tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23121630327814754542024-03-16T02:20:04.853-05:00dot.MommingMusings on middle-grade, young adult, picture books and e-books
for parents, librarians, writers, and readersKate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-88525404184288671612012-09-12T06:08:00.000-05:002012-09-12T06:08:01.141-05:00Part 2: Behind the Scenes With 'Bobo'This is the second part of dotMomming's interview with Juraj Hlavac, the man behind the ground-breaking app <i><b>Bobo Explores Light</b></i>. Look for more enriching, educational apps from him and his development studio <a href="http://gamecollage.com/">GameCollage</a>.
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<b>dotMomming: You've also produced two other app picture books - <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-little-mermaid-other-stories/id377580702?mt=8">The Little Mermaid</a></i> and <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/three-little-pigs-secrets/id407384876?mt=8">The Three Little Pigs</a></i> - along with some game apps. But currently in the App Store, there are dozens of Little Mermaids and Little Pigs. What about more original stories? Do you see GameCollage adapting existing stories or producing completely original stories?</b><br />
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<b>Juraj Hlavac:</b> I can see GameCollage going both ways. Both <i>The Little Mermaid</i> and <i>The Three Little Pigs</i> were stepping stones in understanding the technology and developing a framework as a basis for future apps. In that same vein, Bobo is a stepping stone to the next thing, whatever that may be.<br />
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My personal passion lies in education because I believe that so much more can be accomplished in that space. The problem, up until now, was that technology and education were always somehow incompatible. Either technology was too expensive or too cumbersome to be integrated effectively in the classroom setting. However, that's quickly changing. A teacher can invest into an iPad for only $300 and kids walk around with their parents' old iPhones in their pockets. The proliferation and the portability of these devices means that the classrooms are more ready now than they ever were to experience software that actually makes a difference in not only how kids learn, but how they approach learning.<br />
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So, to answer your question, I'm less concerned about whether the next set of stories will be adaptions of existing content or something entirely new, as long as they keep exciting and inspiring kids to read and to learn.<br />
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<b>DM:</b> Bobo was a great example of high-minded book creation for kids - packed with information about big science concepts like how light works, how the eye sees, and so much more, it was full of quality learning. But the way kids could interact with the information and mess around with the app tools was what made it remarkable. It represents some of the best of what digital learning can be. So there's a high mark. But on the other side, you're also making games like Pop Fizz Gold that offers "hours of relaxing fun." So what are you guys? High or low digital entertainment?<br />
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<b>JH:</b> Indeed, <i>Bobo</i> comes in a wake of other apps of smaller scope, such as the casual game Pop Fizz you mention. However, I see that as less of a conflict and more as evolution. I began GameCollage in the spirit of exploring new technology and understanding what apps are and what they can be. To borrow the analogy I mentioned earlier, they were all stepping stones to the next thing. As I progressed through this journey, I gained some valuable skills on how to write code for the iOS devices as well as inside knowledge on how to harness the power of the app store.<br />
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To that effect, all the other apps I've published earlier are not so much incongruent with the current goals of GameCollage as they are a nostalgic testament to the journey I took to get here. Plus they are still fun games that people enjoy, so I keep them current in the store.<br />
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<b>DM: What's next?</b><br />
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<b>JH: </b>At this very moment we are finishing up a fairly substantial Bobo update that will make the app harness the new iPad retina display. After that, stay tuned for the next big thing. When the time comes, I'll announce it on <a href="https://twitter.com/gamecollage">Twitter</a> (@GameCollage) as well as on the GameCollage <a href="http://gamecollage.com/blog/">website</a>. Consider yourself warned.<br />
