Parents, if you are bemoaning the loss of storage space to keep books daily and you are wondering when your closet became an extra shelf space for some more books, then you are not alone. The good thing is your child likes to read, the evil thing is that means buying new books and storing them even when there is just no more space!
Reading new books is not the only way to sate the endless book appetite, some children love to listen and in this modern technologically advanced world, that is a good thing! Kids who love every minute of reading and often travel from one class to another and catch a page or two in between need a more mobile option.
With the introduction of books on digital devices, storytelling has found a new dimension. Reading on a touchscreen device provides multiple opportunities for kids to interact with their favourite characters and also works as an educational tool to practice their vocabulary and language skills.
Here are six online reading resources to satisfy the reader in your home while freeing up some much needed storage space!Â
1. Ebook readers – The best part about using ebook readers like Kindle is that your kids can access thousands of children’s books simply by downloading them. Their readers are light enough to carry around.
Shop: Kindle  from Amazon
2. Audible: Amazon’s Audible app is a tool that allows users to choose from over 180,000 titles from bestsellers to new releases. Listening to stories helps in fostering visualisation and reading comprehension skills in children and what can be easier than this! Now with a simple membership, anytime can be reading. or rather listening time!
Download From:Â App Store , Play Store
3. Audio books –Why not listen to a book while being stuck in traffic? Sounds a lot better than listening to incessant honking right?  By using audio apps kids can listen to their favourite story while on the way to school, on a long drive, or even while playing at home. Google Play Store has a variety of storytelling apps to choose from. For example, apps like Tales2Go or A Story Before Bed offer children books with audio narration and can be a great tool to develop reading skills among younger kids.
4.Virtual bookshelves – Wondering wether to keep or discard your child’s yet another favourite book? There is now an app to help you create a virtual bookshelf for your children, with content as per their age and reading level. The Storia iPad App for kids is free from iTunes and comes with free e-books ranging from classic picture eBooks to the new novel series in digital book format.
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5. Renting e-books - Online platforms where readers can subscribe, rent, or purchase ebooks like the Kindle owners Lending library through which Kindle users can borrow e-books. There are more than 1,00,000 titles to choose from! Rent an e-book once a month with no due dates. For older students there is Kopykitab.com which gives instant access to eBooks, novels, and test preparation question banks for educational courses.
6. Book review networks – Online book review sites like pitara.com, kidsreads.com, goodreads.com are useful social networks for book lovers. Here they can find book reviews, ratings, share their views, and get to know about many more books and authors.
7.The Kids Online Book Club Hangouts  – Want to know more about what your kid should be reading? Join us on our next book club hangout for  fun discussions on new releases and book suggestions by various Indian authors.
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Mansi Zaveri
Parul Gupta
KSP Team
KLAY Play Schools
