Story Reader - Electronic Storybook Reader From Publications International

Publications International's Story Reader is a great concept along with being well executed. The Story Reader books fit into the brightly colored reader along with the accompanying cartridge, and an electronic voice reads along as the pages are turned. This is an excellent buy if you are looking to encourage your child to read. The Story Reader is so easy to use that even a little child will be able to do it him/herself. I awarded it a 4 and a half star rating.

The Story Reader consists of a hard plastic case colored bright red. A paper spiral bound book fits into the slots inside. The Story Reader book comes along with a cartridge, usually with more than one story on it, which has to be inserted into the reader. Once that is done, you are all set to begin reading.

A very simple, yet well executed concept, the Story Reader is very easy to operate once it is set up. Simply turn the pages of the book, and an internal detection mechanism triggers off the electronic voice, which starts to read the story page by page. The reader reads alongside depending on the page of the book which is open.

A nice thing about the Story Reader is that it has a built in volume control knob which can be easily turned to raise or lower the volume. There is also a headphone slot for more private listening without disturbing anyone.

On to the cons of this product. The book included is of relatively lower quality, with pages that are not thick enough. This makes it more prone to tearing. Younger children specially have the tendency to be rough with the books. One other point, the book tends to slip off easily from the slots inside when pulled slightly. This makes the reader stop reading, and one has to start again from the page one was on.

Overall, the Story Reader is a great product for the kids. A nice selection of Story Reader books are available including kid's favorites like Elmo, Barney, Dora, Spongebob, Tonka and more.