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The Living Books sound neat. Thanks for the tip.

People have posted videos of Living Books on YouTube, if your kids just want to watch.

If you want the software, Amazon has it for $6.99 per book.
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Comp...cc_glance_e_ai_purchase_similarities_t_2

yeah, same here for ds. We had one big book of nursery rhymes I could not only recite them all, of course they were simple, but tell you what order they came in the book/recite them in order. Sheesh! Ds would get upset if I did them out of order from memory so I guess he knew the order too...
I recall reading books 1-4 of harry potter to him as 4-6 year old but not loosing my voice too often.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who had to deal with this.

We've tried audio books and actually have one for the Cat in the Hat Comes Back. DD likes to listen to it but more just like she would listen to music rather than replacing reading, which is fine.

I've actually thought about the leapster Tag before but maybe I'll look into getting one more seriously now (could be a good 2nd birthday present!). Those living books also look very cool and I know she would love them. I just wish they weren't on the computer itself because we already have enough problems with her thinking that my computer belongs to her (thanks to Starfall and youtube).

Oh, and I've been drinking a ton of water lately! My dad used to read to me a ton. We would switch of reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Lord of the Rings together when I was young. It brings back a lot of good memories. I should ask him how he kept his voice. My mom claims he taught me how to read sometime before K (he doesn't remember it so who knows?) but maybe this was the reason why!

Boy, can I relate to the computer squatter situation. Every time I pick up my laptop, my son is on me for "his turn."

Remembering a tip from a former voice coach... He suggested raising ones' voice to a slightly higher pitch if talking a lot. (Emphasis on slightly, no Mickey Mouse squeeks necessary).

Just got a coupon for Tag Books. Here's the link. http://www.leapfrog.com/en/landingpages/tag_ms_coupon.html?CFC_cK=1279827356280&CFC_scrollTop=0

Or if you buy at Lefrog.com, you can use this code at checkout: 995TAG

Also, if there's any confusion, the Tag Reader and the Leapster are two very different things. Tag reads actual made-of-paper, turn-the-page books. Leapster is more of a handheld game system (albeit for educational games).

That's funny.

I read to DS21mo last night for 45 mins. After I was done and almost lost my voice, he told me he wanted more.

I have stayed away from the leapster devices because I had bought one on clearance but this one attaches to the TV and becomes a computer/video game but DD didn't find it nearly as exciting as the computer. Go figure! But for her last birthday I did buy her the new explorer and she loves it.

DD is reading now and I have considered the TAG system but decided against it since it might make her go backwards. The system could become a crutch and she could use it to read for her which defeats the purpose of her reading on her own. I think we will stick to the old fashion way of doing things. I did buy her some Bob books and another style but she likes the other ones a lot better. So I'm back to the bookstore to get the next level.

K'sM, That sounds like a legit concern. In my son's case, the Tag hasn't detracted at all from his reading. I'd have to say it enhances it. He reads plenty of other books to himself. And when he reads to me, he'll point out what each character in the picture is saying (imitating the Tag, LOL) But once a week or so, he still enjoys using the Tag. (Often on Sunday morning -- I get to read the paper and he grabs Tag books. Hurrah!). Actually, at this point, he mostly uses the sounds and games. I think he'll naturally use it less as he moves into deeper reading.

Yeah... so we made the mistake of showing DD the LiveBook Cat in the Hat clip on youtube. BIG MISTAKE!!! Now she keeps asking for "The Cat in the Hat" and pointing at my computer (and saying it's hear computer). Ugh, why was I so stupid???


Well, we went to the library yesterday and picked up a HUGE stack of early readers (Dr. Seuss, PD Eastman, and one Dora). She's basically just devoured them and is especially fond of "Go Dog Go" because of the page where all the dogs are sleeping and there's one that is WIDE AWAKE. I guess she figures it justifies her nightly behavior... This morning when we were getting ready for work she was on the bed "reading" to herself but I was surprised because she was actually saying some of things correctly. She probably just memorized it from yesterday, right?

That's a good point about the Tag. I never really thought of it that way. We don't have the $$ to buy it right now anyways so I guess, it's just lots of water for me! Part of the problem is that we don't have any Early Readers in DH's native language (we roughly do one parent, one language) so it falls entirely on my shoulders to read DD all these books. DH will "read" them in his language basically translating everything as he goes but I guess that's just not the same for DD. I really need to make a point of researching early readers more in his language, especially since he'll be heading home next week for a week so maybe he could pick something up for her!

newmom: What is your DH's native language? Lucky you that he is going home. I would send him straight to a bookstore and tell him to stock up!

My daughter is learning Spanish, French and Mandarin. You would think I could find the Spanish books here with no problem but it really isn't that easy. Add to that Amazon doesn't have a site established for Mexico or Spain and my options are limited. If anyone knows of any good sites to order from please let me know. I would really appreciate it.

As for your DD reading and getting some of the words correct ... we experienced that too. We could read a book to DD a few times and she could recite it no problem. I think it is part of those gifted brains because I know we aren't the only ones who've experienced this. I'll never forget waiting in a parking lot for my DH and DD wanting to get out of her carseat. I laughed and said "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin." This in turn brought a huge smile on her face and she recited the rest. I also remember buying her a book from the Texas Museum about clouds in the sky. I only read it once but she clearly remembered it because the next night I was trying to get her to look up at the stars so I attempted to recite the repetitive line in the book. Guess I got it wrong because she corrected me. LOL When we got home I checked the book and she was correct.

As she got older and closer to three her memorization was even more impressive. I could read books with long paragraphs on each page and after reading it max 3 times she could recite the entire paragraph. Perhaps this is part of why they tend to read earlier than most? As she recites I try to run my finger under the words and perhaps she has associated the image with the word making it easier to add to her words she recognizes.

Interesting enough as she reads now the word 'the' is her arch enemy. It is like she has a road block up for that one. And 'the' is a sight word that comes up so much. She seems to be getting past it but once and a while she stops and asks me to read it for her.