CD-Rom -- ''Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library 3''

"Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library 3" The Learning Co. (800) 852-2255 Windows, Macintosh $35

Want your kid to learn to read? Let a rabbit help.

As in Reader Rabbit, the floppy-eared pedagogue from The Learning Co., whose Reader Rabbit series establishes the benchmark for learn-to-read software.

The latest addition to the line is "Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library 3," a CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh PCs. The software features two classic stories, "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg."

Which could be a major yawn, especially if the child is familiar with the stories. But some very thoughtful programming turns it into quite the opposite. Each story may be told from more than one viewpoint. In "The Princess and the Pea," Sam the Lion will read a third-person narrative, or the two young royals offer first-person narratives. In "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg," you can choose the Farmer or the Goose.

The illustrations for both stories are charming, and they're interactive, so clicking on something in the illustration will trigger an animation or sound surprise.

In addition to the stories, the software has activities: matching story-related words to pictures, putting story events in the correct order, and corresponding with storybook characters who offer personalized responses.

The target audience is children ages 5 to 8, and the software recognizes that at the reading pace it sets, highlighting text as the words are sounded. Users can also read the text themselves, clicking on to the next page.