Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- $1.99
- Education
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic is an educational experience that will gently teach young kids early phonics by teaching the sounds that letters make and how to combine them to make short words. The developers take a classic phonics book and turn it into an app. The app successfully replicates the book series' step-by-step phonics instruction by providing four levels with the same sentences. When kids have successfully matched the letters to the words (Level 1) or spelled out the words by choosing the correct letters among many other letters (Level 4), that object gets filled in with color. When kids have completed the sentence, the whole scene comes alive. An HD version is also available in iTunes.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Bob Books for Early Readers is a Hit
Consistent with books, but little better in electronic form
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What's it about?
In Bob Books #1 Reading Magic, kids drag the letters for the given word to the proper place below the picture, while the app sounds out the letters and reads the word aloud. Their efforts are rewarded when the black-and-white screen transforms to color and the drawings become animated. There are twelve pages and each one has four levels. You can customize the settings to suit your kid's current phonics knowledge and reading level.
Is it any good?
BOB BOOKS #1 - READING MAGIC is an excellent introduction to phonics for young children, or a nice companion to the printed Bob Books (a systematic method of teaching kids to read). Since you can either control the difficulty level or set it to Automatic, this app will grow with your learning child, and keep their interest as they read and re-read the sentences on each page. The artwork is simple, just as in the printed Bob Books, but the added elements of color and animation are well done and attractive.
Talk to your kids about ...
Read with your kids daily.
Stock up on variety of reading materials for kids, including phonics readers and traditional storybooks. Keep them where kids can access them easily.
Sound out and spell everyday words together.
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: phonics, spelling
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: applying information
- Price: $1.99
- Release date: June 29, 2012
- Category: Education
- Size: 43.80 MB
- Publisher: Learning Touch
- Version: 2.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 4.0 or later
- Last updated: November 11, 2020
Our editors recommend
For kids who love learning with apps
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.