Good Storybook Apps for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Early Elementary Kids
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Looking for good storybook apps for your toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary students? You’ll want stories with excellent narration, word highlighting, and both read-to-me and read-to-self options. These apps should help get your kids reading and enjoying stories.
Also, I look for apps that have words and also am careful about the size of those words. There are many apps whose text is too small that even kids with great eyes would struggle to read it. (Let alone us big kids with reading glasses.)
Good Storybook Apps for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Early Elementary Kids
Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
ages 1 – 5
I love Boyton’s books — and this app of my favorite board book is exceptional with great interactivity and choices!
Baryard Dance by Sandra Boynton
ages 1 – 5
$3.99 iOS / Android
Love the book? Now love the story app, too! Not only are the illustrations animated but you can have someone read it to you (with word highlighting) or you can read it yourself. (You might also like The Going to Bed Book app or her 5 book bundle app as well.) Boynton is my kids’ favorite board book author of all time!
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sheri Buskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld
ages 1 – 5
$3.99 iOS
One of the best picture books EVER, this storybook app is a calming ode to trucks and bedtime. Listen and read along or read it to yourself.
Pat the Bunny
ages 4+
$3.99
A FAVORITE!!
A fun, very interactive new version of the classic lift the flap picture book. Simple but engaging.
“See the colorful toy.
Can you find out what’s inside?”
Byron Barton Collection #1
ages 1-5
$4.99 iOS
Bold but simple drawings catch kids attention — with tappable words and pictures, animations, the ability to record your own narration, and more. My kids were big fan of Byron Barton books when they were little!
Millie Was Here: Meet Millie
ages 4+
FREE
We think this book is hilariously cute! JJ has read it so many times that she can recite it by heart. If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is. It’s a really funny, interactive story about Millie and her love of bacon. More from Millie: The Lost Key and Millie’s Book of Tricks and Treats.
The Monster At the End of this Book
ages 4+
$4.99
A FAVORITE!!!
Remember life before Elmo? When Grover was the cutest character back in the day? Well, Grover gets to star in this funny, well-made story app, The Monster At the End of this Book.
*If you have younger kids who might be scared, remind them that Grover is a monster, and reveal that there’s only one monster in this story, Grover. (I think it’s okay to share that information, then your child will think it’s funny and not scary.)
Unlike other book apps, the words only appear when Grover narrates them, and are shown in yellow highlighting. This feature makes it great for younger readers to follow along with the text. While Grover talks to us (I just love that he talks in dialog bubbles,) more illustrations are added to the page with great, noisy sound effects – crash, boom, bang!
My kids and I adore this silly Grover-narrated story and think it’s the perfect book to be told digitally. The sound effects and Grover’s very dramatic narration make this hilarious story so much better than the original book (which I have never said before about any book, and might not ever say again.) This book app will be a favorite for years to come and is perfect for ages 3 to 10.
Dr. Seuss Treasury
ages 2 – 7
FREE for 7 days / Subscription iOS
55 books are available in this collection with tons of cool features including highlighted narration and tappable words and illustrations.
The Cat in the Hat
$.99 iOS / Android
ages 4+
The best-selling, classic book “The Cat in the Hat” comes to life with animations, activities, and interactivity.
Little Critter All By Myself
ages 4+
$1.99
The story app is exactly the same as it’s book counterpart except in it, the only interactive elements are when you touch pictures and then you’ll see and hear the word like “socks” or “door”.
Crêpes by Suzette by Monica Wellington
ages 4+
$2.99 iOS / Android
I love this whimsical story about a girl named Suzette who makes and sells crêpes in a little cart in the streets of Paris. Readers will enjoy seeing the people and sites she visits as well as hearing music and French phrases. See a map of the city with the places Suzettte visits, get a crepe recipe, and watch a videos of sites.
Tale of Peter Rabbit Pop Out! by Beatrix Potter
ages 4+
$3.99
Tacky Goes to Camp
ages 4+
$3.99
I love the Tacky stories and, as usual, Oceanhouse Media did a fantastic job adapting the picture book for the iPad.
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Even Monsters Get Sick
ages 4+
$1.99 iOS /$.99 Android
This is such a cute storybook app. The boy’s pet monster seems bored no matter what they do but it turns out, he’s just sick.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
ages 4+
$4.99
A FAVORITE!
It just took once time reading this storybook app for my kids (ages 6 and 9) to become huge Charlie Brown fans! While we hear the narrator, the original Charlie Brown voice, the Vince Guaraldi music plays. What’s more, when the characters speak, it is the voices we’re used to from the 1965 TV movie, plus interactive bonuses like playing Schroeder’s piano and decorating Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. Instead of comic-style illustrations, Charlie Brown Christmas uses layered textured paper-cut illustrations. Love it!
Harry Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy
ages 3 – 7
$4.99 iOS
Not only is this an adorable adventure story, this app for kids includes video narration in 3 different sign languages!
Dragon Brush
ages 3 – 7
$2.99 iOS
It’s nice to get some cultural diversity which you do with this Chinese folk-tale storybook app about a young boy named Bing-Wen who has a magical brush. He must use his drawings (that come to life) to escape the greedy Emperor. Excellent.
The Artist Mortimer
ages 4+
FREE iOS
Every time Mortimer paints something, it leaves the world and stays put on his canvas. Which people do not like. (Of course!) Mortimer loves painting but he doesn’t want to steal everything so he must come up with a solution. You’ll enjoy this darling story and the gorgeous illustrations throughout. (You might also like The Artist Mortimer 2.)
Previously Recommended Book Apps
Bartelby’s Book of Buttons Vol. 1
A FAVORITE
The Going to Bed Book
A FAVORITE!
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
A FAVORITE!
This Too Shall Pass
A FAVORITE!
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Hi Melissa – I’d love to get listed here on this early-learning storybook app list. Story Tyke is perfect for busy parents because our simplified storytime process saves parents time and delivers a personalized storytime experience for each child. I’d love to have you take a look.
Thanks for sharing. However, I don’t see it on the App Store or a link on your website.