Courtesy of Wonderbook

At the Stratford (CT) Library, children light up when they see read-alongs.

In particular, says Caitlin Augusta, head of children’s services, kids who are emerging and disengaged readers love it when she brings out the read-along books from the collection.

“They’re inviting and accessible,” Augusta says of the format, physical books with affixed electronic audio devices that play narration over a speaker or headphones. “They open a door for kids to learn all their literacy skills in a supportive, confidence-building environment.”

Read-along books “reduce unknown word anxiety and increase reading confidence,” adds Kacee Eddinger, youth collection librarian at Mesa County Libraries in Grand Junction, CO. They simply “add an element of fun to reading.”

VOX Books and Wonderbook are the two manufacturers of these products, which are screen-free and don’t require Wi-Fi or internet access, and feature a smattering of buttons to control volume, play, pause, and skip ahead or go back.

At Mesa County Libraries, VOX and Wonderbook are checked out twice as much as CDs and other audiobook devices. That’s a common theme at many libraries across the country.

“We really started seeing them as a replacement for the book-and-CD combination,” says Macy Davis, children’s librarian at the Public Library of Brookline, MA. “[Books and CDs] just don’t circulate very well,” she adds, but read-alongs do.

Young readers can choose from over 800 titles through both collections. VOX holds the edge on bilingual offerings, with titles available in more than 15 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and French. The company plans to add five more languages this year, as well as expand their bilingual line to include chapter and middle grade books.

Wonderbook, meanwhile, offers more than 1,100 titles for all ages, including chapter books, middle grade, and YA, as well as leveled readers, graphic novels, and this fall, adult releases.

While both have diversified their collections over the years, picture books remain the core offerings for each.

Bestselling titles? At VOX, the number one is Goodnight Moon, followed closely by Click, Clack, Moo, according to VOX CEO Brian Downing, while the bestselling series is “Pete the Cat.”

For Wonderbook, modern-day classics like Dragons Love Tacos, the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, and The One and Only Ruby are the most in demand.

In Brookline, Davis has 400 VOX and Wonderbook titles in her collection, available across three locations. She says that the all-in-one model makes them particularly popular. Parents also appreciate them as an alternative to having to use a digital device.

“Obviously you can get audio ebooks on a tablet or a phone, but I think parents are really craving something that doesn’t have the distraction of a screen,” points out Anne Wilmoth, children’s and collection services librarian at Iowa City Public Library.

Wilmoth debuted her collection of VOX and Wonderbook titles in the fall of 2020 with 80 titles. Now she has more than 600 read-alongs, including picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction titles.

“That collection has over 10,000 checkouts in fiscal year 2023,” Wilmoth says, adding that well over half of the collection is usually checked out.

Wilmoth says read-alongs are “attractive to reluctant or struggling readers who see a big page of text as a challenge. But if they can follow along with an engaging narration, that helps with motivation.”

Most librarians have a story of how a VOX or Wonderbook title has supported a student in their reading, but the evidence isn’t just anecdotal. Dana Reisboard, an associate professor in early reading at Widener University, says read-alongs are a great tool for helping young people develop the skill and confidence to read on their own.

“I think they are super beneficial, and the research supports that when students hear the words at the same time, it improves their reading comprehension, ability to identify words, [and] phonetic awareness, and it provides a scaffold when an adult can’t be there,” Reisboard says.

Those same qualities also make read-alongs an ideal tool for bilingual learners. The Loma Vista Immersion Academy in Petaluma, CA, is using Wonderbook titles in its dual-language immersion classrooms.

“It helps having audio for those students who are struggling to level up to what their peers are doing,” says Torin Cone, vice president of sales and marketing for Playaway Products, the parent company of Wonderbook. “We’re only seeing the beginning of this specific format in libraries and schools.”
 

Quote image: Getty Images/Princessdlaf

Andrew Bauld is a freelance writer covering education.