories with printed text on a page to actually see and read, instead of just listen to.
If this is something you are looking for, and you too are missing the library’s ‘Early Readers’ collection full of easy, levelled titles, check out Storybooks Canada.
Storybooks Canada is a great resource that does just that, without overwhelming users with too many options.
It also provides content that is refreshingly international. It makes 40 stories from the ‘African Storybook’ available in both text and audio. The stories are levelled from 1 to 5, and the pages can be turned manually so kids can read at their own pace. They are available to read or listen to in both English and French, as well as the major immigrant and refugee languages of Canada. The multilingual component of this resource makes it a great way for English-as-a-Foreign-Language parents to learn along with their children, or for English-speaking children to experiment with learning another language. Check it out!
~ Danielle