This post is written in partnership and sponsored by VOOKS. This review is honest and completely my own. They are generously offering educators a FREE YEAR subscription! See below for details.
VOOKS is the first ever streaming service that brings children’s books to life with animated illustrations, read-a-long text and narrated story. Aimed at kids 2-8, it offers a better alternative to screen time with new and classic children’s stories.
Animated storybooks have the potential to change the way our students read and consume text. Although traditional picture books might include words, pictures, and graphics, VOOKS includes the multimodal features of animations and real human voice character narrations. Although the benefits of a traditional libraries is always preferential, mobile devices enable readers to easily maintain personal libraries while also allowing students and educators to have access to a vast array of literature at the touch of a button.
How VOOKS animated storybooks works:
After you create an account and get a login, you can watch on your computer or any mobile device. You can also download them to a playlist and watch offline. Books are arranged by age or themes like: Friendship, Vehicles, Classics, Seasons, etc. I love that you can curate a digital library of your favorite books. Some of my favorite children’s book titles are included: Fly Guy, Harry The Dirty Dog, Good Night Gorilla, Bear Snores On, Giraffes Can’t Dance and so many more! They are constantly adding new titles as well!
How VOOKS is different (better) than traditional e-books:
The traditional features of e-books can be distracting and detract from comprehension. When readers are encouraged to touch the pages to make sound, make objects move, or even access multimedia content such as videos, games, and puzzles. Although the interactive features of these books certainly may be motivating to children, but research is showing that it does not facilitate vocabulary growth or comprehension. Garner, Gillingham, and White (1989) coined the term seductive details to describe aspects of texts that were likely to interfere with students’ abilities to attend to the most important parts of the texts they read. We believe that the seductive detail effect may be making a resurgence with the rise in interactive picture e-books, as readers are given options that are likely to result in them straying from the main idea.
VOOKS offers bold, read-along text. This is similar to following along with your finger in a traditional book. The reader is getting the beneficial print-to-meaning experience that will build their vocabulary. The animated illustrations gives the reader the ability make text connections to improve comprehension. Additionally, the character narration helps with prosody and inflection for fluent reading. Our struggling readers NEED both of these.
I can’t recommend VOOKS enough as an alternative to screen time!
VOOKS is generously offering all educators and homeschoolers a FREE YEAR to their streaming service!
Complete details on the FREE one year offer: 1. This worldwide offer is exclusive to teachers and homeschool educators. Each account is limited to 3 personal devices and up to 30 devices used for classroom and in-school purposes. No purchase necessary. Pre-existing accounts are ineligible. Only new accounts are valid. You will receive an email confirmation once the form is submitted. No credit card required. Must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible for this offer. You will receive 365 days of free access to Vooks from date of registration. After your free access ends you may continue by purchasing a subscription. Vooks, Inc. | support@vooks.com | 2066 NW Irving St. Ste 4, Portland, OR 97209
