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Saturday, December 12, 2009

The making of a little bookworm.

Mummy’s boy

BOOK NOOK
By ABBY WONG

The making of a little bookworm.

MY mission, which I carried out with a relentless devotion that would have shamed even a nest of ants, was to turn my son into a bookworm.

I believe books allow children to spend time in imagined worlds, making them creative, calm and contented. Furthermore, children who read easily learn the skill of language and grasp quickly interpretative dexterity, which will later become the tricks of successful school learning.


I started reading to my son even before he was born, when he was just a five-month-old foetus. And he often seemed to “greet” my playful narration by moving in my womb. But though our reading sessions continued after he had been born, and he seemed to enjoy them, my son suddenly turned his back on books when he turned five. I was flabbergasted, hurt and despondent – he was no longer at all the type of son I wanted.

What had diverted his attention? Spongebob Square Pants, Ben 10 and Chowder, TV characters with whom he became fast friends. In a panic, I decisively pulled the plug – no more TV. I wanted my bright-eyed bookworm back!

What could I do now that he was angry and bored? Well, the anger was quickly smothered because he is, after all, mummy’s boy. To treat the boredom, I returned, obstinately, to books.

My first step on the path to his bookworm-hood was to take my son to the local library. If bookstores in Malaysian cities are wonderful, then the same can be said about libraries in our adopted home, Sydney, Australia. They are everywhere, and the nearest one is a mere five minutes’ walk from home. We began visiting every day.

The first couple of times, my son was only interested in the DVDs. Gradually, though, he began to rove through the picture books collection, and, just a few trips later, he was taking out 10 picture books every other day. Among his favourites is Oliver Jeffers’ The Incredible Book-Eating Boy; that’s the book that really recharged his enthusiasm.


My next step was for us to spend more time reading together. Despite my busy schedule, I set aside at least half an hour every day to read with him, or talk about the story that he was reading. The more interest I showed in what he was reading, the more he would take the time and make the effort to read.

We began having such a good time. I had become more sensitive to his preferences and abilities and did not limit him to books that I thought were more age appropriate for him.

After two months of reading three to four picture books a day, my just-turned-six son discovered The Big Big Big Book of Tashi, a compendium of the adventures of one of Australia’s beloved kids’ books characters, Tashi. (The Tashi series is by Anna and Barbara Fienberg, with illustrations by Kim Gamble.)

While he was instantly spellbound by the stories, I was dumfounded because from reading picture books just a day or two ago, he had suddenly turned to short stories that were usually read by children two years older than him.

Then again, who wouldn’t make the effort for Tashi, a magical little boy with a crazy hair do who gets into endless trouble and strife? Though a little fellow, he is able to outsmart warlords and wicked barons, and is unafraid of giants, ghosts, witches or demons.

His fantastic stories are short enough to read in one sitting, but still meaty enough for us to read together before bedtime; and they are easy enough to be read by my son alone, too.

Furthermore, the pencil illustrations on each page are beautifully drawn to evoke the scenarios in which Tashi triumphs over evil, while the themes of courage, curiosity, adventure, loyalty, and friendship are gently emphasised.

My son could not tear himself away from his first Tashi book and lugged it along wherever he went. Two weeks later, we are in a bookstore looking for the second volume.

Now here he comes, my six-year-old boy, big-eyed with excitement as he waves at me with one hand while clutching a new book. Zac Power, he says, is the coolest boy in the whole wide world because, even though he’s just 12 years old, he is already a spy going on top secret missions. (The Zac Power series is written by H.I. Larry.)

I smile. Toys wear and tear, TV shows become boring, but books, if cleverly introduced into our children’s worlds, are like an ever whirling kaleidoscope, discovered afresh in every stage of their lives.

Having been read to since he was a five-month-old foetus, Abby Wong’s six-year-old son is quite comfortable reading Anthony Browne’s ‘I Like Books’ to his two-year-old sister.

10 books all children must read

From ParenThots

10 books all children must read
7 December 2009

Every year there are so many new children's books being published. These range from picture books all the way up to the fantasy and science fiction genres.

As the list of children's books is just too long, ParenThots and Borders are giving parents our top 10 children's books – these are books that we feel every child should read. Some of them are classics that you may have read as a child.

