Wonderbooks Delight: Enchanting Tales at Your Fingertips

Wonderbooks are the books of the future and the new way that our children will learn how to read. I recently checked one out of my local library and can’t stop raving about how amazing it was. Yes the book itself told a wonderfully empowering tale of doing and becoming anything. The real thing that sold me was the reading experience. Wonderbooks have a built-in audiobook player that reads the story to you, and each book comes with built-in comprehension questions to help young readers engage with the story.

This blog post is not sponsored in any way. I just discovered something amazing and had such an amazing experience with Wonderbooks that I had to share it with you so you can have an equally amazing experience with them.

Intro to The Book Nanny

Hey there! I’m Emily Campbell, a full-time mom of two amazing kids and a total bookworm. Welcome to The Book Nanny, your go-to resource for knowing what’s inside those books.

As an avid reader, I’ve experienced the frustration of picking up a highly recommended book, only to discover that it doesn’t meet my media standards. I’m all about reading, but I’m also super picky about what I consume. Not everything out there deserves a permanent place in my mind. That’s why I created The Book Nanny—to help you discover books that align with your preferences. At The Book Nanny, I break down the language, violence, and adult content, so you can have a worry-free reading experience and discover books that align with your preferences.

Think of me as your trusty sidekick on your literary adventures. I’m here to help you find the hidden gems that’ll make you fall in love with reading all over again. With The Book Nanny, you can explore the pages before you read and create a tailor-made reading list just for you.

Grab a warm cup of cocoa, settle into your comfiest reading nook, and join me in discovering the wonder of a Wonderbook! 

How I Learned How to Read

Many people have asked me how I learned how to read. Did my parents read with me? Did I do phonics, flashcards, or some other thing out there that helped me learn how to read? Nope! 

I learned from those old books on tape, that read the story out loud to me and dinged when it was time to turn the page or go to the next picture. The tape would read me the book while I followed along. I had a small tape player with an AC adapter I had to get just right, or it wouldn’t work. There were so many times I bumped the faulty cord, and the player would shut off. And, of course, after a few hours, my ears would hurt from the very cheap headphones with the mini shower cap of foam over each earpiece. 

Empowering Independence

I thoroughly enjoyed reading books by myself and being empowered to experience the joy of reading, before I knew all the words. I could read as much as I wanted without needing an adult to help me. But it was a pain to flip the tape over halfway through the book or make sure I didn’t misplace part of the adapter. Talking about tapes and adapters makes me feel old! I promise I’m not that old, I just remember the way things, used to be!

Now, there are tons of apps that will read your children the stories. But reading off of a device just isn’t the same. I prefer reading off of my phone or Kindle for my own personal enjoyment, but if I’m reading with my kids, nothing is quite the same as snuggling up with a good book full of bright pictures.

Reading for the Next Generation

My daughter Scarlett has always been very independent. She loves reading books by herself, but she doesn’t know all her letters let alone which letter combinations make up the words she is so fond of creating. She is four and still has plenty of time to learn. I don’t want to push reading or schooling on her too quickly because I want her to enjoy being a kid and playing while she still can, because this stage of her life won’t last forever.

Feeling nostalgic for how I learned how to read, I’ve glanced at the books in the CD section in our children’s library. To be honest, I don’t think we even own a CD or a DVD player. And if I did check them out they would inevitably become scratched and unusable. So gave up on the idea of her getting a similar experience. 

Discovering Wonderbooks

This last week at the library, Scarlett picked out a book from a new section called Wonderbooks. I just threw it in the library bag and checked it out with the rest of the books we got. But when we got home and started reading our books I realized how wonderful it was!

With just a few presses of a button, Scarlett was able to sit down and have the book read itself to her. She didn’t have to wait until I was done washing up her brother or using the bathroom to read the book. 

She read that one book multiple times a day for the three weeks we had the book checked out.

Scarlett was so excited to show off her special book and would tell anyone willing to listen about it. In just a few days, grandparents, friends from church, and random people we passed on our walks all knew about Wonderbooks.

Wonderbooks – The Reading Experience

Each book comes with a mini built-in audio player with the audiobook for the book built right in. You can adjust the volume and speed with just a touch of a button. It comes with a headphone jack for private reading and a place to easily charge it. When I’ve seen players similar to this in other books they were huge and bulky, but that isn’t the case with these. They take up no extra space and fit on a regular bookshelf. I didn’t realize it was anything special until I opened it to start reading.

I appreciated the large bright buttons that are perfect for little hands learning how to use them. Silas, my one-year-old, was also intrigued by this talking book. The author voiced the book we got. Authors make the best narrators for their books hands down! 

Books Become Interactive

Each Wonderbook comes with two settings. One to read or sing you the book (depending on the book), and the other to ask follow-up questions and get you thinking about what you read. It gives it an interactive feel, and the reader can actively participate and add to the reading experience. 

Hands down an amazing book and reading experience! It gave my daughter confidence in reading. Chefs kiss for the quality, and kids spend hours reading and learning on their own! She is empowered to read on her own now. I know which books we are checking out of the library every week and what Scarlett needs to put on her list for Santa! 

Many Different Books

From their website, I discovered there is a huge range of Wonderbooks. Some are picture books, and others are early reader books for kids in elementary school. There are over 600 different titles. Many are well-known books, like Pete the Cat, Where the Red Fern Grows, Llama Lamma books, Junie B. Jones books, Captain Underpants, and so many more. They also have books in English and Spanish to promote bilingualism.

Drawbacks to Wonderbooks

You may be thinking that this is too good to be true. It seems like there are no drawbacks. Well, you do need to occasionally charge the audio player after about 10 hours of reading time. The biggest downside is they are pricey. Like $50-60 a book. These books are not available through Amazon. The only place to purchase them is through the Playaway website. 

More Playaway Products

If a Wonderbook isn’t a good fit for your reading needs, they have preloaded audio players with audiobooks. They also offer a tablet specifically loaded with apps for learning and digital books for kids.

Wonderbooks should be in every public and school library!! If you are a librarian and want to get your hands on some of these books, reach out to a representative near you. 

Not a fan of the price of Wonderbooks but still want the experience?

Talk to your local librarians! Let a librarian know you want to see Wonderbooks in your public library. Librarians have a larger budget for books than the average person, and they want to spend that budget on books that will get read and loved.

Or you might be surprised to learn that there are Wonderbooks already in your library waiting for you to check them out.

Are you looking for more?

If you are looking for more captivating tales to share with your little ones, I’ve got you covered! Check out some of my previous blog posts about some fantastic books perfect for read-aloud like The Boxcar Children, Luna’s Rescue, Aurora’s Adventures in Dreamland, and Neil and The Moon’s Secret. 

These beautiful stories are perfect for creating cherished moments with your children, just like Wonderbooks did for my daughter Scarlett. What are some books that have sparked a little wonder in your story time? I’d love for you to drop them in the comments below, or share this post on social media along with a book you love reading with your little ones.

Happy Reading!