CD-ROM Review: Learn to Read and Have Some Fun

Rich Friedman

Finally a great program for three- to six-year-old beginning readers. Richard Scarry's Best Reading Program Ever actually lives up to its hyperbolizing moniker. If children can get by the opening screen that asks them to type in their name, they will be entertained and gently challenged with reading readiness activities. These exercises focus on language, phonics, listening, and following simple directions.

There are five main sites in the program. At each site, the child works through a specific learning exercise. Examples of these learning exercises include such things as identifying beginning sounds, matching upper- and lowercase let ters in a farm while picking apples, and determining which pictures form the beginning, middle, and end of a story.

As is the case in Richard Scarry children's books, the program's graphics are of high quality. The characters in the various exercises will appeal to children. The program is easy to navigate, and there are handy stop points. In fact, once the program is loaded and launched, the computer fades into the background as if it weren't even there. Beginning readers get a lot of positive reinforcement even when they select the wrong answer, but they are richly rewarded when they complete a task correctly. Simon & Schuster Interactive has done a commendable job making learning to read a fun experience.

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Product Information

Richard Scarry's Best Reading Program Ever..........$29.95

Simon & Schuster Interactive
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Phone:    (800) 910-0099
Internet: 
http://www.Mpc.com


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You'll Catch More Kids with Miss Honey

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In Miss Honey's classroom, children can click on objects.