Top 10: Reading Apps for Kids

2024. AI reading coach startup Ello now lets kids create their own stories



Ello, the AI reading companion that aims to assist kids struggling to read, launched a new product that enables kids to participate in the story-creation process. Called “Storytime,” the new AI-powered feature helps kids generate personalized tales by choosing from a selection of settings, characters and plots. For example, a story about a hamster named Greg who performed in a talent show in outer space. Kids can pick from dozens of prompts, resulting in thousands of combinations. Like Ello’s usual reading offering, the AI companion — a bright blue, friendly elephant — listens to the child read aloud and evaluates their speech to correct mispronunciations and missed words. If kids are uncertain how to pronounce a specific word, they can tap on the question mark icon for additional help. Storytime offers two reading options: one mode where Ello and the reader take turns and another, simpler mode for younger readers where Ello does most of the reading.


2024. Google Play Books offers hundreds of free eBooks for children



In the grand tradition of mildly chaotic yet charming announcements, Google Play Books has unveiled a mind-bogglingly generous expansion of its kids’ collection—over 300 free non-fiction titles with a snazzy "Read & Listen" feature that lets children read and listen simultaneously, presumably leaving no excuse for confusing “their” with “there” ever again. But wait, there's more! To sprinkle a bit of intergalactic joy on the whole reading affair, Google has rolled out digital Reading Rewards stickers, guaranteed to thrill kids into reaching reading milestones faster than a Vogon could butcher poetry, available on Google Kids Space or the Play Books Android app. As if that wasn’t enough to make you raise your towel in approval, Google has also decided to toss thousands of audiobook previews onto its YouTube channel—because why shouldn’t books get their moment in the spotlight among cat videos and conspiracy theories? And just when you thought the galaxy couldn’t get any more bookish, they’ve added an "Upcoming" section to the app's "Library" tab, offering book pre-orders and recommendations to keep your reading queue as endless as Zaphod Beeblebrox’s ego.

2023. Ello - AI reading coach that bolsters child literacy


In the vast and occasionally bewildering galaxy of apps, Ello has arrived like a well-meaning Vogon poetry recital, but with a far more delightful mission: to eradicate childhood illiteracy using a heady mix of artificial intelligence and child speech recognition wizardry. This subscription-based marvel caters to budding bookworms from kindergarten through Grade 3, delivering five carefully curated books each month for the intergalactically reasonable price of $24.99. Parents kick off this literary odyssey by installing the Ello app, which greets their child with a series of probing questions to gauge their reading level and interests—be it creatures furry and fantastical, creative pursuits, sports, or the peculiarities of science. A crack team of reading boffins then assembles a bespoke library tailored to the young reader’s tastes and skills. Sibling stowaways can join the adventure for $12.49 per month each. Currently marooned on tablets, Ello’s clever crew is feverishly charting a course to bring the experience to smartphones—because, naturally, a good story belongs everywhere.


2023. Google Reading Insights allows to track your kid’s reading habits



In a move that feels suspiciously like something out of a bureaucratic galactic empire's guidebook, Google has unveiled a shiny new feature in Google Play Books called Reading Insights. Think of it as a mildly omniscient tool for parents keen on peering into the literary whims of their offspring. Nestled snugly within the Family Link app—a digital Swiss army knife of parental controls—this feature lets parents snoop on what books their kids are diving into, how often they're thumbing through the pages, and whether they've actually made it past chapter two of that “classic” they swore they’d read. Reading Insights doesn’t stop there; it also tracks audiobook escapades, so parents can marvel at their children’s newfound love for having someone else do the reading. It’s like having a Babel fish, but instead of translating alien languages, it deciphers the enigma of juvenile reading habits.


2023. Google Play Books now offering new Reading Practice tool for kids



In a move that suggests someone at Google Play Books may have been struck by the sudden realization that young readers are, in fact, small humans with infinite potential, they’ve unveiled a shiny new feature called Reading Practice in the United States. This clever addition, available through the Google Play Books Android app and Google Kids Space, is designed to coax budding bookworms into mastering the fine art of comprehension via children’s e-books. Armed with the mystical ability to tap words for instant pronunciation and a child-friendly definition, young readers can expand their vocabularies while marveling at technology that feels borderline magical. A text tracker thoughtfully highlights words as they read aloud, keeping early readers on course and offering them the chance to revisit any rogue mispronunciations or skipped words at the end of the page. Naturally, most books on Google Play Books come armed with this feature, ensuring no child is left in the digital dust. In their mission to foster tech-savvy, book-loving kids, Google Play continues its noble quest to equip parents with tools that encourage reading, exploration, and digital habits that are less about chaos and more about harmony.