Brigitte Rozario's 10 books that all children should read:

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

This old favourite tale by Milne tells the story of a little boy named Christopher Robin and his toys which come to life in his imagination. The toys that live in the Hundred Acre Wood are Winnie the Pooh, of course, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and Owl. Together the friends have some great adventures and learn many lessons on life. Christopher sometimes joins them on their adventures.

What's not to love about Pooh Bear? Who doesn't love that willy nilly silly old bear after all? I actually only read this as an adult but still found Pooh Bear lovable. The books with the illustrations by Ernest H. Shephard will appeal more to adults than children.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

This classic is about some animal friends who live in the countryside of England. There's Mole, Ratty, Badger and of course the unforgettable Toad. The snobbish Toad's the one who often gets into all sorts of misadventures and needs the help of his friends.

This is one classic that was introduced to me late – when I was a teenager or in my early 20s. Still a wonderful story to read at any age.


Eloise by Kay Thompson

There are several books on Eloise by Kay Thompson. They include Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime and Eloise in Moscow. The illustrations are beautiful and the storyline is simple. Eloise is a six-year-old girl who lives on the “tippy-top floor” of New York's very famous Plaza Hotel. As expected of any girl her age, Eloise does get into a whole load of trouble. But you still love her.

I think the illustrations will appeal to you above all else and kids always love stories about children who get into trouble.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda is a brilliant little girl in spite of her parents who don't encourage her in any way. They would rather she watch TV all day instead of read (which she loves). This doesn't discourage Matilda who goes to the library to read more and more books. At school, Matilda and the other children are terrorised by their headmistress Miss Trunchbull.

There is one good soul in Matilda's life and that is her teacher Miss Honey – the lovely lady who encourages her and the only one who loves her. Matilda eventually discovers she has psychokinetic powers and she uses them to wreak havoc in the lives of Miss Trunchbull and her parents.

Any of Roald Dahl's books is always a great read – not just because of the great storyline and Dahl's imagination but because there's such a feel-good value to it and the good kids always win in the end.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This is one of those timeless tales. I read it in primary school after borrowing the book from our school library. I still find the tale enchanting today.

It's got all the ingredients to a great story – an orphan left on her own in a big house, a guardian who seemingly doesn't care, a secret garden, a mysterious little boy, and of course a happy ending.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ah, Tolkien. This is the story that starts off the adventure that ends with The Return of the King. In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, hobbits and the wizard Gandalf are introduced to us. And so is, the Ring! The desired ring is the cause of all the trouble. Bilbo has his grand adventure in this book.

I would recommend this book for the older children. But it's a definite must-read and be prepared to buy The Lord of the Rings immediately after that because your child will want more adventures after that.

Paddington by Michael Bond

This is another book I only read as an adult. Just like Pooh Bear, Paddington is adorable. The story goes that Paddington was named after the Paddington railway station in London where he was found by the Brown family. He came from “Darkest Peru” and had just one tag on his coat. It read “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”

Paddington lives with the Browns and is part of their family. He loves marmalade and frequently ends up with the jam all over him.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This is a great book for any little girl to read. I'm not sure if it appeals to boys. The story is set in the 19th century in America. It's about four sisters who are quite different and how they grow up to become lovely young ladies and the suitors that follow.

I always thought I was like Jo, the tomboy who has a passion for writing. Give this book to any girl, she will find one sister to identify with and love. The whole sisterly relationship and atmosphere is very well replicated in this book.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This unforgettable tale is about a little prince who comes from an asteroid far away.

It tells of the strange people he encounters on the neighbouring asteroids.

He eventually lands on Earth where he befriends a fox that teaches him the important things in life.

A children's story with some deep messages that adults can learn from too.


The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

This is one of those classics that all children read in the 1970s (yes, I know, my age is showing!). I'm sure a lot of children have not read this in this day and age when there are the Harry Potter books to read. It is the last book on my list because it's a book I remember reading and loving. Perhaps it was because of the setting – in a castle in Europe, or the characters – royalty, or the romance – between Rassendyll and the Princess Flavia. Whatever the reason, I liked it a lot.

