From eBooks to apps, here are a few places to start for picking high-quality media.
Sesame Street eBook collection (Toddler, Preschool)
Available for free at sled.alaska.edu for all Alaskans, courtesy of the Alaska Dept. of Education and Early Development. Includes new and classic stories with your favorite Sesame Street characters in both English and Spanish.
Tumblebooks eBook collection (Preschool, School Age)
Available for free at sled.alaska.edu for all Alaskans, courtesy of the Alaska Dept. of Education and Early Development. Includes ebooks, animated ebooks, and videos for kids in kindergarten through 6th grade, in English, Spanish, and French. Flash required to access animated and video content.
This app presents daily tips for caregivers to help them help their child’s brain develop. The tips encourage caregiver-child bonding, two-way communication, and life skills. These are necessary for early literacy, brain development, and school readiness. Available in English and Spanish through iOS and Android devices.
When a little girl is ignored by her tech-distracted family, she goes out to find connection with nature and a world of imagination. When her parents realize that she’s not in the house, she rushes back to her worried parents and the electronics she left behind. After introducing her family to the nature she’s been exploring, the family enjoys the outdoors together and they are able to reconnect. ▸ Get it at the Library
Nerdy Birdy and his friend Vulture don’t always see eye-to-eye, but they don’t let small things get in the way of their friendship. But one day their friendship is challenged by an unthinking post to Nerdy Birdy’s social media. Now Nerdy Birdy needs to make a choice: which friendship is more valuable: the 500 online friends or your best friend in person? Caregivers can use this book to talk to kids about to enter school and use computers about what is okay to share online. ▸ Get it at the Library
These resources were recommended by Samantha Blanquart, an Early Literacy Outreach Librarian with Ready to Read Resource Center. Visit their website for more info about early literacy or to check out one of their reading kits for young children.