2022. Google launches a website version of its Read Along education app for children



Google has introduced a website for its Read Along app aimed at helping young children practice reading. The website's concept mirrors the app: children can learn languages such as English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati and Urdu by reading stories using Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology. A virtual assistant named Diya supports children in pronouncing words if it detects they are having difficulty. Kids can also request Diya's assistance with unfamiliar words. The company asserts that, like the app, all speech recognition occurs locally in the browser, ensuring no data is transmitted to its servers to safeguard children’s privacy. Additionally, the entire experience is free of advertisements. While the app offers offline functionality, the website is beneficial for those with limited phone storage or for schools with desktop computers.


2021. Amazon launches Kindle Paperwhite for kids



Amazon has introduced the Kindle Paperwhite Kids. It is essentially the same as the standard Kindle Paperwhite but with software enhancements designed to make it more suitable for children. A significant advantage of the latest generation Kindle Paperwhite Kids is its IPx8 rating, which Amazon claims makes the new Paperwhite resistant to accidental water exposure—an important feature for a device intended for kids. The e-reader also includes Vocabulary Builder and Word Wise, which can be useful tools for children to improve their English language skills. Additionally, it supports the Open Dyslexic font, which is preferred by many individuals with dyslexia. The Paperwhite Kids comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, providing access to over a thousand eBooks and Audible audiobooks for children.


2021. Microsoft’s Reading Progress makes assessing reading levels easier for kids and teachers



Microsoft’s new Reading Progress app alleviates some of the burden from teachers, allowing students to complete their reading at home while utilizing natural language processing to pinpoint challenges and advancements. Reading Progress is an extension for Microsoft Teams that enables educators to conduct reading assessments more flexibly, reducing stress for students who might falter during a timed evaluation and identifying and monitoring key reading occurrences like omitted words and self-corrections. Teachers assign reading tasks for each student (or the entire class) to complete at their own pace, more akin to homework than a formal test. Students record a video directly in the app, with the audio analyzed by algorithms detecting common errors.


2021. Google Play Books now has new tools to make reading easier for kids



Google Play Books has unveiled a suite of new tools designed to make it easier for even young readers to start enjoying books. The Read & Listen feature will narrate a book to your children. You can either turn the pages manually or allow them to turn automatically. The Tap to Read feature will read aloud any word that you tap on. This helps kids learn the correct pronunciation of the word and provides a description, often accompanied by an illustration, to ensure a complete understanding of the term. Additionally, the Kid-Friendly Dictionary offers simple explanations of words, further supporting the learning process.


2021. Google Play Books will help kids to learn to read



Google Play Books has introduced several new features designed to assist young readers. Firstly, it now allows children to hear books read aloud and they can tap on individual words to hear them pronounced. Additionally, kids can read or listen to thousands of child-friendly definitions, many of which include illustrations to aid in understanding and learning. Google states that most of their children's books come with these new reading tools. Parents can also download a free sample of any children's book to check if the reading tools are available for that title before making a purchase.


2020. Google launches ‘Read Along,’ a free app that helps young children practice reading



Google is launching a new Android app, Read Along, designed to support elementary school students in practicing their reading skills and staying engaged with their education during school closures caused by the coronavirus. Read Along utilizes Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology to assist children in learning to read. The app features an integrated reading assistant named Diya. As children read aloud, Diya identifies if they are having difficulty with a passage and can provide positive reinforcement or assistance. At any time, the child can request Diya’s help to read a sentence or pronounce an unfamiliar word.


2020. Audible is giving away hundreds of stories for kids



"For as long as schools are closed, we're open." That's Audible's new slogan, promising a significant impact in households around the globe. Audible has recently announced that hundreds of their child-friendly titles are available completely free of charge with no strings attached. There's no need to register or log in—just click the link and start listening. So, if your little ones are feeling restless and you don’t have time to read to them yourself, let Audible take over. There are stories suitable for all ages, from *Winnie-the-Pooh* for your young toddler to *The Mystery of Alice* for your tween. Additionally, there are numerous options in Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese. You can stream all these titles on your desktop, laptop, phone, or tablet.


