Annie’s Books Online is a part of Annie’s Resource Attic offering the main books from the various activity sets in HTML format. I’ve started this section to support users of this web site who do not have multimedia applications that can display movies, play sounds, and handle non-linear activities. Enjoy all the action in these books online by going to them from your browser, just as you would go to any other web page.

For example, if you’ve been downloading the books in PDF format, you haven’t been able to hear the sounds or see movies. With this new option, you can go through the books online and experience all the multimedia features. Then print out PDF versions of the books plus related tests, writing, and other activities to use off computer.

This page is an index to all the online books, although they are also accessible from the main post for each activity set. In addition, check out the tips below about what’s required to use these books successfully with whichever browser you are using.

Index To Online Books-Links

Application needed: QuickTime, any web browser

Jack-’O-Lantern Book link: pumpkin/index.html Book lets you choose features to construct nine different pumpkin faces.

Little Toot Book link: toot/index.html Book about the cutest little boat you have ever seen! Movies require QuickTime.

Snow Books link: snow/index.html Menu page with links to two books to read online. Movies require QuickTime.

Tide Pools Books link: tidePools/index.html Menu page with links to the three Tide Pools books to read online. Movies require QuickTime.

Visiting A Petting Farm Book link: pettingFarm/index.html Explore the farm, choosing your own route, petting the animals, feeding them, and hearing them react. Movies require QuickTime.

Wrapping A Gift Book link: giftwrap/index.html Activity to read and complete online. Plan to print the final page. Click here for extra help with this activity.

How To Get The Most From Annie’s Books Online

• Since they include large sized text and a generous graphic, book pages may scroll off the bottom of the screen. This could hide navigation buttons. To avoid this, temporarily close your browser’s bookmarks and navigation toolbars to gain some space. You can do this under the View menu. Don’t use full screen, though, because movie pages would play behind the page and not be visible.
• The books have large graphics, so allow a few seconds for each page to load. Once you have been through a book, you should be able to go through it faster if you read it a second time.
• If your browser loads slowly, the movies may be jerky the first time they play, since they are loading while playing. Play a movie again using the movie controller, and it should run smoothly.
• You must have QuickTime® installed to see the movies in these books. If you have iTunes® installed, then you already have QuickTime. You can test if your system is ready to run the movies in the books by looking at the movie near the bottom of this page about a kingbird nest.
• If you need to install QuickTime, click here to go to the Apple Computer® site, download QuickTime for your operating system, and install it.
• Be careful not to click the main page right after clicking a Play Movie or Look Closer button. The floating window is set to open on top, but if you click the main page, that selects it and will jump it in front of the movie page. If this happens, slide the main page aside and click the movie page to make it come to the front.

Typical Features of Annie’s Books Online

When you click a link to a single book, the cover page opens. It has buttons leading back to this page (Help), to more related activities (the Main Page for this activity set), and to the Annie’s Resource Attic Welcome! page.

Important: Be sure you can also see the red Next Page arrow at the lower right! If you can see it, you’ll be able to read the entire book without having to scroll down to read the bottom of the page. If you can’t see it, either adjust the size of your browser window, if your monitor is large enough to show a larger area, or temporarily close the navigation and bookmarks toolbars of your browser. You can open them again when you are finished with the online book.

Typical Book Page
A typical online book page has a photo or original art and under that a text area with 24 point text on a white background. Simpler books have 36 point text. Buttons lead to other pages, either Next and Previous or jumping to multiple locations.

If there is a movie, it will open in a floating window. Click the black button on the movie to play it, and close the floating window when finished. Floating windows are also used for other information. In some places, a button lets students look closer, or explore additional information about what’s on a page.

Glossary and More Info Pages
Another use of the floating window is to provide a glossary that can be opened from any page. These extra information windows would appear in books written for older students, particularly science books. Simple story books might not need these at all.

Online Books Menu Pages
Sometimes there will be a set of several related online books. If so, the link from this page leads to a menu page with several book cover buttons. Clicking a button opens a book, and on the book cover is a Go Home button to return to the menu page.

An online books menu page also has links across the top that go back to this help page, to the main post for the activity set where tests, writing activities, and other resources can be downloaded, and a link back to the Welcome page of Annie’s Resource Attic.