How to Read Digital Books
We will send you the younger and older reader shortlisted books in Adobe PDF and/or Microsoft Reader format. The three early years books are in Adobe PDF and Powerpoint.
To read the books on your computer you need either:
- Adobe Reader (Windows, MacOS or Linux) which is free to download;
- Microsoft Reader (Windows) which is also free to download;
- Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2007 which is again free to download.
Reading the book using Adobe Reader
- Download and install Adobe Reader;
- Once Adobe Reader is installed, open the CD and double click on the book to open it.
- If you want Adobe Reader to always open the book at the last page you read, click on Edit > Preferences > Documents and then tick Restore last view settings when reopening documents.
- You can use switches to 'turn the pages': plug your switches into your interface so that they operate the Page Up and Page Down keys, or the Left and Right arrow keys.
- Some quick instructions for reading the books are given below.
'How To' Guide for Adobe Reader
| To do this: | Do the following: |
|---|---|
| See the table of contents | View > Navigation Panels > Bookmarks or press F4 |
| Open the book at the last page you read | Edit > Preferences > Documents and click Restore last view settings when reopening documents |
| Go to the next page | Click the Down arrow in the toolbar, or press PageDown key, or press the Down Arrow key |
| Go to the previous page | Click the Up arrow in the toolbar, or press PageUp key, or press the Down Arrow key |
| Use Reading Mode (this hides the toolbars at the top of the screen) | View > Reading Mode or press CTRL+H |
| To use Full Screen Mode (this hides everything apart from the page) | View > Full Screen Mode or press CTRL+L |
| To see two pages at once | View > Page Display > Two Up |
| To change the colours | Edit > Preferences > Accessibility, tick Replace Document Colours and then choose the colour for the Page Background and the Document Text. |
| To have the book read out by the computer | View > Read OutLoud > Activate Read OutLoud There are a few ways to have the text read out: View > Read Out Loud > Read This Page Only View > Read Out Loud > Read To End of Document Or, choose the Select Tool (Tools > Select and Zoom > Select Tool), click on the text, and it will read out the sentence or paragraph you have clicked. |
| To change the computer voice | Edit > Preferences > Reading, untick Use default voice then choose a voice from the list. |
Reading the book using Microsoft Reader
- Download and install Microsoft Reader. If you want the computer to read the book out to you, download and install the Microsoft Reader Text-to-Speech Package 1.0;
- Once Microsoft Reader is installed, open the CD and double click on the book to open it.
- If this is the first time you have used Reader, click on Help on the front page and browse the Help file. Click on Settings to adjust the font size.
Keyboard Commands for Microsoft Reader
| Keyboard Shortcut: | Does the following: |
|---|---|
| PAGE UP | Move backward one page |
| PAGE DOWN | Move forward one page |
| ESC | Close a menu, or Close a page |
| Return | Close a book |
| Up/Down arrows | Move up and down the library page |
| ALT-L | Go back to the library page |
| ALT-S | Open the settings |
| CTRL-P | Start the speech (you may have to press TAB a few times until a word in the text is highlighted) |
| CTRL-S | Stop the speech |
| CTRL-F9 | Slow down the speech |
| CTRL-F10 | Speed up the speech |
Adjusting the computer voice
To use a different voice, or change the speed or pitch of the voice, click on Start > Control Panel > Speech and then on the Text to Speech tab. You will usually have Microsoft Mary, Mike and Sam but there may also be other voices on your computer such as Heather, the free Scottish. Choose the voice you want and adjust the speed to suit.
Reading the Book Award PowerPoint Books
The three Early Years books are in PowerPoint format. You need Microsoft PowerPoint or the free PowerPoint Viewer on your computer to read them. If you don’t have PowerPoint, you can install the Viewer from the CD by double clicking on PowerPointViewer.exe and following the instructions. You will then be able to open and read the books.
Recorded 'Switch Prompt' PowerPoints
Children with physical difficulties may use a switch to enable them to access the computer. These versions give the reader a prompt to use their switch to ‘turn the page’ and read the next part of the story.
How:
- Connect your switch interface to the computer.
- Plug your switch into the interface, making sure that your switch is acting like the ‘left click’ on the mouse. Some interfaces e.g. Crick USB interface will do this automatically.
Basically, this means that the pages will ‘turn’ only when the timed switch prompt symbol appears on the screen. (any accidental switch presses during the story will not move the page on before it’s been read out). The book will not work in this way if your switch is acting as the ‘space bar.’ However, you will still be able to switch access the book and enjoy the story.
Recorded PowerPoints
These versions can be used by either switch users who do not need ‘switch prompts’ and timings to read the book or by children who do not have physical difficulties, but who have a ‘print disability,’ which makes digital books more enjoyable and accessible for them.
How:
Use a switch and switch interface as before (acting as the ‘space bar’ or ‘left click’). You can use either because there are no timings saved with these PowerPoints.
Or
If the child is physically able to do so, they can use a left click on the mouse or space bar on the keyboard to turn the pages and have the pages of the story read to them. As there are no timings saved with these PowerPoints, the child can read and listen to the book at their own pace, moving on to the next page when they are ready to do so. This also gives them opportunity to interact and comment with a helper or another child as they are reading the story.