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In all seriousness, this has been a great and extremely rewarding journey for me and I'm excited to keep evolving. With a bit of luck, the hope is to keep bringing more richness and value to the apps available to all kids world-wide that, in their small way, make a difference.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-26176399136846164912012-09-06T08:20:00.000-05:002012-09-06T08:20:14.405-05:00Behind the Scenes With 'Bobo'When judging the Cybils last year, we fell in love with a little app called <i><b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bobo-explores-light/id463809859?mt=8">Bobo Explores Light</a></b></i>, from the developers at <a href="http://gamecollage.com/">GameCollage</a>. Through dazzling animations and fun interactivity, <i>Bobo</i> took readers on an engaging exploration of one of science's major concepts: light. Since that time, the adorable little robot, Bobo, has lingered in our mind. And we've wondered who and what was behind this impressive project. So dotMomming reached out to Juraj Hlavac, the founder of GameCollage and former Microsoft software engineer, to learn more about Bobo.<br />
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<b>dotMomming: How did you come up with the idea for Bobo. Is it completely original, or was it a paper book first? What were you hoping to accomplish? Can you speak to the "ah-ha" moment when you first decided to try your hand at an app?</b><br />
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<b>Juraj Hlavac:</b>I grew up with a Czech translation of a book for kids by Joe Kaufman, entitled <i><b>Why and How</b></i>, that explained how things worked. The details were simplified, but the concepts were accurate. I loved that book. I remember spending many hours flipping through it examining the insides of airplanes, tracing the force lines of levers and pulleys, and generally getting excited about the science of things. Many years later when the iPad first arrived, it occurred to me that it would be the perfect medium to convey that same set of ideas except in a way that was much more interactive. The levers and pulleys could actually move this time!<br />
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I started exploring those concepts with an interactive book I created prior to Bobo. I took the story of <i><b>The Three Little Pigs</b></i> and spruced it up with mechanical elements that moved individual pictures around the page. However, you could also active an X-ray mode, that allowed you to see the actual mechanical gizmos underneath.<br />
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With Bobo I continued to expand on that concept. However, to make the content more enticing, I thought about introducing a robot to be your guide. The idea was to inspire kids about learning by giving them a companion to befriend that would share their adventure. I ran the idea by my brother who has always been a huge inspiration to me and as soon as I mentioned the robot to him, he blurted out: "Ah... And his name should be Bobo!" So that's how the robot was born.<br />
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The scale of project was a little daunting for a single guy working out of his home office. So I paired with two very talented individuals, illustrator <a href="http://www.deanmacadam.com/">Dean MacAdam</a> and writer Craig Fusco, who helped me bring the app to fruition. It took us seven months of hard work to put all the pieces together, but we were very excited about how the final product turned out.<br />
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<b>DM: Bobo was a serious contender for the Cybils Award for best app. What set it apart from the crowd was the incredible use of technology to serve the reader, a child. Did you have young readers in mind as you created the book? Did you build off of familiar approaches with children's books? Or did you scrap everything that came before and look at <i>Bobo</i> as completely original?</b><br />
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<b>JH: </b>The idea behind <i>Bobo</i> was to push across all fronts - technological, visual, and educational. We weren't chained to existing content that we just needed to adopt into the digital medium, and that gave us a lot of freedom. The iPad offers tremendous advantages over other technologies because of its portability, extreme ease of use, and computational power. As a result, it opens up all sorts of options that allow apps to depart from the traditional approach of "books," especially when it comes to education, and we wanted to explore those possibilities to their fullest.<br />
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One of our goals from the start was to engage a wide audience of children. We structured an enormous amount of content in a non-linear fashion that allowed kids to dive into each topic the app discussed at whatever level was appropriate for them. For example, my two-year-old nephew loved to navigate to the disco page and dance along with Bobo without having any real interest in the science behind it. At the same time, older kids have the option to dig deeper into a given topic through a range of supporting articles, narrated slide shows, and some pretty awesome videos whose authors graciously donated their work to the project.<br />
