Have you heard? Audible, the world's largest producer and distributor of digital audiobooks, has just launched a uniquely Canadian listening experience that that honours Canada's distinctive literary and theatrical tradition. Starting today, Canadians can enjoy specially curated content that features a growing collection of Canadian titles, along with an amazing selection of spoken-word content from around the world. What's more, Audible.ca is Audible's first bilingual website and currently offers over 100 new titles from Canadian authors in English et même en français! 

This exciting news hit the airwaves earlier today when Audible founder and CEO Don Katz joined Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood and actress Elisabeth Moss, who portrays Atwood's character Offred in the television production of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, at a special event in downtown Toronto. To celebrate the launch, Audible.ca is offering its special edition of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale for free to all Canadians for one month. When I was given early access to Audible.ca, this was the first title I downloaded onto my phone. Not only did I want to take advantage of this great promotion, I was so excited to learn that it is performed by Emmy award winner Claire Danes, who really brings the story to life.

Pour les francophones, Audible Canada vous offre aussi un petit cadeau exclusif. Vous pouvez obtenir gratuitement Le mur mitoyen par Catherine Leroux, lu par Julie Le Breton. Et écouter des livres audio, il n'y a rien de plus simple. Vous pouvez diffuser votre audio sur votre ordinateur ou le télécharger sur votre téléphone ou tablette.

As if the launch of Audible Canada during Canada's 150th year wasn't awesome enough, members have free access to original series, exclusive albums and stand-up recorded in comedy clubs in Canada and around the world. We're talking monthly Comedy Mixtape mixes hosted by the one and only Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall, Audible originals hosted by the likes of Parks & Recreation star Nick Offerman, and more.

And, of course, Audible Canada's user-friendly interface makes it easy to search by title or author, browse through categories such as Canadian titles, new releases, and bestsellers, and check out suggested titles based on your past purchases. Not ready to make a purchase or use a credit? Add it to your wish list in a matter of seconds. The good news is Canadians will enjoy price parity with Audible.com.  You can try it out for free for 30 days and cancel anytime or pay only $14.95 CAD per month thereafter. This will allow you to:

All you need to do is sign in using your Amazon.ca account. If you’re not an existing Audible.com user, download the Audible app and select Canada as your country.

If you’re an existing Audible.com user, you’ll still have access to your library by switching between the Canadian and U.S. marketplaces in-app. But a little birdie told me you'll be able to bring your libraries together by migrating your U.S. account to the Canadian marketplace. I'll be keeping an ear to the ground and will be sure to keep you updated.

Disclosure: I received early access to Audible.ca and other perks to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

For the longest time, I always believed that I was born in the wrong time period. When I was younger, I thought I most definitely belonged in the 50's and 60's when foxtrot, swing, hand jive and cha cha were all the rage. Now, in the 21st century, I can't help but think how much I would have thrived as a student today surrounded by educational technology and innovative ideas. Take, for example, the all-new Kindle E-reader. With its thin and ultra light design, kids can keep up with their latest novel study by reading an e-book version without screen glare, making it easy on the eyes. And because it holds thousands of books and boasts a battery that lasts for weeks, they can enjoy their own personal mobile library anywhere they go without distractions such as alerts or notifications. But what makes this device all the more innovative is the built-in Kindle FreeTime feature.

The Kindle FreeTime feature allows parents to set up profiles for their children and set reading goals. For example, you could set their daily reading goal to 30 minutes and, if they achieve that goal, they will be rewarded with achievement badges. Because you can customize these goals, you can slowly increase them as your child grows in their reading ability. Badges and personalized goals would have been a big motivator for me as a reluctant reader, I am sure. Parents are kept in the loop with a progress report that shows total time spent reading, number of words looked up, badges earned, and books read. Plus, they can rest assured that their kids are enjoying books in a simple, fun, and safe environment, knowing that they cannot access the browser or make purchases in the Kindle Store thanks to best-in-class parental controls.

While families can celebrate reading milestones with Kindle FreeTime achievement badges, kids reading their first chapter books can tackle more challenging books with a little help from Word Wise. Available on many popular English language titles, Word Wise provides short and simple definitions that automatically appear above difficult words, making it easier to enjoy and quickly understand what they are reading. They can also tap on a word to bring up a simple card with definitions, synonyms, and more, improving their vocabulary.

Discovering the customizable #kindlefreetime feature on the all-new #Kindle e-reader, a fun tool that rewards kids with achievement badges, records milestones and sends progress reports to parents. #ereader #edtech #techforkids #tech4kids #freetime #tech #techreview #amazon #amazonkindle #reading #twitter

A photo posted by Diana Mancuso (@torontomom) on Oct 5, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

To help you and your little ones celebrate reading milestones with Kindle FreeTime, one lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon.ca gift card! This could be used to purchase the all-new Kindle E-reader, which currently retails for $79.99, a protective cover or even to update your e-library. Simply leave a comment on this post sharing what you love most about the all-new Kindle E-reader or the Kindle FreeTime feature and complete the Rafflecopter form below. Open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received product samples and other perks to help facilitate this review. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

In the several years that I have been an elementary school teacher and a mother of two, I have come across my fair share of tools and teaching strategies designed to help young children learn to read. Many of these tools had certain characteristics that stood out as effective in building upon the basic skills required to become a fluent reader. When I think of what makes a teaching tool so successful, I think of its ability to appeal to a variety of learning styles, such as visual, auditory and tactile. Combine this with a personalized reading program based on 25 years of research, that also motivates the learner by way of gamification, and you have a unique reading experience that supports the learner in a way that is fun and engaging. Enter Ooka Island, a game-based reading app designed to help build confident readers.

