Arthur’s Teacher Trouble, a software title in the "Living Book" series, recounts the story of a boy’s trouble with his strict teacher. His teacher assigns homework on the first day of school and gives a one-hundred word spelling test the first week of school. The two people from the class that spell all of the words correctly get to be in the school-wide spelling bee. This is a story that teaches that hard work pays off. The story is accessible through two modes, "Read to Me" and "Let Me Play." In the "Read to Me" mode, the story is read and the words are highlighted, so the child can follow along. The story is also animated. In the "Let Me Play" mode, the child can go from page to page and click around the illustrated page to discover hidden animated pictures and surprises. The student can also click on words, and the narrator will highlight the words and say them. The "Options" section allows the users to go to the page of their choice within the story.

The program is appropriate to the target population; children will enjoy listening to the story and watching the animation. The program is easy to use, and children can listen to and follow along with the directions. The program provides more dialogue than the original story. I feel the program is free of bias and ethnic stereotypes.  

The program is easy to run but does require that the child be able to use a mouse to click. A little helper points to the options the user can choose. The pictures are the same as those in the book. Young children would like them, but older children might get impatient with the program. The voice that reads has a very nurturing tone, and young children would like listening to it.

The program makes good use of technology. It doesn’t just read the story, but it highlights the text, and the characters are animated throughout the text. I would have liked to have seen something added to the program to make it more interactive, such as a game or a writing activity where the children could have predicted an ending or write about their favorite part. For young children the program is motivating to listen to and teaches new words. The program does not have any added tools for construction. The program would work well as a free-time activity in the classroom. The teacher can’t track students' progress but can look to see if children understand vocabulary that they might be practicing in reading and writing.

The students' role in this program is to listen to a story. Students can see the characters move and hear the characters say some comments that are not in the written text. The students can go at their own pace in the "Play" option, but the "Read" option is computer run. The student can use this program to build confidence as a reader and to enjoy reading. After using the program, the students might apply strategies that they learned in the program to their independent reading in the classroom.

The teacher cannot modify the software; however, the teacher can design extension activities to be used while the student is using the program or after the students have finished with the software. While the students are using the program, the teacher can work as a coach and ask questions about the story. The teacher might give the students some questions to think about after using the program.

The program is best used on an individual basis. It is a well suited to those times when students finish work early or when the students can use a computer as a free-choice activity. The story has a theme about siblings. This would be an appropriate story to use when discussing siblings. A teacher could design a whole thematic unit about siblings. For young readers, a teacher could use this for a lesson on retelling a story. The teacher could introduce story maps. Older children could make up their own Arthur story.

Overall, the program is a good addition to a literature-based classroom. The program would give children a chance to use a computer program that was appropriate for them. It would help those who are not risk-takers in reading to feel successful. The teacher could use it for a pre-reading activity before she introduced the book to the class. The program could also be used to teach children if they work hard, they would be successful in what they worked for.

I gave this program a 7 because of the limited amount of activities that a student can do with it. I think it is a wonderful program for listening to a story and helping reluctant readers to feel successful. However, Children who are reading fluently might lose interest with because they are not challenged to do enough with the program.