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I think at the end, we arrived at a product that begins to explore what iPads could mean for education, although there are still many more avenues to explore in this genre. And that's what we plan to focus on next.<br />
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<b>DM: Who were the players who helped create <i>Bobo</i>? GameCollage is a "small and nimble" company, can you talk about what skills your group brings to the table?</b><br />
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<b>JH:</b> At it's core, GameCollage is a one-man-show, consisting of me and my single laptop. It's actually quite surprising what one can crank out with that little machine. However, for the <i>Bobo Explores Light</i> project, I've partnered with the writer Craig Fusco and illustrator Dean MacAdam as I mentioned earlier. This collaboration freed me up to focus more on the concept design, project development, sound design, and marketing and PR once the app was finished.<br />
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I think the No. 1 skill I like to foster in myself as well as in the people who join me is the ability to wear multiple hats at the same time and be willing to dive into disciplines outside of our comfort zones. We never had to outsource any part of the project to third parties and managed to produce all components in-house - from sound design, through video production, to PR and marketing. That flexibility allowed us to operate on a shoestring budget and still manage to turn profit without having to resort to external funding. To me, a functioning company is one that is self-sufficient so rather than making large claims and failing on the promises, my goal was to start small and build from ground up. So far that has been a successful strategy and I'm excited to continue going down this path.<br />
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<b>THERE'S MORE! LOOK FOR PART 2 OF THIS INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK AT <a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/">DOTMOMMING</a>.</b>Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-56449915467102787982012-06-30T13:28:00.000-05:002012-06-30T13:29:55.754-05:00E-Book Pricing and the DoJ Collusion Lawsuit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Agency model vs. wholesale model. Price fixing. Amazon. Apple.<br />
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There has been a lot of news lately about e-books, and this week saw the announcement of a trial date for the fate of e-book pricing, as the Department of Justice will square off against Apple and two major publishers a year from now, on June 3, 2013. For consumers and writers, it's worth paying attention.<br />
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The original DoJ lawsuit had been filed against Apple and five major publishers, alleging a conspiracy of e-book price fixing as they tried to mount a battle against Amazon and what some call its "predatory pricing."<br />
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At the heart of the matter is the charge that Apple and the publishers worked together to get the e-book industry to rely on the "agency model" of pricing, and thus raise the price of e-books. This seemed to be their best defense against Amazon, which follows the "wholesale model" that allows it to price e-books far below what publishers recommend.<br />
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Also in this arrangement was Apple staking claim to "most favored nation" status, which meant publishers could not offer their e-books cheaper anywhere else on the web than the Apple Store. This move quickly translated to higher e-book prices for Amazon’s Kindle store. Three publishers -- HarperCollins, Hachette, and Simon & Schuster -- have agreed to a settlement that has <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/apr/16/opinion/la-oe-shermer-apple-collusion-lawsuit-20120416">drawn the ire</a> of many in the industry. But the two others -- Macmillan and Penguin -- are staying with Apple and fighting the suit.<br />
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For those wanting to understand this case more fully, <a href="http://www.macstories.net/stories/understanding-the-agency-model-and-the-dojs-allegations-against-apple-and-those-publishers/">MacStories</a> offers a helpful explanation of what's at stake and did a tremendous job breaking down the jargon. And, pointy-headed reader that I am, I found its simple graphics went a long way in defining the terminology:<br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Wholesale model: </b>retailers buy books at a wholesale price and then sell them at a price they determine is best, whether at the publisher's suggested higher retail price or, as Amazon does to promote interest in the Kindle, at a deeply reduced price</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Agency model: </b>publishers control pricing and simply sell through "agents," retailers like Amazon or Apple, who cannot set a book's cost </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">And a new one on me, the <b>Most Favored Nation</b> clause, which requires the wholesaler to provide the retailer, in this case Apple, with the best wholesale price and thus protects Apple from having to compete. Through MFN, Apple always has the lowest-possible e-book price available</span></li>
