Google has introduced new features for parents to make book reading easier for their children on its ebook digital distribution service Play Books.

Now, you can listen to a book read out loud, with a choice of whether the pages turn automatically or manually.

"Hear a word spoken out loud by tapping on any word on the book page. Read or listen to thousands of kid-friendly definitions, many of which have illustrations to support comprehension and learning," Google said.

With "Tap to Read", users can tap a word to hear it read out loud. The 'Kid-Friendly Dictionary' defines words for a young audience, often with illustrations on Google Play Books.

"When you are browsing in the Google Play Store or Google Play Books app, you'll find a large catalogue of books designated for ages 0-8, and the vast majority of these titles have reading tools enabled," the company informed.

You can also download a free sample of any children's book to confirm if reading tools are enabled for that title before purchasing the book.

Until recently, the Google Play Books user experience was primarily designed for proficient readers.

"With the launches of 'Teacher Approved Apps' and 'Google Kids Space' in 2020, we had an opportunity to rethink what learning to read means for younger readers, their parents and anyone else who may be a beginning reader," the company said.