Parents are always looking for ways to make learning fun and engaging for their children.
Thanks to a new offering from the Greenwood Public Library, they won’t need to look far.
iVOX Books is a book app for children ages 3-8 which uses the latest in storytelling technology to delight and engage curious young minds. Kids can follow along with a story while interacting with its characters and scenes — immersing them in the narrative like never before.
Greenwood Public Library cardholders can access the exciting new “books that move” for free. All they need is a library card and the free app that’s available for both iOS and Android. After downloading the app, they just need to select a book and tap on the cover to bring it to life.
iVOX Books have already garnered awards from parents’ groups. iVOX Books are 2021 National Parenting Product Award winners for Best Apps for Kids and Families, and have just been named 2021 Mom’s Choice Award winners for best Apps and Software.
If “iVOX” sounds familiar, you may have seen VOX books at the library. Produced by the same company that developed iVOX, VOX books are “books that talk” with built-in audio players that allow the reader to listen as they read along. They have been incredibly popular with our patrons, so we have no doubt iVOX will prove to be just as engaging. The animation and narration on iVOX books are truly magical and are sure to capture the imagination. These are books your children will want to read again and again.
Of course, iVOX is not the only digital resource available for kids through the Greenwood Public Library. Your library card provides you with access to thousands of ebooks, eaudiobooks, music, movies and television shows through Overdrive/Libby, Hoopla and Kanopy. Overdrive and its accompanying free app, Libby, give you access to a wide variety of ebooks and audiobooks right at your fingertips. Like traditional library books, a specific number of copies are available to borrow at one time and you can even place holds on items already checked out.
Hoopla’s ebooks, audiobooks, movies, shows and music can be streamed on a computer or device. This also includes streaming on Android TV, Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV. Likewise, Kanopy is a streaming service featuring movies and television, including programs specifically for kids. We are excited to offer iVOX alongside these other digital offerings, especially as an app that will be easy for young kids to use with content made especially for them.
You may be wondering why a library full of books would promote digital resources. And why a kids librarian would dare suggest screen time. But as a parent, I have seen the benefits quality digital resources can bring in balance with other educational and play activities. In fact, several years ago when my son was younger, some of his favorite apps were animated read-aloud versions of his favorite Sandra Boynton board books. His interest in the apps seemed to drive his interest in the board books even more. They were some of the first books he read on his own, in part from the letter and word recognition he gained from repeat listens. And my son, like many kids, is an auditory learner.
Lately, as he has had to read longer chapter books for school, we have used his school commute to listen to audiobooks on Libby or Hoopla. These resources have been a huge help in reinforcing what he reads at school, and he finds them engaging and fun. Digital resources have the added benefit of only taking up as much space as the size of your device, making it the perfect way for you to take the library with you wherever you go. From your daily commute to your summer vacation, resources like iVOX can provide a convenient, light way to bring along lots of books.
While we still offer the same quality, tangible resources and programs, we hope to provide our community with engaging resources on a variety of platforms that can be accessed from anywhere. iVOX is the latest in what we hope will become a new favorite for our families. For more information on iVOX and digital resources for kids visit https://www.greenwoodlibrary.us/ivox
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