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Whether you see Amazon as an evil behemoth out to undercut any possible profit you could make off your book, or as a savior helping bring digital books to the masses at cheap prices, there is a lot to consider in this case.<br />
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This article from <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406319,00.asp">PCMag</a> explains the week's developments -- framing what the issues are for both sides as the lawsuit moves to trial. Apple, which had sought an earlier trial date, denies the charges and says the company brought competition to the e-book world where Amazon did not. But says <span style="background-color: white;">Attorney General Eric Holder in bringing the collusion charges, ". . . </span><span style="background-color: white;">we believe that consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles." </span><br />
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For the long view, check out indie e-book distributor <a href="http://blog.smashwords.com/2012/03/does-agency-pricing-lead-to-higher-book.html">Smashwords</a>, which offers an in-depth look at the case, with both the short- and long-term effects, and what it means for authors (it has published more than 130,000 e-books) in its article written back in March 2012. "<span style="background-color: white;">Ever since we adopted the agency model," the article states, "I had faith that in a free market ecosystem where the supply of product (e-books) exceeds the demand, that suppliers (authors and publishers) would use price as a competitive tool, and this would naturally lead to lower prices."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">And for some interesting perspectives,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/scott-turow-responds-to-doj-agency-model-suit_b50100" style="background-color: white;">GalleyCat</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">features strong opinions about Amazon's actions, </span><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/04/11/price-fixing-suit-could-be-a-spot-on-apple" style="background-color: white;">U.S. News</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">says price fixing could hurt Apple, and the</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/consumer-federation-of-america-defends-doj-ebook-lawsuit_b53499" style="background-color: white;">Consumer Federation of America</a><span style="background-color: white;">'s top spokesman says critics of the DoJ lawsuit "are engaging in a luddite rant against change."</span>Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-75852185604649368082012-05-29T12:12:00.001-05:002012-05-29T12:12:54.285-05:00Print Books Never Lose Battery Life at BedtimeThe Joan Ganz Cooney Center has come out with some interesting studies about print books and e-books, and their peppy cousin the enhanced e-book. The results, which you can read at <a href="http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/for-reading-and-learning-kids-prefer-e-books-to-print-books/">Digital Book World</a>, are significant not only for the learning they show among young readers, but also for the perceptions parents have about the way young people read. Look for a complete report on the survey by the end of this summer.<br />
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There seems to be a bit of a disconnect.<br />
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One study showed that kids, ranging in age from 3 to 6 years, preferred reading an e-book to a paper book. And it looked at their comprehension rates, showing no difference between the paper format and the digital one. This study was small but is one of the first of its kind to attempt to determine if there is a preference or difference in how kids take in stories.<br />
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When you add the enhanced e-books like picture book apps into the mix, allowing for more finger swiping and tip tapping, comprehension rates drop, the study shows. Food for thought for teachers incorporating picture book apps into the classroom, but also great fodder for app producers trying to stay true to book apps as learning tools for young readers.<br />
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In another Cooney Center study, taking the pulse of 1,200 parents, it might come as no surprise to learn that <a href="http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/parents-prefer-reading-print-books-with-their-children-survey-says/">parents prefer print books</a> over digital when they read with their children. But the interesting tidbit here is that they believe their children do too. (Parents, see above study.)<br />