The story is about King Rudolph who is drugged and imprisoned and Rassendyll, his doppelganger, who must impersonate him to ensure the coronation proceeds as planned and the throne does not fall into the wrong hands.

Borders' 10 books that all children should read:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Published in 1963, this book is basically a picture book about Max who goes to bed without his supper. In his imagination he goes to the land where the wild things are. The wild things are monsters in his imagination. This book has been adapted into a movie and should be at local cineplexes soon.


The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss

(Any Dr Seuss title is such great fun to read aloud because of its rhymes, rhythm and wicked humour.)

Everybody knows that mischievous cat who wears a tall red and white striped hat. The Cat comes to the home of two children on a rainy day when their mother is away. He can perform all sorts of wacky tricks.

Dr Seuss' books offer fun for all with their rhymes and funny creatures.


The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

The story begins with a little boy receiving a stuffed Velveteen Rabbit for Christmas. The other more expensive toys snub the poor Velveteen Rabbit which finds out that a toy can become real if its owner really loves it. And so begins the adventure of the Velveteen Rabbit in its attempt to go from being a mere toy to a real rabbit.

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

First published in 1902, the Just So Stories are fantastical tales explaining various phenomena.

For example, How the Whale Got his Throat, How the Camel Got his Hump and How the Leopard Got his Spots.

According to this book, the animals came to be in their current form because of some acts by humans or some magical being.

Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

What list of children's books would be complete without that author we all grew up with - Enid Blyton.

The Magic Faraway Tree is a followup to the book The Faraway Tree.

It sees Jo, Bessie and Fanny having a visitor in their cousin Dick.

The trio introduce Dick to the Magic Faraway Tree and their friends there – Silky, Moonface and Saucepan Man.


Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

You will want to save this for the bigger children and even then the last few books might have to wait till the children are teenagers as it gets pretty evil and morbid. The first few books are fine though to begin with. Problem is the children will want to keep reading the rest of the series.

Harry Potter is an orphan and a wizard who is destined for great things. He lives with his Muggle (non-magical) relatives who hate him. Professor Dumbledore, who is the principal at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, takes him under his wing and gets him sent to the magical school where he meets Ron and Hermione who become his best friends. Together the three of them face adventures and trials as they grow up and battle all sorts of evils, including “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”.


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by RoaldDahl

This is the story of Charlie Bucket who wins a ticket to enter the chocolate factory of the eccentric Willy Wonka.

Charlie and four naughty children win the much-coveted Golden Tickets.

Inside, the naughty children are all punished one after another for being disobedient.


The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

This is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series of seven books. The story is set during World War II when four children – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – are evacuated from London. They are sent to the countryside to live with Prof Kirke and his housekeeper. Exploring the house, Lucy stumbles upon a magical wardrobe which leads to a mysterious land. The four children enter the wardrobe and escape into this land where they meet all sorts of characters and end up in a great adventure where they must battle the White Witch and save Edmund.

Fatimah's Kampung by Iain Buchanan

This is an exquisite and beautifully-illustrated book about growing up in a ‘kampung’ surrounded by forests, and how development comes to destruct the village. Nature-deprived city kids and adults alike will come to appreciate this book greatly.

Princess Shawl by Shirley Lim

A book for older children. Princess Shawl is based on the tale of Princess Hang Li Poh, who was married off to the Malaccan Sultan Mansur Shah, as a gift from the Chinese Emperor.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Want Free Children's Books?

ParenThots - Features

By BRIGITTE ROZARIO



Children's books getting too expensive? Why not go to Sharing Books and get some PDFs instead? - Photo ©iStockphoto.com/wsphotos

Psst! Guess what we found? A website that lets you download children's books for FREE. The books are great with really nice pictures and drawings. You are encouraged to leave a donation, though.

Sharing Books is a company and website set up by a group of Canadians.

At Sharing Books (www.sharing-books.com) parents can select from 229 children's books, download the PDF copy and let their children read it. You can also make a donation to Sharing Books before leaving the website.

Sharing Books began when co-founders Pierre Lapointe and his wife Bonnie wanted to help a friend get her children's book published. The book by Andrea Azevedo – titled The Little Suitcase – was written as a eulogy for a young friend named Dylan Oser who died of a rare disease.