Given the educational value of Ooka Island and the creative design and functionality of their iPad app, I have given it 4 1/2 stars out five. I would have given it a full five stars if there were a way of adjusting the settings so that we didn't have to see the intro to every game. You do have the option of clicking on "skip" but I feel it's an unnecessary added step. I would also love to see the addition of new games in future version updates and, if possible, a way to access the library when offline.

Share your love of reading with a budding bookworm in your life by gifting them a subscription to learn to read on Ooka Island!

Available now for the web and iOS, so kids PreK to Grade 2 can play and learn anywhere.

The Gift That Lasts a Lifetime

• STARTER SUBSCRIPTION - $39.99 - Gift a 3 month starter subscription to Ooka Island and jumpstart them into reading. An excellent choice for any kid!
• 1 YEAR PROGRAM - $99.99 - Gift a 12 month subscription and watch them become a confident reader! Recommended to complete program.
• 1 YEAR + FIRST LIBRARY - $149.99 - Gift their first paperback library by bundling the One Year Program with a colourful collection of 11 Ooka books!

The holidays are just around the corner and have I got a gift idea for the preschooler on your list! I'm talking about Ooka Island, where children become confident readers. Available via the web and iOS, kids in PreK to Grade 2 can play and learn anywhere. Ooka Island is a game based reading program built on 25 years of research and scientifically proven teaching methods. And now you can share your love of reading with a budding bookworm in your life by gifting them a subscription to learn to read. Each subscription provides all-inclusive access to 1000's of educational games and 85 eBooks wrapped in a 24-level adventure.

Luckily, I have not one, but TWO one-year Ooka Island subscriptions to give away. Winners will receive a special code to use or that you can pass along as a gift. Simply complete the Rafflecopter form below.

Pssst! I have a little secret I want to share with you.

It isn't something I talk about often but you may be surprised to learn that English was never my forte. In fact, I struggled with it when I was very young, especially when it came to reading. I dreaded book reports. I cheated on reading based fundraisers. And I even rented movies and purchased Coles Notes based on books I was "reading" in high school, all to avoid having to read more than I had to. If I could go back in time and change one thing, it would be to motivate my younger self to read. Read. Read. And read some more. Decoding was never the issue. I mastered that at a very young age. It was comprehension and vocabulary. If only there were something that could have helped me surmount that obstacle when I needed it most. Something like Ooka Island.

If there is one thing I can attest to as a teacher and as a parent, it's that reading plays a crucial role in the life of a child, not just academically but in real-world experiences as well. This is why the sooner a child learns to read, the greater his or her successes will be in school and beyond. Unfortunately, I have witnessed first-hand how the opposite can have the adverse effect. With the latest advances in technology, however, there are many ways to motivate early readers. Today children can stream their favourite videos that teach phonics or play online games that help with phonemic awareness. They can even build their vocabulary through flashcard apps and entertaining songs. But how about learning all this and more in one easy-to-use program that personalizes learning based on the child's needs? And dare we add the fun factor? That's pretty much the premise behind Ooka Island, the "coolest reading app ever" according to my son.

For the past month, my son has been testing out the Ooka Island iPad app and having so much fun playing games and unlocking new books. He thoroughly enjoys riding the virtual train through the Cave of Sounds and finding hidden sounds with the magnifying tool. But more than that, he loves succeeding and being rewarded with new e-books. And that's what I love, too. Watching him as he takes on mini challenges while building his level of confidence. It melts my heart. Because there is very little that I want more than to raise children who love to read. I want them to open their minds to amazing adventures and to experience the joys of reading without having to struggle.

Enter to win a one-year Ooka Island subscription here!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Ooka Island Blogger Program and have received special perks. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Today I share with you something that is near and dear to my heart. It's a chance to make a difference in the school where I work, a place with many diverse needs. It's an opportunity to touch the life of a child through a simple five-letter word: books. Through the efforts of Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, schools across the country have a chance to win up to $10,000 in books for their library. Because Indigo believes that a book can change a child’s life forever, as do I. In fact, a large majority of the books that my kids have outgrown have made their way into the school library or individual classroom libraries over the years, as well as books I have received for review. We are gradually replenishing the bookshelves with new and engaging books but we need your help.

I won't bombard you with the statistics or try to convince you that children's literacy matters. The fact that you haven't closed your browser window would indicate that you already know that and are interested in finding out how you can help. Yes, you could donate directly to our fundraiser, which would be just plain awesome. (Plus, since our school is considered 'high-needs', a $12 donation will earn 10 'adopts' in the giveaway! Just remember: if you plan to donate more than $12, maximize the number of adopts by breaking it up into $12 increments/day.) You could also plan your next purchase at the Coles location in Fairview Mall, which has kindly sponsored our school. But all I'm asking is for you to spare a minute or two and 'adopt' our school. The more 'adopts' we receive, the better our chances at winning free books for our library. Your daily support from now until October 10 would be greatly appreciated. To those who have already shown their support thus far, even if by merely re-tweeting or sharing our fundraising goal with your family and friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means so much!