2019. Google launched free e-library for kids learning English



Google introduced Rivet - an engaging and supportive reading app for children. With over 3,500 free books at just the right level, high-quality reading practice for kids has never been more accessible. Reading assistance on every page allows kids to practice with assurance, knowing help is always at hand - it's an excellent way to achieve daily reading goals. With Rivet’s real-time feedback and word assistance, children can practice independently without getting stuck. Kids can discover books they enjoy and practice with confidence, knowing support is consistently available. Rivet is compatible with Android smartphones and tablets, Chromebooks, iPhones and iPads and Kindle Fire.


2016. Amazon launched Rapids - chat-style reading app for kids



Amazon has introduced a new app for kids called Rapids, which features “entertaining, engaging short stories presented in a unique chat format.” The app is available for iOS, Android and Amazon Fire devices, with a subscription priced at $2.99 per month. The Rapids stories are illustrated and what sets Rapids apart from other children’s reading apps is its method of storytelling through characters conversing with each other one line at a time. Rapids offers hundreds of stories, with Amazon adding dozens more each month. The stories cover a wide range of genres, including adventure, fantasy, humor, mystery, science fiction and sports.


2016. Kindle for PC allows to read children’s books and comic books



Amazon Kindle users can now access comic books and children's books on Kindle for PC. This is the first time you can do this without needing any Amazon hardware or their various smartphone apps. In 2014, Amazon acquired ComiXology, the largest digital distributor of comic books. Amazon has been gradually incorporating all their content into the Kindle store, including comics from major publishers like DC and Marvel. In addition to ComiXology, Amazon also collaborates directly with thousands of publishers around the world. If you have purchased any children's or comic books directly from Amazon, you can now read them on Kindle for PC or Kindle for Mac. If you already have these apps installed, you'll need to download the update.


2016. Kobo released reading app for kids



Kobo has just introduced a standalone app for Android called Kobo Kids. It is an e-reading app as well as an online shopping platform offering a variety of e-books and graphic novels. In 2013, Kobo created a children’s portal to highlight their comics, graphic novels and e-books. This system was only accessible via the web version of their store, making this the first time the company has developed a dedicated app to promote it. The Kobo Kids app features a vibrant and engaging interface with a range of icons representing genres such as space, dinosaurs, animals, classics, superheroes and more. When you select a specific genre, it shows several titles and offers previews. Children cannot purchase content independently; instead, a parent must make the purchases, but it is much easier once a sample is downloaded.


2015. Amazon introduced Kindle Bundle for Kids



Amazon is introducing a discounted Kindle for Kids Bundle to encourage parents to purchase Kindles for their children. This new package includes an ad-free Kindle e-reader, a rugged cover and an extended warranty that covers spills and drops. The bundle is priced at $99, which is a discount of $39.98 compared to buying each item separately, according to Amazon. The Kindle e-reader is tailored for books and does not support apps and games like Kindle tablets. With 4 GB of storage, the device can hold thousands of books and lasts up to four weeks on a single charge, based on half an hour of daily reading with wireless turned off. Parents can purchase Kindle books from Amazon, which currently offers over 250,000 titles, or borrow e-books from their public library for use with the device.


2014. Sproutkin ditches its “Netflix For Kids’ Books” service, moves into digital subscriptions



Sproutkin, the company that aimed to create a Netflix for Children’s Books by offering monthly shipments of nearly a dozen books for a subscription fee, has recently shifted its focus and now emphasizes a digital approach. It is launching a digital children’s book subscription library for mobile devices. Its app is currently available in beta on the App Store, where it is somewhat misleadingly using media quotes (including ours) to promote the service. Users will be able to trial the new Sproutkin service for free and then subscribe via in-app purchase for $4.99/month. This pricing is comparable to other services like Farfaria, MeeGenius and PlayKids (which offers books, games and shows), though it is higher than buying individual books through apps like Read Me Stories or iStoryTime.


2014. Kobo adds books for kids from Reading Eggs



Kobo has teamed up with Reading Eggs to offer over 120 of their children’s eBooks to millions of Kobo Readers globally. For the first time, these popular Reading Eggs eBooks will be available in digital format outside of the Reading Eggs program and can be found exclusively on Kobo. Created by a skilled team of educators, writers and developers, the Reading Eggs program centers on a fundamental reading curriculum that emphasizes phonics and word recognition to help children acquire essential skills and strategies for long-term reading success. It aligns with what children are taught in school and aims to enhance their academic performance.