Pierre found that traditional publishing was not an option because it was expensive and the margins were too thin.

The next option was of course to publish to the Web.

The web model

“As I researched how to get the maximum visibility for Andrea’s book, I found out that there were a lot of children's book creators hoping to be published. Many books had been lovingly crafted but had been abandoned because publishers rejected them.

“The driving force of Sharing Books was actually to give book creators a place where they can be published. Our research showed that there were a large number of children's book writers who could not be published in the traditional sense.

“Paper publishing of children's books is expensive and not very profitable so traditional publishers are risk averse and can publish just a tiny fraction of the books offered to them. On the other hand web publishing has none of the high costs of paper publishing. So Sharing Books offers book creators a place where their books can be read and discovered.

“We also found that book creators (especially children's book creators) are altruistic and that they love to support a cause. It seemed natural that as all of us love reading, that we would support literacy,” says Pierre.

Pierre ... the content on Sharing Books is vetted and safe for children.

He then thought of the web business model where children's book creators could share their work and help charities at the same time.

That's how Sharing Books was founded.

Proceeds from donations for the PDF downloads are split three ways – 1/3 goes to the book creators, 1/3 to the company itself and 1/3 goes to an important cause.

In this case, the important cause is Room to Read (roomtoread.org) – an organisation which promotes literacy by building and equipping libraries (over 5,000 so far) as well as schools and computer labs in the developing world. The founder is John Wood, featured on Oprah, who trekked through Nepal with donkeys laden with books for school kids there.

Promoting literacy

Why has Sharing Books made literacy its cause?

“In my opinion, literacy is a problem until 100% of a nation’s people can read and write. Canada is a highly-educated nation but there are still people who can’t read or have difficulty reading. Obviously literacy levels vary greatly around the world.

“Our literacy expertise is limited. We are technology people. We simply believe that if we offer fun books people will be attracted to them and will want to read more. Currently we are researching how to use technology to help teachers use our books in their classrooms and possibly to have a web-delivered application that helps people learn how to read. We still have a lot of work to do in this area.

“I am an optimist so I don’t think literacy is a growing problem. I think the ever expanding reach of technology and the Internet helps literacy. A person who reads can make better decisions because they have access to more information. So literacy gives people more control over their life.

“Internet content delivered via a PC or a phone encourages literacy because it amplifies the power people have over their destiny. The immediate evidence of economic benefits makes literacy more desirable and encourages both teachers and learners.

“Because children's books often use a simpler English and use illustrations they are a valuable tool in teaching literacy or languages. Our role is to make useful content available to people better qualified than us to teach others how to read and write,” says Pierre.

So far, there have been 14,444 downloads from Sharing Books.

Sharing a passion

The books are by authors from Canada, the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, India and other countries. Some writers even collaborated with illustrators from other parts of the world after meeting on Sharing Books.

Currently the books on Sharing Books are in English although the company hopes it will eventually have books in other languages and even bilingual books.

Most of the visitors are children and parents. Pierre assures parents that the content on Sharing Books is vetted and safe for children.

Visitors to the website can download as many books as they want. The book creators retain ownership of their copyright and Sharing Books only has a licence to publish the books on the Web.

He speaks passionately about trying to make a difference by helping Room to Read. Being a private company, Sharing Books does not disclose how much it has made so far nor how much has been contributed to Room to Read.

However, Pierre says, whatever the sum is, it is just not enough as more needs to be done.

Sharing Books is a team effort. While Pierre provides the input for the technology and corporate side of things, his wife Bonnie, who is also an entrepreneur, is great at networking.

Helping them are a mish-mesh of talented people – from a digital media professional, a graphic artist, a business finance specialist to a retired healthcare leader.

Shared via AddThis

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Read Aloud Handbook 6th. Edition


Are you suggesting this reading stuff is the job of the parent?
I thought it was the school's job.