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I can't disagree with the Old Guard in this survey. And though I don't want to be lumped in with any of the hysteria around parents worrying that <a href="http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2011/are-childrens-e-books-really-terrible-for-your-children/">tablets are turning their readers into zombies</a>, I'll be the first to admit that I still love snuggling up on a pillow with my kids and sharing a paper book. While I am fine with my kids reading a novel or picture book app on the iPad during the day, there is something intrusive about having a screen on at bedtime.<br />
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Many of us spend a big part of our day policing screen time and knocking our kids off the electronic toys and out onto the green stuff growing in the yard. So while it's good to see studies that show positives around children's engagement with digital books, it will likely take a while for parents to get behind the notion of a glowing screen on when the stars come out.<br />
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What about you? What do your kids prefer? And how do you read to them at bedtime?Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-26596058555602573502012-03-16T09:57:00.000-05:002012-03-16T09:57:11.421-05:00Betsy Bird's Top Picture Books Poll and AppsI love lists. Making them, marking things off of them, threatening to put my children on them. Lists for top movies and songs are always helpful when I'm feeling indecisive about what to play. And lists for books are precious for addled brains like my own when I'm at the library or bookstore and feeling overwhelmed by all my choices.<br />
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So when Betsy Bird announced a new poll on her <a href="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/03/15/announcing-the-new-top-100-polls/">Fuse #8 blog</a> for top picture books and chapter books, I was very excited. It's fun to consider what stories stand the test of time, and what new authors and books are essential to any bookshelf. And for dotMomming, I want to know if the best books for kids are becoming available in digital format.<br />
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The current poll repeats the enormous feat Betsy pulled off in 2009. Here are the top 10 picture books that made the list then:<br />
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<li><i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> by Maurice Sendak (1963)</li>
<li><i>Goodnight Moon</i> by Margaret Wise Brown (1947) </li>
<li><i>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</i> by Eric Carle (1979)</li>
<li><i>The Snowy Day</i> by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)</li>
<li><i>Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus</i> by Mo Willems (2003)</li>
<li><i>Make Way for Ducklings</i> by Robert McCloskey (1941)</li>
<li><i>Harold and the Purple Crayon</i> by Crockett Johnson (1955)</li>
<li><i>Madeline</i> by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)</li>
<li><i>Millions of Cats</i> by Wanda Gag (1928)</li>
<li><i>Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale</i> by Mo Willems (2004)</li>
</ol>
Way back in 2009, the iPad was only a glimmer in Apple's eye. It wasn't released until April 2010, so the idea of enhanced picture books was still a ways off. But what about now? How many of these top picture books can you download in the App Store today?<br />
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<i><b>Where the Wild Things Are?</b> </i>Nope. And judging by Maurice Sendak's feelings about e-books, it would take a lot of convincing to bring about an app.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUeyzaxM0xYpvr9tSIU8pokdxUGo7c0q-B9BLG8bI3N6BomRpMMayN_BqXZXbUXMhfbKCKOC8Rxp0S0FOJxCMr-nL-3T45lWJzcRpLPlb1TLMUmBERDw7NLvykZ9E3ui8_R-24sykoGNp/s1600/Caterpillar+App.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUeyzaxM0xYpvr9tSIU8pokdxUGo7c0q-B9BLG8bI3N6BomRpMMayN_BqXZXbUXMhfbKCKOC8Rxp0S0FOJxCMr-nL-3T45lWJzcRpLPlb1TLMUmBERDw7NLvykZ9E3ui8_R-24sykoGNp/s200/Caterpillar+App.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Goodnight Moon?</i> What you find in app format is not the picture book. <i><b>Very Hungry Caterpillar?</b></i> Here's the first of these top 10 books to appear in the App Store, though it's not the picture book but rather a math game featuring the adorable caterpillar and Eric Carle's lovely fruit. <i><b>The Snowy Day?</b></i> Nope.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckg6XDWV5vmPz6WA3nSaluzB6PPCMm6WUPWp5TDCdWrCXikqyTm_6ZOkaPGLNjUFgKo-JIgoqYNoM7tRaKYt8RtHlfDnUQkBeZrbK01IHmBK4tms5ubExbnO1XdPCBiaZjlPWvvj3z3Bi/s1600/Pigeon+App.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckg6XDWV5vmPz6WA3nSaluzB6PPCMm6WUPWp5TDCdWrCXikqyTm_6ZOkaPGLNjUFgKo-JIgoqYNoM7tRaKYt8RtHlfDnUQkBeZrbK01IHmBK4tms5ubExbnO1XdPCBiaZjlPWvvj3z3Bi/s200/Pigeon+App.jpg" width="200" /></a>Mo Willems' <b><i>Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus</i> </b>arrived in app format in October 2011 as <i><b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dont-let-pigeon-run-this-app!/id459749670?mt=8">Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App!