I received a sample for this review/feature. Opinions expressed are my own.
Reading is something we do everyday in my house. Most of the reading is to my son before nap time and bed time, but he likes to sit down on his own and flip through his books and even I make sure to set aside 30 minutes of reading time per day for myself. Since my Nugget is only 3, he cannot read yet, but he does enjoy telling stories based on the pictures. There are times that he wants me to read to him, but I’m doing something that requires my full attention, like cooking dinner, and simply can’t read to him at that moment. Now that he has the Sparkup Magical Reader, he can open his books and still have me read to him.
Sparkup is a privately-held company based in Israel. It is managed by young parents who understand first-hand the challenges facing children’s reading and playtime experiences in a digital era. The company’s investors and management team are passionate about enhancing the lives of children and their families.The company’s inaugural product, the Sparkup Magical Book Reader, enables kids to interact with real printed books as they stay connected with family and friends while learning ? whether in the same room or across the globe.
The Sparkup Magical Reader is so easy to use. When you open the package, there’s a little book inside that explains how it works and the reader will actually start to read it for you. The instructions are really simple to follow as well. The reader itself is lightweight and fits well onto hardback books as well as paperback, but it is recommended to use it on a flat surface with a paperback book. Most books work well, even really old books, but some books that have a lot of white pages or extra parts to flip (like The Very Hungry Caterpillar) may not work as well. It also comes with a USB cable so you can backup your book recordings on your computer and can even email them.
When you record your first book, the Sparkup Reader walks you through it. There is a camera at the top of the reader that records the cover and pages so it knows what to play back. All you have to do is hit the record button, followed by the button in the center for each page. When you’re finished recording, simply close the book. It’s definitely fun recording books and I made sure to make sounds and emphasize certain parts of the book just as I would if I were actually reading to my son.
Having the Sparkup Reader means my son can hear our whole family reading to him. When Daddy goes away on a business trip, he can just pick a book that has my husband’s voice to it. Grandma and Grandpa can record books they’re purchased for him and once he’s a little older he can even record himself reading. This would make an excellent gift for a military child so they can listen to their parent reading them stories while they’re away and I plan to order one for my niece for just this very purpose. I love that the Sparkup Magical Book Reader takes reading to a whole new, fun level and I cannot wait to record more books for my son.
Connect:
You can connect with Sparkup Magical Book Reader on their website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and/or @SparkupReader on Twitter!