Let me introduce you to the "sponge factor" in education, the largest of all the missing ingredients in the NCLB legislation. We start with a young lady named Bianca Cotton whom I met for the first time in 2002 on the morning my grandson Tyler began kindergarten. Families were invited in for the first hour to help break the ice and I was snapping some pictures of Tyler and a new friend when I gradually became aware of an extended conversation going on behind me, in the little housekeeping section of the kindergarten. Turning around, I found Bianca cooking up a make-believe meal on a make-believe stove, while carrying on a make-believe conversation on a make-believe cordless phone. And, as you can see here in the photo I snapped in the ensuing moments, she had all the body language down for talking on the phone and cooking at the same time.

While these are our children, they are also our little sponges. If Bianca had never seen her mother talking on the phone while "cooking," she'd never think to grab a phone while cooking her first kindergarten meal. If Bianca isn't proof enough of the sponge-like quality of childhood, consider this one. Since 1956, no newspaper, network, or news agency has been able to correctly predict the outcome of all 14 presidential elections—except for one group. Every four years for a half century, the quarter million children who vote in the Weekly Reader Presidential poll have been right every time but once. They even nailed the contested Bush-Gore election.

Like little sponges, they sit there in living rooms, kitchens, and cars, soaking up all the words and values of their parents, and then walk into a classroom and squeeze them onto a piece of paper. It's simple arithmetic: The child spends 900 hours a year in school and 7,800 hours outside school. Which teacher has the bigger influence? Where is more time available for change? Read more.


NOTE:
This is the book that inspires me a lot in my read aloud campaign. I've read this book so many times to understand the beauty of this skills and absorbed as much as I can the spirit in reading aloud. If anyone interested, you can buy this book HERE.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

EID MUBARAK!



On behalf of Read Aloud Kota Bharu, I'd like to wish all of you, EID MUBARAK! May Allah accept all our good deeds and bless us with stronger iman and better perspective in life.

Enjoy the last few days of Ramadhan with ibadah and let's seek Lailatul Qadr. Hopefully we can spare more time for reciting the Qur'an and reflecting upon our life as a Muslim so far.

Take care everyone.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Entering the story world.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful).
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Today I'll be sharing with you about how to entertain your child who will be turning two years old. Now is the right time to introduce stories to her. It's quite an easy task only that you need a lot of patience. Before you took her to the wonderful world of stories, you need to remember a few important things. Let's see...

There are two important things to remember about reading stories.
  1. the experience should be enjoyable for your child, and
  2. the child needs help with her story memory.
To ensure enjoyment, don't interrupt stories as you read them. Don't try to explain everything and define words as you go. Children love the flow of it - the modulated storyteller voice, even if they don't understand most of the words. If you're asked to read a favourite story over and over, take advantage of this. Read a story through in a normal way. Then go back and pick out a character or place or event that's important to the story. Turn back to the page where the important character first appears and look at the picture. Talk about what this character looks like, what he's wearing. If it's an animal, tell your child what it is. Talk about where the character is - what place is it? Where did he come from? Why did he go to this place? Where is he going next?

After spending a few minutes on this, read the story again (if it's short) in the usual way. Next time, focus on something else, an event, like why all the puppies fell out of the boat. What made that happen? So on and on.

See, it's not difficult at all to start reading story to your child. You just need 10 to 20 minutes for this. Insya-Allah your child will be looking forward for more reading and stories soon.

Wassalam.

Ref: Growing a Reader from Birth, McGuinsess, D. (2004). London: W. W. Norton & Company.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Read Aloud Strategies


Getting started



  • Make read aloud time a happy time! Gather the students in front of you on a rug or in a corner of the classroom. If necessary, establish rules for appropriate behavior during read aloud time: keep hands to oneself, wait for the teacher to call on you, etc. Wait for all the students to get quiet and calm--it's no fun trying to talk over many voices.

  • Make sure that you are reading from a variety of genres: fiction and non-fiction, chapter books, picture books, series (i.e. Henry and Mudge, Arthur)

  • Preview the book before you share it with your students. Are there any unfamiliar concepts that will need a quick review before reading? Give the students a very brief introduction to the story.

  • Share author and illustrator information with the students. If possible, link to other books you have read by those same people.

During the reading



  • Remember to read with expression--really ham it up! The kids will love it. Change your voice for different characters, and vary the speed as well: fast for exciting parts, slow for scary or quiet parts.