</a></b></i> (Disney, $6.99). Rather than provide the same content as the paper book, Willems' app lets young readers create their own pigeon stories again and again. Willems is clearly committed to traditional reading and ventured into digital books reluctantly, describing e-books in<a href="http://books.usatoday.com/bookbuzz/post/2011-10-28/mo-willems-releases-app-based-on-dont-let-the-pigeon-drive-the-bus/558834/1"> <i>USAToday</i></a>, "With all their bells and whistles and word jumbles and assorted narrative killers, after we turn them on, they don't need us."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1xV0vsdSZmVnoZKripOau8Es7KHFY-GngYIY9qYAmB_pVP92kHJ-zhJmaiUTZH4gvGzK6eho4V1UhbLhjJpj0-0AC2JDEkQaI-IODFjlV2I9mtLsaBsIf8-sMzGok-Jw_rL7ivektC58/s1600/Harold+Moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1xV0vsdSZmVnoZKripOau8Es7KHFY-GngYIY9qYAmB_pVP92kHJ-zhJmaiUTZH4gvGzK6eho4V1UhbLhjJpj0-0AC2JDEkQaI-IODFjlV2I9mtLsaBsIf8-sMzGok-Jw_rL7ivektC58/s200/Harold+Moon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i><b>Make Way for Ducklings</b></i> app? Nope. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/harold-and-the-purple-crayon/id450829541?mt=8"><b><i>Harold and the Purple Crayon</i></b></a> (Trilogy Studios, $6.99) is available in a lovely app format that made the <a href="http://www.cybils.com/2011-finalists-book-apps.html">CYBILS app finalist list</a> this year. <i><b>Madeline? </b></i>Nope. <b><i>Millions of Cats?</i></b> Nope. <i><b>Knuffle Bunny?</b></i> Not yet, but there might be hope.<br />
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"I didn't want to be some reactionary luddite," Willems says in the <i>USAToday</i> interview. "I'm not saying everything electronic is evil."<br />
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Check out the rules for nominating your picks for the top 100 picture books and chapter books on the Fuse#8 blog and then email your favorites to Betsy Bird at <a href="mailto:Top100Poll@gmail.com">Top100Poll@gmail.com</a>. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern on April 15, 2012.</div>
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</div>Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-36068738924623419192012-03-06T05:05:00.000-06:002012-03-06T05:05:00.686-06:00Auryn's Founder on Storytelling OpportunitiesWe heard from author-illustrator <a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2012/02/author-artist-shanahan-debuts-with.html">Sue Shanahan</a> last month about her beautiful new app, <i>Love You to the Moon and Back</i>, from award-winning app producer Auryn. This week dotMomming features Umesh Shukla, founder and CEO of <a href="http://auryn.com/">Auryn</a>, to find out more about the app market, picture books, and children's literacy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/childrens/app-developers-watch-auryn/">Kirkus Reviews</a> calls the Auryn team "some of the best developers in the business." And through collaborations with legendary children's authors like <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bunny-fun-head-shoulders-knees/id427884894?mt=8">Rosemary Wells</a>, it is establishing itself as a serious player in the highly competitive children's app market. Readers who are not yet familiar with Auryn's books can get up to speed quickly this month as Auryn plans to give away a <a href="http://blog.auryn.com/2012/02/29/auryn-celebrates-national-reading-month/">free picture book app</a> every day in celebration of National Reading Month.<br />
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<b>dotMomming: You have come out with some lovely apps based on print picture books, such as Don Freeman's stories <i>(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auracle-hd-hattie-the-backstage/id491402414?mt=8">Hattie the Backstage Bat</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auracle-hd-inspector-peckit/id493144527?mt=8">Inspector Peckit</a>)</i>, the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teddys-day/id400989528?mt=8"><i>Teddy</i></a> books, and the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auracle-hd-miko-goes-on-vacation/id495495764?mt=8"><i>Miko</i> series</a>. Can you explain how this model </b><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">– </span><b>creating enhanced, interactive books out of existing print books </b><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;">– </span><b>is successful for an app producer?</b><br />
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<b>Umesh Shukla:</b> In any content business, working with an established brand always helps; even more, when a new format like the tablet comes along. We have been fortunate to have worked with numerous established brands. It has mutually benefited both us and these brands. While we get an opportunity to showcase our capabilities with the help of these brands, they get Auryn’s expertise in maintaining their brand value, while transforming their intellectual properties to a new medium.<br />
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<b>DM: Do you see Auryn opening the door to original stories from new authors and illustrators? Why or why not?</b><br />
