We first heard about the Ebookadabra app after reading a review on the blog from Emmaand3.com and with my youngest daughter in reception (and also always wanting to play on my phone), that this was something that definitely sparked some interest with me.

Story time has always been bedtime in our house but since the youngest member of the family has gone to school, she is too tired at bedtime to read and would seemingly prefer to watch a YouTube video on the iPad than concentrate on her reading. This doesn't sit well with me, both from a learning perspective and as someone who loves nothing more than a good book. 

Ebookadabra is designed for a new generation, the generation of children who have been born into a technological age where everything is available at the touch or swipe of a screen. Even I have converted to reading books on a tablet as it is so accessible (and I can now read in the dark - who knew!), so having a wide range of books on the Ebookadabra app means that reading becomes more accessible to a technology loving child too. 

Although Ebookadabra is only just launching, the platform already has a wide variety of features on it such as:

- The ability for parents to record themselves reading the stories that their children are looking at

- A safe and secure messaging system that allows a child to talk to their parents about the progress they are making in app.

- An innovative visual search engine designed for kids that lets the use visual search terms to explore our library of books.

- The ability to save stories to your in-app library so you can enjoy them on the go. 

- All of this is available for less than the price of a book a month £2.99 (introductory offer) along with a 30 day free trial.

The team at Ebookadabra tell us that it is a reading experience aimed at young families with kids aged from three to seven years old. It is a world where kids will discover books for themselves, be rewarded for their reading and be able to share the experience with their family. 

My youngest daughter is five so she is perfectly placed to trial to app and everytime she picks up my phone or the iPad now to play a game, she goes to the Ebookadabra app first to read through a book. She can navigate her way around the app much quicker than I can (which I suppose is the point) and I feel like we have only just seen the tip of the iceberg with what we can do on it. 

She loves getting a little reward at the end of each book and the game challenges once you had completed every book are a fun way to help with some of her fine motor skills, which can only be beneficial from a learning perspective too.

We are presently having the books "read to us" but the app has difficulty levels so as each child's educational needs change and their reading improves, the books become more age appropriate. 

The monthly cost is the same as you would pay for a single paperback book and as more titles are added, or siblings share the app, so it really becomes a very affordable and cost effective way to read new books with your children.

I am enjoying seeing her reading more avidly and she is enjoying "reading like mommy" on the iPad. I honestly feel like we haven't explored everything that the app can do and am excited to see how it develops but more so how my daughters love of reading develops too!

Ebookadabra offer a free trial to all new sign ups, so with a mix of good old fashioned story books blended with modern technology, what have you got to lose?

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