Tech Talk Tuesdays: Great Book Apps for Kids

I've been a fan of Oceanhouse Media since I discovered their Berenstain Bear books. Their book apps turn my iPad from a game machine into an interactive storybook.

Don't get me wrong: my overloaded bookshelves are proof that I'm still a BIG fan of good old-fashioned paper books. But this summer, when my hands were full of baby, my six-year-old was able to practice reading with the help of these apps.

I was delighted when they gave me a chance to review a few more kids' books, and with Christmas coming up, these are some inexpensive gift ideas for the technology-loving kids in your life.

Each of these books is easy to navigate and lets you turn the page yourself. You can choose from three different interfaces: Read to Me, Read it Myself, or Auto Play. The illustrations match what's in the classic editions of these books, and the narrators are enthusiastic without being over-the-top-annoying to adult ears.

In addition to being just plain fun (we are gadget geeks in my house), this sort of reading has helped my learning reader with highlighted words and has encouraged my preschooler to recognize the flow of words. I've found that this sort of reading doesn't necessarily replace our regular reading time, but it does supplement time my kids would have spent playing games on a device or even watching TV. Compared to those other options, I think these come out way ahead!