Read Along Kids Books & Math

What is Read Along Kids Books Library app?

Read Along Kids Books Library provides young learners with a packed library of well-written and illustrated eBooks. These books cover fiction and non-fiction across various subjects, including math, science, history and geography.

The books are narrated, highlight each word as spoken, include a vocabulary-building glossary and are suitable for shared or independent reading.

A quiz and activity complement each book to focus kids’ minds on the content and assess their understanding. An activity could require kids to fill the gaps in sentences while the quiz is a multiple-choice knowledge checker.

Each book has a Read To Me and a Read To You option. This toggle controls the book’s narration so that kids developing their literacy skills can still access the information in the book. Kids who want to read to themselves or practice reading with parents and teachers can toggle the app to Read To You. When they want to follow the highlighted words as they are read aloud, they can choose Read to Me.

This app has tools for parents to review their kids’ use of this app and monitor their progress. The provided information lets parents feel confident that their kids are learning and that the subscription gives value for money.

When kids select a new book, the app needs to download it, but the content remains accessible even if the app goes offline.

What we love about Read Along Kids Books Library app

Read Along Kids Books Library app’s features feel chosen rather than included for inclusion. Background information on the app’s development shows strong references to educational theory. An excellent example is what the app calls its just right approach.

Under and over-stimulation both harm children’s progress, so the app uses features to keep the experience at a level that helps kids learn rather than merely embellish the app. The research upon which the app leans found that animation in books over stimulates kids and distracts them from learning to read. Conversely, books without pictures didn’t provide enough interest or context to keep kids engaged.

Just right in this case means making the books well-illustrated but not animated. No educational theory is universally accepted, and each child is different but explaining the app’s development choices makes it much easier for parents and teachers to assess the app’s suitability.

The selection of books in this app is impressive. They are exclusive to the app but equal to the quality you might find in separately published books. Their images are clear and assist the text. The narration is human, not robotic, and the word-following functionality is ideal for early readers who can also choose a slow mode for extra assistance

From the outset, this app feels very inclusive. Players choose an avatar from a wide range that includes a variety of national dresses and skin tones if they want to identify with their chosen symbol. Alternatively, they can select from monsters, heroes and animals.

What skills does it teach?

Read Along Kids Books Library has two broad categories of reading and math. However, the title of the reading category hides the diversity of the content behind it. The books are not confined to what you might think of as reading books but include non-fiction books on science, geography, history and more. There are also titles for social and emotional learning.

What age is it appropriate for?

This app’s self-declared age rating shows that it is made for ages 6 to 8. There is content suitable for kids on either side of this bracket, but ages 6 to 8 are ideal as they allow kids to use more content and still have new activities and books for progression.

Is Read Along Kids Books Library app easy to use?

It is very easy for readers to find books by category, topic, level and age using the app’s filters. These might not be as useful to early readers, but the app’s suggested books and general browsing capabilities will help these kids find suitable interesting books. It is also possible to search for books by keywords, which can be entered either by typing them or speaking them for speech recognition.

How will students benefit?

Read Along Kids Books Library lets kids who like structure follow a Learning Path, and those who prefer to pursue interests access books, activities and quizzes in order of their choosing.

When kids have completed quizzes, they see their scores but can also revisit them to see what answers they put that the app marked incorrectly. This feature provides an excellent opportunity for kids to spot the types of mistakes they make, notice gaps in their knowledge, or seek help in understanding from a parent or teacher.

Gamification would place this app outside of its just right learning model, but it still provides incentives to kids to use it. They earn coins, badges, and rewards that reflect the books they have read. Competitive kids can also compete for a place on leaderboards.

When kids find a book they particularly like, they can choose to add it to a list for easy access later.

How will parents benefit?

The books included with a subscription to this app are clearly described on an information page so that parents can recognise what their children have been reading or learning. Each book shows an age rating, US Grade level, reading level and subject category.

