Reading Raven

Reading Raven introduces kids to every letter of the alphabet and coaches kids from letter recognition and phonics to tracing letters and writing words and forming simple sentences. It also allows kids to record and play back the words they learn, which is a nifty feature. Parents can access a guide as well as set options based on their child's reading level. Also, exercises can be skipped or repeated by swiping forward or backward on the Raven character. With great voice-overs and a smart, kid-friendly interface, this is an app kids can use independently at their own pace.

However, the app is probably better used with parent supervision and in short bursts, as kids could easily lose interest with the repetition, as there aren't any fun "discovery" events or particularly engaging sounds or rewards. The exercises are similar for each set of letters of the alphabet, although the app keeps it fresh with different environments. The reading/playback can be gamed as there isn't any built-in voice recognition. It's also a good idea for parents to be engaged with their kids as they play because there are no progress reports for parents to check to see how their kids are doing. Even with a few shortcomings, Reading Raven offers solid reading instruction in a fun game format.