Gilbert Gas Science Experiments is a book app teaching kids about gas, or carbon dioxide in particular. It is one of the book in a 26 science book series: The Quirkles apps. They are also available as print books. Gilbert Gas Science app is usually $10, and is free for limited time.  However, if you missed the free app, you can download the eBook on Quirkles website when you sign up a free account. We have the download link at the… Read more

Do you read traditional fairy tales with your kids?  There have been some discussions about the benefits of reading fairy tales with kids. Some are concerned about the dark side of the stories, some don’t like those traditional princess images who overly depend on others. However, there are still places for fairy tales in children’s literature. With the right stories, kids will learn the right moral value, gain vocabulary and grow their imagination. My best advice is to read ahead… Read more

We love to read Christmas stories, they help to bring the holiday spirit and it is great bonding time. Nothing makes me feel better than snuggling together with the family to read a holiday story together. Compared to years ago, now you can find many Christmas stories on your iPad or other mobile devices, book apps, Kindle books, or iBooks. We are listing here some of the best Christmas stories for kids you can find on your iPad. The nice… Read more

I’m always on the hunt for the best literacy ideas to use with my own children and those that I work with on my blog, Growing Book by Book. I’ve come across some wonderful digital resources for building literacy skills. Here are some of my favorite apps, eBooks and websites to help young children grow as readers and writers. Digital Literacy Ideas Apps Short Vowel Word Study and Spelling is a wonderful app for children who are learning to spell… Read more

Helping children learn to read should be a fun and enjoyable experience. The Joy of Reading is a reading app for preschool and kindergarten kids, with a comprehensive collection of 9 multi-level games designed to encourage early reading. Kids will progress along the reading journey with the support from their favorite animals. The app evaluates the child’s reading level, and systematically provides practice at the right level for the kids, starting with letter sounds, phonics, to sight words and simple… Read more

I liked the app Petting Zoo a lot, so when I saw the same developer has another app Hat Monkey, I had to get it. Hat Monkey is an interactive book app for toddlers to kindergarteners. But I ensure you that people of all ages will love it. It is a story about a cute monkey who wears a hat all the time. Kids are welcomed by the monkey on the opening screen, pointing to the arrow that opens up… Read more

Recently I found a wonderful website that offers free digital picture books for kids: Unite for Literacy. It is a website, so you can access on your computer. It also works well on iPad and iPhone. All books have professional narrations, plus there are more than 20 languages to choose from. When you get on the website, the program does ask you to choose location, but that is it. You don’t need put in name or contact information. On the… Read more

My Monster Mayhem is an interactive book app for young children. It is listed among our 25 Monster Apps for Kids as a monster themed book app. It is a fun read, even if it is not during Halloween season. It is free for limited time, so definitely grab it before the price goes up. A young girl gets in trouble with her mom for many reasons, sometime it is to slam the door, sometime it is to splash bath… Read more

I have not paid much attention to news apps except News-O-Matic. Because I felt many news include contents that are not child safe. Recently I heard from a homeschool mom that they use Yahoo News for kids in their homeschool. I was quite surprised and checked it out. I am really surprised by the quality of the news it provides. Things I like the most about Yahoo News Digest: First it is not overwhelming. It curate news in just a… Read more

iLiveGrammar is a grammar app, and it is also a science app. It teaches kids grammar with science content, combining grammar and science in one app. There are 3 apps in the series currently: Botany, Autumn, Winter. Each app has 4 lessons, and all lessons are based on a science topic. When open the app, kids will see 4 lessons on the top: Nouns and Verbs; Adjectives and Adverbs; Article, Noun, Conjunctions, and Prepositions; and the last lesson is Review… Read more

Today we have a lovely book app for kids – Moon and Sun. It is a beautiful picture book for young children, with bright pictures and loving tones. With a story about friendship, Moon and Sun is a great book for bed time story time. It is usually $3.99, and it is free for now. Moon and Sun had never met before, and one day, the moon was bored and walked out of the dark sky. She saw the Sun… Read more

Do you like Curious George? We do, and who doesn’t? Today we share a reading app featuring Curious George. It is a new book from the iReadWith series. We have reviewed books in the series before, and loved all the features that helping kids learn, especially those that get kids to talk and make reading a shared experience between parents and kids. Today’s new app is the digital version of the book Curious George and the Birthday Surprise. Like all books… Read more

Today we share some more book recommendations from our wonderful moms. You know these books are good, because there are from real moms who have read the books themselves and read them with the kids. Here we go: 6 Book Lists for Kids Recommended by Real Moms Art Themed Children’s Books Books Children’s book authors liked when they were young Early Chapter Books Books about crab Best Books for preschoolers Best books for middle schoolers Looking for more book recommendations… Read more

Do your kids like dragon? Do they like fantasy stories? If yes, they will like Senda and the Glutton Dragon. It is an interactive story book app designed for kids 5 and younger. The story is short and easy, but fun to read. It is a perfect book for a short car ride or a quick story before bed. The Glutton Dragon only eats candy. One day he takes the princess as a piece candy by mistake and takes her… Read more