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<b>US:</b> Absolutely. Every new device presents some very unique, device-specific storytelling opportunities, and we are very keen to move in that direction with the right creative partners.<br />
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<b>DM: Auryn is one of the first producers out of the starting gate. How has that worked in your favor? Now that the bigger houses such as Scholastic are entering into app-land, what does that mean for smaller independents such as Auryn?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4ASf76a_3LFz3Daz3G8DXjGsdgLn4b4OPaC_eEk4xozjfcOhF2PFbSXum40lKxWbh8cHn4BaAN4PpXwGO8JBhhSe5IweqYprZZezpTqN49f6kspWqBW_YT9kpkMair5L-cWoBW8MmDkD/s1600/Auryn+Miko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4ASf76a_3LFz3Daz3G8DXjGsdgLn4b4OPaC_eEk4xozjfcOhF2PFbSXum40lKxWbh8cHn4BaAN4PpXwGO8JBhhSe5IweqYprZZezpTqN49f6kspWqBW_YT9kpkMair5L-cWoBW8MmDkD/s320/Auryn+Miko.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>US:</b> It’s still an emerging field. We believe there is plenty of room for players both big and small. Having bigger players enter the field simply establishes the validity of the new format, and helps everyone involved in creating content for that medium.<br />
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<b>DM: What type of books do you see Auryn creating </b><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;">–</span><b> strictly picture books for young readers, or older interactive books for middle-schoolers, too? What do you hope to accomplish as a producer of </b><b>enhanced books for kids?</b><br />
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<b>US:</b> Currently our focus is in picture books, as they allow us to showcase our patented rendering technology. But we are in the storytelling business and do plan to open ourselves to other genres in coming months/years.<br />
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<b>DM: Can you speak to literacy learning? How do you see the uptake of books and learning changing for young readers as more classrooms open up to digital media? And where do picture book apps such as the ones Auryn produces fit in?</b><br />
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<b>US:</b> I am very excited by the emerging opportunities new devices offer in every kind of learning. School bags are going to get much lighter. Now abstract concepts can be presented in so many subtle and interesting ways to help a child grasp them better. The learning possibilities are enormous.<br />
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A small example of it would be the inclusion of pronunciation guides in our apps. While the child is reading the story, he or she can learn to relate the sound to the words. I think we are lucky to be working in a medium that is being defined and redefined everyday. We hope to play a big part in shaping its future.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-33101822347401754442012-02-29T14:05:00.000-06:002012-02-29T14:05:16.480-06:00Space Dog's Treasure Island an AdventureAs I read <a href="http://www.spacedogbooks.com/books/treasure-island/">Space Dog Books</a>' <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/treasure-island-a-space-dog/id486132158?mt=8"><i><b>Treasure Island</b></i></a> app, I kept thinking of one of the many wonderful lines that Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith), utters on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2.html"><i>Downton Abbey</i></a>: "Electricity in the kitchen? Whatever for?"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS8UtVl2YKPe1eqpKnsGKPDfpfb5NRHQD2heQt4K38EyiXWrp7WCoxfs5hdhX0ttjQ3Trck_Y8LD22KNPB4J4ZvlAw3YOnhH2q0SX0WS-IY_okE7sjFSrOPydfwKtV8iWRRkW_gStb1jt/s1600/Treasure+Island1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS8UtVl2YKPe1eqpKnsGKPDfpfb5NRHQD2heQt4K38EyiXWrp7WCoxfs5hdhX0ttjQ3Trck_Y8LD22KNPB4J4ZvlAw3YOnhH2q0SX0WS-IY_okE7sjFSrOPydfwKtV8iWRRkW_gStb1jt/s320/Treasure+Island1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Treasure Island</i>, the Robert Louis Stevenson's classic published in 1883, seems to have done pretty well for itself left all alone in its paper form. And app producers have to tread carefully when enhancing classic books in the public domain -- readers can choose to download the no-frills option for free or pay for the updated one, which in this case retails for $7.99 in the App Store.<br />
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So an enhanced <i>Treasure Island</i> for the iPad at first begs the same question, "Whatever for?" Well the answer, simply put, is for the sake of young readers.<br />
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Artist <a href="http://crookiesblog.blogspot.com/">Matthew Cruickshank</a>'s illustrations are superb and immediately draw readers in with their playful, sly style and vivid colors. They are sophisticated without being adult, yet there is no whiff of kindergarten either. The look and feel of this <i>Treasure Island </i>is solidly for the independent readers.<br />
