Apps to Make Reading Come to Life

Happy Fall! It's Andrea from Reading Toward the Stars to share some apps that bring reading to life.


I will say that I love reading with my children, and that is the most meaningful.  But, when I am busy making supper or helping my son with his homework, I hand my daughter my iPad and let her read some books.  I snapped this picture one evening while I was making supper.  My daughter me to read with her, and my son took over and just read with her.  It was a moment I couldn't recreate if I tried!  So, it shows that we CAN read with our children through apps.

Farfaria is one of my favorite apps!  It is a paid app, but there are some free books to try out.  She loves exploring and listening to the books in the app.  I did pay for it because it is so worth it!  There are tons of books with many different levels involved.  It could keep her entertained for hours!

StoryChimes is another favorite!  They have plenty of "books" available where children can listen to the story or read it on their own.  Many are free, or you can pay to get rid of the ads.  I actually use these with my groups as they listen to a story and work on comprehension skills.

Have you heard of Epic?!  If not, you must go check it out!  There are tons of books available here too!  You have to sign up for an account either as a parent or a teacher.  We use this a lot for listening centers in our classroom.

Tumblebooks is another favorite!  Though they don't have an app, they have made it easy to actually use on an iPad.  You need a subscription, but many public library systems offer free access to their books when you log into through their website.  The entire state of Virginia has access to these since the Library of Virginia has purchased these for the state.  There are popular books such as Scaredy Squirrel  and books by Robert Munsch read by Robert Munsch!

There are plenty of apps that are full of books.  If you have any other apps you know of, leave them in the comments below. I am always looking for great apps to use with my own children and students!

Enjoy your fall!