Parents' Guide to Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books

High-quality sound effects easily enhance the excitement of reading many beloved kids' books. Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books is a unique approach to adding a little something special to story time. The mood of the music nicely matches the overall feel of the story. And at select points, there are some fun sound effects, like a sneeze, when Peter Rabbit says "kerchoo," or monkey vocalizations when the peddler tries to get his caps back in Caps for Sale. With over 200 books, and more added regularly, there's a great selection of highly popular titles, including Mo Willem's Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and the classic Goodnight Moon. Families that don't have a well-stocked home library will need to buy electronic versions of some of the titles or rely on their local library. Voice-recognition software works pretty well, though it can take a little time to catch up if there's lots of jumping around. The music and sound effects add a nice touch, creating some extra magic around reading. And it's nice to be able to put the screen away while parents and kids have a meaningful experience together (though the screen is still there, and must be relatively close by while you read). Some families may feel that reading is magical enough and that music and sound effects are superfluous at best, and just another way to insert technology into family interactions at worst. That said, Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books could be a nice tool to break out for some special family fun.