Read Along Kids Books Library could prove cost-saving for parents. Kids should have access to various books at home, but as they grow up, they outgrow books. The library in this app will grow with kids, matching their current subject needs and reading age. Up to three children can have their progress logged by the app so that parents can see how they have performed. This makes the app especially good value for families with more than one child of an appropriate age.

This app works offline to keep kids safe from online dangers and also saves data costs. All books downloaded to the child's list will work without Wifi or the Internet.

How will teachers benefit?

The app shows keywords from each book on the main title pages. This list could prove helpful in matching the books to specific lessons or mapping them against a curriculum.

With so much cross-curricular material included in this app, it will find a use in multiple subjects, not just reading and math. Whether this means helping teachers brush up their subject knowledge in a way they can pass on to kids, or for use in lessons, the app could prove a valuable time saver for teachers and an enhancement for their classes.

What can Read Along Kids Books Library app improve on?

The email sign-up procedure should give more precise feedback that the user has created an account. At the moment, once you have entered your account creation details and confirmed them, the website then re-presents an empty sign-up page.

If you tap sign in and use the details you entered, you will be able to continue, but it feels like there has been an error. The more user-informative approach of a message saying that the account creation has been successful would be preferable.

This app also seems to be unsure of its identity—its official name is The app stores call it Abc Kids 123, A to Z Library, yet its icon says Smart Kidz Club. In its description, the app is referred to as Kids A-Z app.

None of this uncertainty matters to the end user, but you do need to be sure you find the right app if you try to search for it. Following the link given with this app review will take you to the right place.

Parents access kids’ reports and other information about how they have used the app by using the device itself. As parents can select a subscription on the app’s website, we’d like to see the reporting features also available there to make it more convenient for kids and parents.

The subscription process and how it relates to the two apps by this publisher is not as clear as it could be. The basic subscription does not include math content, while the premium subscription does. Each subscription has its own app and is not cross-compatible. This is not a problem as the apps are free to download, but as this multi-app/multi-subscription approach is not typical, the apps’ website needs to highlight it to avoid confusion.

How much does Read Along Kids Books Library app cost?

You can subscribe to the family version of this app using a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription. As a library of books is not something kids can work through in a short time, if you are able, you should consider the longer periods for better value.

This review is for Read Along Kids Books & Math, but there is also an app by the same publisher called Read-Along Books, Reading App, which does not include the math content and is a little cheaper. Compare the subscription features and download the app appropriate to your needs.

You can subscribe to the app through your device’s app store, or you can go directly to the app’s website, where you might be able to take advantage of offers to lower the price.

All subscriptions follow a free trial of the premium service.

Each subscription to the app allows up to three children to use the app.

The parental account can only be opened on one device at a time and is enforced by signing the user out of other devices when they sign in on another.

Teachers should visit the app’s website, as the app reviewed here is the consumer version. A similar experience, but more tuned to school use, is available as part of a different package.

Is Read Along Kids Books Library app safe to use?

Each book in the app has a share button on its main screen. This icon is for users to let their contacts know what they are reading through other installed contact or social media apps. Kids are also invited to challenge their friends using the same method. A parental lock protects access to this section. An example of the questions is 9+3, with the answer chosen from a selection of three.

This gateway is not a strong enough lock for many kids who will use this app, so you’ll need to consider the features it protects and whether you mind your child accessing them.

Overall rating of the app.

Read Along Kids Books Library does everything you’d hope for an eBook app.

• It provides a diverse reading experience for a wide range of ages.
• It covers non-fiction and fiction topics
• It enhances each book with narration and support to help early readers build their skills.
• It uses multiple ways to encourage kids to engage with each book and read more

We have no hesitation in recommending Read Along Kids Books Library to any parent who wants an instant digital library for their kids. We also encourage teachers to check out the school version.

You can download Read Along Kids Books & Math on your iOS or Android devices from the app stores. Download the Read Along Kids Books & Math app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.