Kindle ebooks for kids. Where are the reviews?
So maybe you've bought the snazzy new Kindle Fire reader for the kids, or you own an iPad, and now you've waded into Amazon to choose some good little ebooks.
Then it's whoa! Massive. How to choose? Sure, there are samples, but you can't kinda thumb through the book like you can at the bookshop down the street.
Hmmm OK! Let's look for the reviews and get some pointers.
And so you go looking for the good guidance...and you may spend hours, as I did, being frustrated, or just giving up when you run out of time.
And still the kids have nothing to read...or maybe you opt for the best sellers that pop up first on the screen, just for now.
So! I see a rather large hole that needs filling. There's a need for best-fit kind of meeting place sites in specific genres between Amazon and its customers online, where authors and readers are able to interact without the overwhelm of sheer volume of ebooks.
Here's an example of what I'm on about.
http://haskindlewillread.wordpress.com/category/children
This is a blog I found, by author Patty Jansen. At the moment the reviews are just a few, but the format is there. The genre is SciFi or Fantasy. A blog or website in this format has the possibility of being developed into an income earner that sieves the good from the ordinary, rather than just promoting the bestsellers upfront.
It provides a pathway of access between authors and readers, that has the potential to link to sales points.
Maybe the sites are already there and we just don't see them coming up on first pages of Google yet.
So in today's blog, I'm going to pass on some of the leads I found after an exhaustive search and invite you to add yours. My focus is pretty much on Kindle Fire in this blog. If you have an iPad, there's an app available from Amazon for Kindle here.
Kindleboards, of course, gives both authors and readers a connection place and it's a great service, but you have to do quite some sieving to find relevant info, or post something yourself. The author's Book Bazaar on Kindleboards has more info, with book cover images. I'd like to see the children's ebooks in their own age-appropriate/genre section on Kindleboards.
Goodreads has some pages worth watching. The reviews are there, just click on the book and you'll see what other readers think. I found these three pages with reviews on kids' ebooks.
For younger children, this page on illustrated books is excellent.
I also found these on Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/13178.Great_Ebooks_for_Kids
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18507.KINDLE_eBOOKS_CHILDREN
Pinterest may be a site to watch for individual reader choices. Though it doesn't have reviews, just the pretty cover pics, the links go through to the ebooks and their reviews on Amazon. Here's a Pinterest search result for 'kids kindle ebooks' with a few Pinboards to explore:
http://pinterest.com/search/?q=kids+kindle+ebooks
Check this website for an education project involving kids in writing reviews for ebooks they are reading on kindle readers:
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/excited-to-announce-kindle-kids-corner.html
And this site has useful info, though it's not easy to read:
http://kids.kindlenationdaily.com/
Here's a link to a little magic dreaming ebook with beautiful pics... yes, it's mine! Imagine that!
Happy reading!
Ilyhana Kate Kennedy
Then it's whoa! Massive. How to choose? Sure, there are samples, but you can't kinda thumb through the book like you can at the bookshop down the street.
Hmmm OK! Let's look for the reviews and get some pointers.
And so you go looking for the good guidance...and you may spend hours, as I did, being frustrated, or just giving up when you run out of time.
And still the kids have nothing to read...or maybe you opt for the best sellers that pop up first on the screen, just for now.
So! I see a rather large hole that needs filling. There's a need for best-fit kind of meeting place sites in specific genres between Amazon and its customers online, where authors and readers are able to interact without the overwhelm of sheer volume of ebooks.
Here's an example of what I'm on about.
http://haskindlewillread.wordpress.com/category/children
This is a blog I found, by author Patty Jansen. At the moment the reviews are just a few, but the format is there. The genre is SciFi or Fantasy. A blog or website in this format has the possibility of being developed into an income earner that sieves the good from the ordinary, rather than just promoting the bestsellers upfront.
It provides a pathway of access between authors and readers, that has the potential to link to sales points.
Maybe the sites are already there and we just don't see them coming up on first pages of Google yet.
So in today's blog, I'm going to pass on some of the leads I found after an exhaustive search and invite you to add yours. My focus is pretty much on Kindle Fire in this blog. If you have an iPad, there's an app available from Amazon for Kindle here.
Kindleboards, of course, gives both authors and readers a connection place and it's a great service, but you have to do quite some sieving to find relevant info, or post something yourself. The author's Book Bazaar on Kindleboards has more info, with book cover images. I'd like to see the children's ebooks in their own age-appropriate/genre section on Kindleboards.
Goodreads has some pages worth watching. The reviews are there, just click on the book and you'll see what other readers think. I found these three pages with reviews on kids' ebooks.
For younger children, this page on illustrated books is excellent.
I also found these on Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/13178.Great_Ebooks_for_Kids
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18507.KINDLE_eBOOKS_CHILDREN
Pinterest may be a site to watch for individual reader choices. Though it doesn't have reviews, just the pretty cover pics, the links go through to the ebooks and their reviews on Amazon. Here's a Pinterest search result for 'kids kindle ebooks' with a few Pinboards to explore:
http://pinterest.com/search/?q=kids+kindle+ebooks
Check this website for an education project involving kids in writing reviews for ebooks they are reading on kindle readers:
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/excited-to-announce-kindle-kids-corner.html
And this site has useful info, though it's not easy to read:
http://kids.kindlenationdaily.com/
Here's a link to a little magic dreaming ebook with beautiful pics... yes, it's mine! Imagine that!
Happy reading!
Ilyhana Kate Kennedy
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