With restrictive copyright laws abounding, it's near impossible to create a comprehensive collection for public use accessible from anywhere. However,...moreWith restrictive copyright laws abounding, it's near impossible to create a comprehensive collection for public use accessible from anywhere. However, LibriVox does what it can, outsourcing its work to its helpful volunteers, who record themselves reading works in the public domain aloud and submit it to the site. The search is easy and intuitive, and my search for works by Poe brought up quite a few results. I decided to listen to a few different renditions of "Annabel Lee," of which there are 40. That does seem a bit like overkill to have so many recordings of the same poem to choose from, but on the other hand, a way to cull them is not readily apparent. The downloads of the mp3s were quick and painless, though when I opened them in VLC media player, the information was in Chinese characters. This site is a great resource if you need some public domain readings, and I really like the crowd-sourcing aspect of the project. Of course, anything with user-generated content may have some issues with quality control, but it is a valuable resource nonetheless.(less)
An interactive and fairly intuitive website, Starfall is a great free resource for people who need practice with reading and phonetics. First, there i...moreAn interactive and fairly intuitive website, Starfall is a great free resource for people who need practice with reading and phonetics. First, there is a section where each letter of the alphabet is used in various words and shown in both upper- and lowercase. There are also sections where numbers and colors are the focus of study. In the next section, there are stories that the user can click through, going at his or her own pace, where it is possible to get each word in every sentence sounded out carefully letter by letter, and then as a whole. The story is accompanied by animated pictures that can be replayed multiple times before moving on to the next page, if the user wishes. For more advanced readers, there are tongue twisters, riddles, and poetry. Even more advanced readers get to access plays, folk tales from around the world, and other offerings. There are also pages where seasonal activities are available, such as building your own snowman. Not all of the content is available to non-members, but what is there makes a good foundation for beginning readers. Recommended for grades K-2.(less)
This is the tale of the noblest Gnarble of them all-- unlike his fellow gnarbles, who are content to stay on the ocean floor, this fellow decides that he has to see the sun before he dies. In spite of his nay-saying friends and neighbors, who say that he just isn't built for such an adventure, he sets off. He meets a host of other creatures on his journey to see the sun, most of them with ridiculous names, and most of them eager to eat this gnarble who is so far from home. The meter and ludicrousness of the names of all the creatures brings Lewis Carroll to mind, and the poem is very fun to read out loud. The paintings that accompany the text are brightly colored and imaginative, full of made-up animals (with their silly names), making this a good book to share when people are in a silly mood. Recommended for grades K-2. (less)
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