Books and TikTok – how do they fit together? Young people show that it can be done. TikTok has long been more than a platform for colorful dance videos: Young people also use it to find out about current topics – including hot books. There are also people on YouTube and Instagram who share stories about reading and their latest reads.
Reading books seems to be losing importance in the age of social media. However, Booktok’s trend proves that digital and analog media need not be mutually exclusive. Reading also still has its place in the world of young people.
The term Booktok is a combination of the English word for book and the second part of the name of the popular app TikTok. There, mainly female readers share book tips under the hashtag #booktok – far away from bespectacled older gentlemen talking high-toned about literature. The videos are entertaining and appeal to young users. The so-called booktokers particularly enjoy reading books from the romance, fantasy, crime/thriller, and young adult genres.
Publishers and bookstores are now also on TikTok, cranking up their sales in popular genres. Certain books become trendy via Booktok and thus become bestsellers. Some bookstores have their own book tables where the most popular publications are presented.
Reading challenges are also launched. In doing so, TikTokers introduce books on a particular theme, cover, etc.
There is also a large book community on Instagram: Bookstagram. Users exchange more information on books here than on TikTok. In the comments, people talk together about current readings, create reading circles and start so-called buddyreads (joint reading rounds).
It probably all started on YouTube, where reading recommendations can also be found under the hashtag #booktube.
Special apps can help make book reading itself a challenge. How many pages have I read this week? How many books can I finish in a month? They are called GoodReads, Read-O, Bookstats or Booksup – apps that can be used to track one’s reading behavior. Statistics can be shared directly on social media in some cases.
Such apps can motivate people to read more. Through some, users network with each other and write their own reviews. You can read a particular book in a buddyread at the same time and exchange ideas about it. When installing the app, you should pay attention to what other users see and what data the app collects and possibly passes on to third parties.
Publishers use social media and influencers for advertising just like other companies. Even though books and reading are usually seen as positive, you and your child should look closely at what book is being advertised. Not always the opinion of the booktoker and bookstagramer is honest and unbiased, advertising is not always marked. Finally, book purchases can also run into money. Therefore, you should talk with your child about what and how many books really need to buy. Is your child just interested in presenting the book in a video or is he or she really interested in reading?
Use your local library and borrow some books from there. Many libraries have digital access points through which e-books can also be borrowed. An e-reader is also available for check-out at the library.
Antolin is an online portal for reading promotion from grade 1 to 10. antolin.de (antolin.westmann.de) combines learning at school with reading in the afternoon. Antolin is primarily aimed at schools, educational institutions and libraries.
Antolin asks quiz questions about more than 116,000 books for children and young adults. It is a kind of library for quizzes. Children and young people register through their school, choose a book title on Antolin and, after reading it, take a quiz on it and earn points. Antolin also provides tips and tricks for better and faster reading. In addition, the portal offers promotions such as a reading night, sponsored reading and reading contests . Only teachers, schools, and libraries can purchase Antolin licenses and share registration information for children and teens.
There are two apps from Antolin that are designed to promote children’s reading skills through reading, guessing and searching games. However, the quizzes on books are not included in the apps. The Antolin app for the 1. and 2nd class and for the 3. and 4th grade is available in the Google Play Store and the Apple Store. The apps cost €2.99 each.
Children and young people are provided with a user name and password. Then they get books from the library, from a reading box or from the shelf at home. They can read everywhere. At home, on the train or at school. After finishing the book or a chapter, children and young people can go to Antolin on a tablet, smartphone or PC, enter their book title and start a quiz about it. Antolin asks several questions: How did … come about? Who did they follow …? Why did … happen? Children and young people tap an answer and at the end they get points for finishing a quiz.
Antolin shows children and young people what they have read, how many books they have read and whether they have understood them well. These are welcome occasions to rejoice with the children. For trying hard and accomplishing something, for finishing a book in the general stress of school and the day. It happens again and again that children suddenly read much more than one would have believed them capable of. One child, who doesn’t usually read much, devoured an entire series of books over the vacations.
Antolin provides teachers and parents with meaningful information about their children’s text comprehension and reading performance. You can see progress on how much the kids have read and send them individual praise via a mailbox. Also, parents and teachers can award certificates and medals.
This digital listening pen – the successor to the TING pen – wants to do more than just read aloud, but offers a recording function so children can get creative themselves and also functions as an MP3 player.
The digital audio pen BOOKii is designed to help children discover books with all their senses. The principle that when illustrations and texts in media designed for the pen are tapped with the tip of the pen, dialogues, sounds and information are heard is common to all listening pens. Texts can be read aloud or you can get active yourself with interactive search and knowledge games.
The range of compatible books and games is constantly being expanded. So far, there are around 50 titles from various publishers. The popular WAS IST WAS? series is available for the BOOKii, as are language learning books from Langenscheidt.
