Thinking Outside the Book: Online Resources That Make Reading Fun

These Internet resources will enhance young readers’ enjoyment of children’s literature.

By Jessica Mangelson and Jill Castek

Elementary School

As educators who are committed to integrating the Internet into the curriculum, we are excited about this new Book Links column, which will feature literature-based online activities that you can share with students. Literacy activities that utilize the Internet build enthusiasm for learning and aid students in developing positive attitudes toward technology. Including blogs, streaming video, wikis, and interactive Web sites in the curriculum is an important step in preparing students for their literacy futures.

Web-Based Narratives

In this first column, we will focus on Web sites that extend students’ engagement with narrative. The Internet offers stories in a host of different formats. Some Web sites feature books that are read aloud while pictures from the text appear on the screen, while other sites extend decoding help when users encounter unknown words. Interactive formats and multiple reading levels make online books a great way to complement literature study.

The Web sites introduced in this column are easy for kids to access and can be shared with parents to encourage home and school connections.

International Children’s Digital Library

The free International Children’s Digital Library Web site offers a wide spectrum of children’s books. Hundreds of books are available in more than 44 languages. Students are invited to share reviews of the books they have read, which encourages writing within the online reading experience.
The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau,
When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang, and
The Song of Pulaw by E. B. Maranan are some of our favorites.

Light Up Your Brain and Sound Stories

The Light Up Your Brain and Sound Stories Web sites offer downloadable audio versions of popular fairy tales and storybooks. Available as MP3 files, these stories can be enjoyed in the classroom listening center, car, or family room. A wide variety of titles, including such classics as
Peter Rabbit, Rapunzel, and
The Emperor’s New Clothes, make these sites a no-cost alternative to books on tape.

Starfall

Starfall is a free online program designed to help children learn to read. This site contains a series of animated interactive storybooks at beginning, intermediate, and advanced reading levels. Emergent and early reader books highlight individual letters, vowel sounds, and letter combinations. If a reader does not recognize a word in the text, he or she can place the cursor on it and receive visual and voice assistance. As the reading level increases, so do the reading choices, including a variety of myths, fables, plays, fiction, and nonfiction texts.

TumbleBook Library

Many students are able to gain access to TumbleBooks free through school districts, public libraries, and county offices of education who subscribe. Created by Tumbleweed Press, the TumbleBook Library is an online collection of animated storybooks, related puzzles, games, and audiobooks. Children are invited to read along with the audio recording to practice word recall and fluency. When activated, the word helper assists readers with difficult words. The site offers hundreds of books, including such favorites as
Boomer Goes to School by Constance W. McGeorge,
Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz, and
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin. English, Spanish, and Chinese versions make these texts great choices for English-language learners. Ask your school about subscribing.

Jessica Mangelson has worked as an elementary school teacher, reading specialist, and assistant professor of reading education.
Jill Castek is a doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut.