BookFlix is a children’s reading resource available in-library or at home via the Internet. Intended for children ranging from Pre-K to third grade, the site provides access to audiovisual adaptations of classic storybooks from Weston Woods and new nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic. Classic stories available include: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Curious George Rides a Bike by H.A. Rey, Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham, and The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.

To give the service a try, visit the Library home page and click on the Scholastic Bookflix logo. On the next page, click on the “Home Access” link to utilize Bookflix from your home computer; if at a Library computer, click the “Go to Bookflix” logo. Home users will need to enter a Lakewood Public Library card number. Note: be sure to type the PLPL in capital letters as this site has made case sensitive the prefix of Lakewood Public Library cards! Parents and kids should note that when visiting the Library they can access BookFlix in the first-floor Children’s and Youth Services Computer Connections Room. Children may also play CD games in the center, so stop by and visit their computer center or, for more information, please call 216-226-8275, ext. 143.

Topics are organized into nine categories: Animals and Nature, Earth and Sky, People and Places, Music and Rhyme, Family and Community, ABCs and 123s, Adventure, Imagination, and Celebrations. Each category has many fiction-nonfiction pairings from which to choose, providing the opportunity for many hours of reading fun. Simply click on a category then choose a pairing by clicking on the Go button. In addition to browsing by category, a featured BookFlix pair (chosen based on its relevance to seasons, holidays, or other timely themes throughout the calendar year) can be accessed directly from the Home page.

The navigation menu for each pairing includes: Watch the Story, Read the Book, Puzzlers, Meet the Author and Explore the Web. “Watch the Story” provides access to an animated children’s storybook from Weston Woods. Some pairings are available in Spanish. Just look for an “Español” icon above the Go button of the pairing. “Read the Book” to view the related nonfiction content. Click the “Read Along” button so it displays “On” to have the story read aloud and displayed with word-by-word highlighting. The eBook is presented in flipbook format. Click on words highlighted in yellow to hear proper pronunciation of the word and to learn its definition. “Puzzlers” links to interactive educational games related to the specific pair. Games may include Word Match (reinforces key vocabulary from the nonfiction text by asking players to match a definition to the correct vocabulary word) or Fact or Fiction (underscores the differences between fiction and nonfiction by asking players to identify a series of statements as either fact or fiction). Clicking on the ear icons will read aloud game directions. “Meet the Author” provides a profile of the author of the story on which the video is based. Click on the ear icon to hear the profile read aloud. At the end of each profile is a link to the author’s Web site. “Explore the Web” provides access to editorially selected, age-appropriate Web links related to the pair topic for additional research, exploration, and inquiry.

In the Animals and Nature category, one might select the pairing of Bark, George and Pets at the Vet. Bark, George is a Jules Feiffer story, wonderfully narrated by actor John Lithgow, about a puppy whose mother takes him to visit the veterinarian. After listening to the story, open Pets at the Vet to read and learn about what a veterinarian does for our pets.

Kathleen Jouriles was the first parent in the Computer Connections Room to use BookFlix with her children, ages 8, 6, 5, and 3. When asked about BookFlix she noted that liked the service, "I think it will be an excellent tool for children of all ages [and] I really like the convenience of being able to access this from home."

Technical Requirements
Since BookFlix runs in any modern web browser, most operating systems will be able to run the site. I tested the site in Windows, OS X and Ubuntu Linux and encountered no problems. Your browser will need the Adobe Flash plugin. Scholastic recommends at least a 15-inch monitor with the resolution set at 1024×768 for best viewing (will operate fine at 800×600).