And I'm just not talking about Mickey Mouse, I'm talking about a computer mouse too!  Disney Digital Books provides a whole library of Disney books for readers of all levels, that will help keep (or learn!) a love for reading.

Amber has always been a reluctant reader. She reads well, but finding content that interests her is always a chore.  Disney Digital books however, has kept her busy the last couple of weeks for her required homeschool reading.  She has discovered the Jack Sparrow books and is reading longer than I require her, because she is liking them so much.

Based entirely through your web browser, Disney Digital Books has books with all the characters that your kids love: of course there are books with Mickey and Minnie, Cars, Wall-E and the favorite Princesses.  Your pre-school aged children will be delighted to encounter Playhouse Disney characters, and those moody tweens will enjoy (yes enjoy!) reading books with the stars from High School Musical, Camp Rock and Pirates too.  With over 500+ books, there is something for everyone.

One doesn't even need to know how to read to use the service, as the books range from look-and-listen for the very young to chapter books for the advanced crowd. 

The features in the program are great.  For those whose vocabularies are still budding, you can use the Magic Pen to highlight the word, then press on the dictionary icon and voila, instant definition.  Or they can listen to how the word is pronounced if they are unsure. 

Trivia questions throughout the book, let the parents know that their children are comprehending what they are reading. For answering correctly and progressing through the pages, the reader accumulates points that they can redeem for rewards, such as certificates and extra content.

Do you have aspiring authors in your home?  The story-builder allows children to insert words and pictures to create their own unique story based on known stories.  These stories can then be saved and printed.

Since Amber is the one who has really been using this (although I admit, I did sit down and read an Ariel chapter book!) I asked her to write down her impressions and this is what she gave me:

I've been hanging out with the third-level books, specifically the Jack Sparrow series (when he was a swashbuckling teenager!)  While reading them, I was impressed by the smooth reading, fast response time to turning pages, and that the illustrations in the books loaded quickly from page to page.  Disney Digital Books is a cool, interactive way to read.

Because it is entirely web based and there is no software to download, this is a great way to keep books with your kids if you have internet access through a laptop and a wi-fi connection.  We don't have one, but I can imagine we would put it to good use in waiting rooms, the car, airports and restaurants if we did!

Disney Digital Books costs $8.95 for a monthly family subscription - which includes a parent account and up to three children. If you decide this is a service you'll use for a while, you can save by paying $79.95 for a year. The site offers a free seven-day trial — no credit card is required however there is limited access until a subscription is purchased.

My family was given a 30 day free trial to Disney Digital Books for review purposes.