Since the pen has a recording function, other books can also be expanded with read-aloud elements. The BOOKii comes with stickers that can be reloaded over and over again with your own recordings. For selected products for older readers, BOOKii – via a Bluetooth connection with a cell phone, tablet or PC – leads to videos or further links on the topic. The function as an MP3 player and the possibility to connect headphones also make the BOOKii attractive as a multifunctional digital listening pen.
It is exciting for children to experience the information they find in a book in different ways. If, for example, it is not only explained how the call of an owl sounds, but an audio example can also be played, this is an exciting reading experience for children.
The recording function and the associated stickers make the pen special. Children can record things themselves, sing or make sounds and add stickers with their recordings. These stickers can be stuck almost anywhere: in the favorite book, on the family calendar or in the school notebook of the sister.
With the successor model to its TING pen, Tessloff Verlag is focusing entirely on interactivity and openness. In addition, during the production process attention was paid to health and the environment: The BOOKii case is made of food-safe material and can be used even by small children. The packaging of the hearing pen and the case are produced in Germany and are recyclable.
Already in its first years, BOOKii received several nominations for prestigious game awards. The justifications emphasize that the pen promotes children’s auditory skills and that small guessing games train concentration.
Tessloff itself highlights the many possible applications for different ages, the possible promotion of language development and children’s cognitive abilities. Thus, according to the manufacturer, the hearing pen is also suitable for use in kindergartens, schools and other educational institutions.
Even if the operation seems child’s play, discover the listening pen and what can be done with it together with your child. There are a number of BOOKii starter packages for different age groups. They usually include a book, the pen with case and recording stickers.
If you want to discover a children’s book with the BOOKii, the associated files must be installed on the pen. To do this, it is best to connect the hearing pen to a PC or laptop. Connection and charging cables are included.
Find out what else is important about using listening pens in the family in our article “Using listening pens for an interactive reading experience“.
Read aloud pens are in vogue. The Anybook tries to stand out from the crowd by offering creative opportunities and support for learning above all else.
The Anybook listening pen and the included stickers can be used to implement your own audio projects. The pen has a recording function with which the stickers can be recorded. The stickers can be used as desired. Whether it’s a book, a game, or something similar. Any desired object can simply be pasted with a sticker for this purpose. There is also the possibility to assign audio files via the included Anybook Case software. The provider does not offer its own accessory products such as books.
With the Anybook reading pen, there are no limits to creativity. It is very easy to implement your own projects with the audio pen. Whether games, own small books or the like. Children have a lot of fun with this and find it exciting to hear their own recorded voice.
“Children who learn with the help of the Anybook Reader are particularly motivated because they engage with language and writing in such a playful way. The children’s curiosity is awakened.”. The provider AnyBook promises learning support and language promotion. It also offers exercises and ideas for this on its own website.
The Anybook is recommended for children over the age of three.
The Anybook reading pen is comparatively expensive at around €90. A somewhat cheaper alternative is, for example, the tiptoi reading pen, which also has a recording function in addition to many related products.
Anybook is only suitable for own projects, because it has to be discussed or recorded by yourself. However, this can be particularly conducive to creativity. If you’re still looking for inspiration, check out our posts on “Making Media Yourself.”
They want to help children learn to read or enhance the classic book with audio files: read-aloud pens. The digital listening pens bring a new reading experience for children and promise great learning effects. But how do the interactive pens work?
You can’t write with them, even though they look like a big pen. Such read-aloud, listening, or digital pens expand content from specially made books, puzzles, or games by tapping the pen tip on the symbols or codes they contain. The pen then plays the audio behind it – this can be animal sounds, music, sentences read aloud or prompts. Usually it is additional information and not the content that is already in the book anyway. The sound files can be downloaded from the Internet and loaded onto the pen.
It is exciting for children to experience information from a book in different ways. For example, not only explaining what an owl’s hoot sounds like, but also providing an audio example of it, enhances their learning experience. Children are better able to connect information through different sensory channels. In addition, it is a good feeling for children when they can trigger things themselves – even if you just don’t have time to read together with him. Such a pen can increase reading motivation through a playful approach and help with language development. Listening pens are suitable for children from about 3 to 10 years, depending on the model.
Despite these advantages, such pens are not a full substitute for reading aloud. Although a listening pen can help with understanding and learning a book, that should be your job as a parent, not any pen’s. Because with you, your child can ask questions and learn more than what is stored on a listening pen. In addition to the positive effects for learning, moments like reading together are also an important emotional experience for you and your child. A listening pen can be a good addition.
There are a number of different listening pens on the market. We present some of them in individual articles:
You can also find out here how to use listening pens to set your child’s favorite book to music.
