iPad App Review: How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

I don’t usually review books here on Literacy Toolbox.  Instead I tend to save book reviews for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books.  More often than not, as I read a picture book, I read it with an educator frame.  In other words, how can I use this book in the classroom?  And so, books I review tend to find themselves on my educator blog.

However, I have come across several books lately that I feel parents would find helpful as well.  So, this month on Literacy Toolbox, I will share books or apps that I have recently read and/or played with my kids.

How Rocket Learned to Read App

This book app for the iPad is one of the best I’ve seen by far.  Essentially it brings the picture book, How Rocket Learned to Read, to life.  The bird flaps his wings.  Rocket’s eyes move and his tail wags.  The animated illustrations are fabulous.  The colors are sharp.  And of course, then there is the actual book and related activities.

The book itself is a great story to motivate readers.  Rocket, the dog, stumbles upon Bird’s classroom one day. He begins to learn how to read and when the bird goes away in the fall, Rocket tries to find other ways to continue to read.  By the time Bird returns in the spring, Rocket is reading and enjoying every minute of it!

As a reader, children have an option to have the book read to them, which highlights the words as it reads.  Or, children can read the book themselves.  Additionally, there are two games.  First, children have the opportunity to put letters in alphabetical order.  This is great for your toddlers and preschoolers learning letters and their order.  And there is a sight word game.  Children are given five different sight words that begin with the same letter.  They hear the sight word and then click on the correct one.

My daughter was particularly happy to play the games.  She enjoyed finding the correct sight word based on hearing it, as well as putting the letters in alphabetical order.  I think this is because she prefers to be involved.  She likes the interactivity of book apps, but I have yet to find one that captures her interest enough for her to listen to the book as it is read to her.  I think she still much prefers books to e-books.  But, I think that is her age.

As a parent, I wholeheartedly recommend this app.  I think, in time, my daughter will enjoy reading the book on the iPad.  More than likely, when she actually knows how to read.  In the meantime, if you have a beginning reader, this is a fantastic app to teach alphabetical order, sight words, and most importantly, the love of reading!

Disclosure: I won a free promo code for this app via Twitter and Random House Books

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