  • Save the "teaching" for later. Don't interrupt the story to ask lots of questions ("What color is her dress?" "How did they get to grandma's house?"). Focus on the flow of the story. Your students need to hear fluent, phrased, expressive reading. This will break down if you stop too many times. Too many interruptions can also lead to a breakdown in meaning for some students.

  • Don't forget to share the pictures! Establish a routine for this to cut down on "I can't see!"

After the reading



  • Now it's time to get into the story! Briefly check on student comprehension, remembering to focus on higher-order questioning. (Not "Did Little Red Riding Hood listen to her mother?" but "Do you think Little Red Riding Hood will listen to her mother next time? Why or why not?").

  • Make links to other stories your students have read. Have they read other stories with similar themes or situations? How was this story the same or different? How does this story compare to others by the same author?

  • Show the students how to return to the text. Do you need to go back to the book to answer a question? Model for the students how this is done. This will help them during their independent reading.

  • Don't put the book away! Leave it out for students to explore on their own, and don't be shy about reading it again with the whole class. Young children love to hear their favorite stories repeated, and they benefit from hearing the same book many times.

Read Aloud Resources


  • The Read Aloud Handbook: 4th edition, Jim Trelease (Penguin, 1995)

  • Best Books for Children: Preschool Through Grade 6, 6th edition, John Thomas Gillespie, editor (R.R. Bowker, 1998)

  • Children's Books from Other Countries, Carl Tomlinson, editor (Scarecrow Press, 1998)

  • Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children, Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell (Heinemann, 1996) v

  • http://cuip.uchicago.edu/wit/2000/teams/onceupon/readaloudstrategies.html

Thursday, February 26, 2009

10 Read Aloud Commandments by Mem Fox

Assalamualaikum everyone.

Today's sharing is taken from Mem Fox's website about the 10 commandments in read aloud. Here they are.

1. Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud.

2. Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read.

3. Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and don’t be dull, or flat, or boring. Hang loose and be loud, have fun and laugh a lot.

4. Read with joy and enjoyment: real enjoyment for yourself and great joy for the listeners.

5. Read the stories that the kids love, over and over and over again, and always read in the same ‘tune’ for each book: i.e. with the same intonations on each page, each time.

6. Let children hear lots of language by talking to them constantly about the pictures, or anything else connected to the book; or sing any old song that you can remember; or say nursery rhymes in a bouncy way; or be noisy together doing clapping games.

7. Look for rhyme, rhythm or repetition in books for young children, and make sure the books are really short.

8. Play games with the things that you and the child can see on the page, such as letting kids finish rhymes, and finding the letters that start the child’s name and yours, remembering that it’s never work, it’s always a fabulous game.

9. Never ever teach reading, or get tense around books.

10. Please read aloud every day, mums and dads, because you just love being with your child, not because it’s the right thing to do.

Hopefully this info will help you more in practicing reading aloud with your kids. All the best and thank you Mrs. Mem Fox.

Original source: Mem Fox

Thursday, February 12, 2009

I want a Kindle-2 too

This is an email that I got from Amazon.

Dear Amazon Associate:

We’re excited to introduce Amazon Kindle 2 , the next generation wireless reading device. With a sleek and thin design that makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperpack, the new Kindle has seven times more storage and now holds over 1,500 books. It has a longer battery life and faster page turns. An advanced display provides even crisper images and clearer text for an improved book-like reading experience. And Kindle 2 even reads to you, with “Read to Me”, our new Text to Speech feature.

With Kindle 2 we kept everything readers love about the original Kindle—the convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the immediacy of getting a book wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, and Kindle’s ability to “disappear” in your hands so you can get lost in the author’s words. We’re also excited to announce that the Kindle Store has over 230,000 ebooks available.



Kindle2


New Features & Enhancements

Slim & Lightweight : Just over 1/3 inch and 10.2 ounces

Books in under 60 seconds : Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display : Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for crisp images and text; even reads well in bright sunlight

Longer Battery Life : 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage : Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me : Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud.

No Wireless Bills : No monthly wireless bills, data plans, or commitments. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you won’t see a monthly wireless bill.

Large Selection : Over 230,000 books, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines and blogs available

Low Book Prices : New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise


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