Monsters and More, Volume 1 is a simple, yet powerful, CD that contains wonderful, whimsical stories about monsters. While they listen to the stories, younger children have fun discovering skills such as counting, reading, and spelling. They also "make friends" with characters like Max and Suzy. It helps that many of the stories are repeated, read by different performers. (Click on the list on the left.) When inserted into a Windows-based computer, Monsters and More, Volume 1 reveals a variety of computer programs that appeal to children ages 2 through 14. How can this be? Older children play with younger siblings, and both learn. For young children, there's ReadPlease. This program reads stories aloud, while highlighting each word. It is easy to change the rate of speech or the voice of the reader, make the size of the words BIG, average, or small. Kids love having total control, and they will sometimes listen to the same story over 50 times in a row. Preschoolers naturally make comparisons. How many times have we heard "Read it again, Daddy, please?" Toddlers love to use the drawing programs with Mom and Dad, or older brothers and sisters. Tweens and teenagers think it is cool to build e-books, by themselves or with their younger siblings. Other features that children of all ages like are the programs that let them record and edit their own voice and the library of photographs and images that can be used for making e-books. Interestingly, older children, who would never listen to a story that teaches how to count to ten, enjoy the experience of reading these stories to their younger brothers and sisters. Parents and teachers with access to computers, may wish to listen to: * Georgia Hedrick, a teacher and artist, in a podcast that may be heard on http://www.alanjordan.com/wordpress/, or click on the website link on the left and click on the Podcast link * A 15-minute video that reviews the various computer features. Visit http://www.monstersandmore.com (or click on the website link on the left) and then click on the Intertoob button, or "Use in a Computer." About the Author: Alan Jordan wrote the stories on this CD. Mr. Jordan is a father and author of six prior books and hundreds of magazine articles. His creativity enabled him to develop software programs for companies like Hewlett-Packard, GMAC, Intuit, Remedy, and VISA International. Mr. Jordan, a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, enlisted the assistance of other members of this organization when writing and revising the stories over three years. The artwork on the CD was created by members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In Summary: The author, who is a writer and software engineer, incorporated special features that make Monsters and More, Volume # 1 fun for younger children. Older children like to help their younger friends, brothers and sisters use the CD, as do parents and grandparents. Podcasts developed by http://www.GreatShowcases.com