Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this system creates a delightful way to present classic children's literature to kids using a DVD player and television. Books are read aloud while the illustrations come alive through animation. Kids can answer questions about the story or characters using a special controller. Parents, because the DVD player is used, there is a lag time when kids answer a question to when new material appears on the screen.
Families using this system might want to model the questions that they ask about other books after the kind of questions presented within these books.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
Children can now experience the joy of listening to classic books while watching the illustrations come alive on their TV screen. Fisher-Price has partnered with Scholastic books to produce Read with Me DVD!, a system that transfers classic books to interactive DVDs.
To use the Read with Me DVD! system, parents or teachers need to own a DVD player and a television. The Read with Me DVD! system comes with one DVD book and a special large-button controller. Adults must synchronize the Read with Me DVD! controller to their DVD player by following a series of verbal commands issued by the controller.
The system helps children build story comprehension and vocabulary skills by providing over 100 activities and interactive questions with each DVD book. In the "Read and Play" mode, the book's pages appear on the television screen. As the story is read aloud, the words of the book highlight and the pictures from the book animate. At various times, children interact with the book by pressing buttons on the Read with Me DVD! controller. Most questions relate to what's happening in the story or the traits of the characters; but at times, words are defined.
In addition to the "Read and Play" mode, there are three additional modes of play. Kids can opt to just play "Story Games," hear the story without interruption in "Read to Me" mode, or try "My Turn to Read" where there is no narration.
The system comes with either The Little Engine That Could (best for ages 3 to 5) or Where the Wild Things Are (best for ages 5 to 7). Additional DVD books, costing $14.99 each, include Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Miss Spider's Tea Party, Curious George Goes to the Chocolate Factory, Giraffes Can't Dance, Corduroy and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Since this system uses the DVD player to cycle to different tracks in response to kids' pushing buttons, its slower pace works best with preschoolers or older children who are patient.
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