Sunday, June 27, 2010

On-Line Children's Books....It's a Big Universe Out There (Virtually Speaking)


I am forever looking for inexpensive ways to add to my classroom library. Garage sales, EBay and thrift shops have been great places to find gently loved copies of children's classics. I am always amazed at what people will give away or sell for mere pennies! Nothing gives me more pleasure than to acquire a Caldecott or Newberry winner in mint condition and then give it a new home in my classroom. I frequently switch books in and out of the Reading Center and take great pleasure watching my students discover a new title as though it were a piece of pirate treasure. I love to share with them the simple joys of how a book feels in your hands, the way it smells, and the anticipation of a page being turned to reveal a new surprise on the next page.

During the last few years, however, I have come to the realization that my students are experiencing childhood in a much different way then I did. Technology abounds. And abounds. Kids now crave learning experiences that take place on a screen, with brilliant animation that comes alive through the touch of a button or with a flick of a Mimeo wand. It's not enough for my students to hear me read aloud to them conventionally each day. Literacy in my classroom needed to be "bumped up a knotch" to incorporate virtual books, too. And so I began the hunt for sites that featured quality on-line children's books, and boy did I find some great ones!


The International Children's Digital Library (FREE)
//http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
Discovery Education's United Streaming (school subscription)http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
Tumblebooks (school subscription)
http://www.tumblebooks.com/
Screen Actor's Guild's Storyline (FREE)
http://www.storylineonline.net/
Public Library of Charlotte, NC (FREE)
http://www.storyplace.org/
Big Universe (small monthly subscription that includes publishing feature!)
http://www.biguniverse.com/
Readeo (small monthly subscription)
http://www.readeo.com/


Do you have any favorite on-line book sites to share? Please do!

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