StoryWeaver: a unique online reading and vocabulary improvement website
Are you searching for a website that provides free read aloud or read along books for children with Indian content? This article provides information on StoryWeaver, a unique creative website of e-books that not only enables a child to read and learn new words, but also submit drawings and write his or her own stories.
Overview
Launched by Pratham Books, a not-for-profit children's book publisher, this is a wonderful repository of reading resources not just in English, but regional languages as well. Best of all, it is free! The uniqueness of this digital platform is that not only can a child developing the ability to read and pick up new words but can also have fun using the tools provided there to create a new story or pictures. Even parents and professional illustrators, writers, and translators are allowed to register and contribute.
[Image source: https://storyweaver.org.in/.]Distinctive features for various age groups
The stories for children have been neatly slotted into three broad age groups. For those at the preschool level, there is a read-aloud section where you click on the book and it is read aloud, and a read-along section which provides stories in an audio-video format that allows the child to listen to the word that is connected to the one that can be seen on the page. The section containing Flashcards is a huge boon to engage children in activities. Then there are the simple picture-only stories with not a single word in them. This helps to develop the child's observational skills, connecting what is seen to what is mentally conjured up and thus understanding what it actually represents. Animals, places, people in the family like parents and grandpas and those outside the home, and simple math through counting, are the other sections for preschoolers.
For children from Grade 1 to 3, the read-along audio-video stories enable them to learn in an unhurried manner and the read-aloud stories have voices and movements to match the characters. Concepts of mathematics and science are learned through story formats, as also are grammar and vocabulary. An interesting learning experience is picking up word intonations through the form of a poem. It's not all about learning though, as there are stories to tickle the funny bone and make the kid laugh out loud, too.
Children of Grades 4 to 6 have got their very own specially selected books on multiple subjects that relate to different places and even different emotions. Well-etched storylines and unique characters provide for interesting social learning experiences, maths, science and technological concepts, general knowledge, etc. Both stories and poems enable the young child to develop verbal fluency alongside reading skills.
The fourth age group is for older children from Grades 5 to 8. The books that have been selected for this age group include both fiction and non-fiction and cover the concepts of a variety of subjects, such as mathematics, science, history, technology, nature, engineering, etc. There are also real-life stories that can inspire children. All of these can be read independently.
Don't have time to read something this very minute? No problem; StoryWeaver allows you to download a story in a format of your choice – PDF doc, an A4 print-ready format, and a digital-friendly e-Pub format.Listen in
Don't forget to check out their facility to listen to an enjoyable book in English, Hindi, Kannada, and Marathi that is available with a single missed call on +91 8033094243 (this is available only in India).Contact information
Head Office:
Pratham Books
House No. 621, 2nd floor, 5th Main,
OMBR Layout, Banaswadi,
Bengaluru – 560043,
Karnataka.
Ph: +91-80-42052574 / 41159009.
Branch Office:
B-4/219, Ground Floor
Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi-110029.
Ph: +91-11-41042483, 21682683
Contact email: contact@storyweaver.org.in, help@storyweaver.org.in.
Website: https://storyweaver.org.in/.
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A very informative article written by the author.
This is true that picture books, posters, stories and cartoons are an important medium to attract young children to read. Giving children the experience of listening or reading local stories gives them the opportunity to become familiar with the local environment, language and behaviour. This breaks the hesitation of the children and they are able to speak openly. Such efforts have been made through several institutions.
Now a day E-books are in demand and there are some more websites which may also help your child to read E storybooks -
Oxford Owl - Here on this website you will find a lot of informative books that will help your children gain their knowledge.
Storyline Online - You will find many books with beautiful pictures which will help your child to easily understand the main concept of the story.