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So why an app and not just a well-illustrated e-book? There are many reasons why this version of <i>Treasure Island</i> is so appealing. The story has obviously stood the test of time, and this abridged version is no exception. But what has changed is the reader.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSAk6CPTezFKH7GmQ_K6SwlF3EmJZyUWtErAB9iOD_LD7APLxzghaLF8FHy99hLoF-oL1c09hZZ1R-bmYLOuPMO_OpU7fvk0079hlZGhj6A6raI1nlQCDiWXdwO3xhA4fq4cqTPQBalPX/s1600/Treasure+Island2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSAk6CPTezFKH7GmQ_K6SwlF3EmJZyUWtErAB9iOD_LD7APLxzghaLF8FHy99hLoF-oL1c09hZZ1R-bmYLOuPMO_OpU7fvk0079hlZGhj6A6raI1nlQCDiWXdwO3xhA4fq4cqTPQBalPX/s320/Treasure+Island2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I am not saying that kids these days <i>must</i> have whistles and bells to hold their attention. And this <i>Treasure Island</i> does not pander to that notion -- there are no games imbedded in the story, no links readers can follow that take them away from the narrative. There are few gimmicks here, and kids expecting to find an escape hatch might be disappointed.<br />
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<i>Treasure Island's</i> interactivity is amusing and meant to provide a pause in the 34-chapters of action. And frankly, who wouldn't want to hear a pirate sing, <i>"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. . ."?</i> A lush illustration accompanies the start of almost every chapter, sometimes providing opportunities for readers to swipe or tap the image to move a character or hear a bit of dialogue, other times just as animations that beautifully capture the scene. When interacting with the animations, readers will hear sound effects like chirping birds, clip-clopping horse hooves, snarling pirates, and occasional dramatic music. And since this is a book clearly geared for boys, there are burps. Many burps. In glorious variety.<br />
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Small illustrations within chapters offer simple interactivity like tilting the iPad and seeing the rum inside a corked bottle slosh around, sliding a key into a lock and clicking it open, and flicking the tiny ship at sea and having it bob in the ocean. And gorgeous full-page animations capture big scenes in clever detail. <br />
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Reading is clearly the emphasis with Space Dog's <i>Treasure Island</i>, and while there are no "read-to-me" options as with picture book apps for a younger audience, there are still tools to help navigate the book. A pull-down ribbon lets readers return to the beginning, jump to another chapter, and see how to interact with an animation. And while there is no tool for adjusting type size, I found the text clear and easy to read and no different from a traditional book page.<br />
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I don't think young readers are too different from the grownup kind. Sometimes they want to stretch out on the couch with a good book and few distractions. With this digital updating of a wonderful children's classic, Space Dog's gorgeous <i>Treasure Island</i> provides just that.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-81046942764545626002012-02-24T13:49:00.001-06:002012-02-24T13:49:06.163-06:00Author-Artist Shanahan Debuts With AurynThere's no denying that the way children read books and "experience" stories -- whether through gaming, downloading digital books, watching YouTube, recording videos of their stories themselves -- is changing. And storytelling is transforming right along with it. For authors and illustrators of children's books, picture book apps offer an exciting new frontier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHmcXWJnsPN8QkBVqpvqz7QODAL_iR1wKjm98AWaU5zDIMlZ7NPxmepiVRQm82tB8DN3mEdaFhG4ewZF18QyN4ow5Bavglrsby-Tx9TRbO7o6FF1znykei8c7K28ztmV4oEpsCfcpujGT/s1600/Shanahan-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHmcXWJnsPN8QkBVqpvqz7QODAL_iR1wKjm98AWaU5zDIMlZ7NPxmepiVRQm82tB8DN3mEdaFhG4ewZF18QyN4ow5Bavglrsby-Tx9TRbO7o6FF1znykei8c7K28ztmV4oEpsCfcpujGT/s320/Shanahan-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Sue Shanahan is one such author-illustrator who has ventured into app-land. A longtime artist focused on children, she decided to give it a go and see her work produced in digital form rather than book. Working with top-notch app producer <a href="http://auryn.com/">Auryn</a>, whose <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teddys-day/id400989528?mt=8"><i>Teddy's Day</i></a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teddys-night/id411567366?mt=8"><i>Teddy's Night</i></a>, and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auracle-hd-miko-goes-on-vacation/id495495764?mt=8"><i>Miko</i></a> series have earned rave reviews, she has created the adorable <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auracle-love-you-to-moon-back/id448821283?mt=8"><i>Love You to the Moon and Back</i></a> for the iPad. We asked Sue to share how she broke into the picture book app market.<br />
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<b>dotMomming: How long have you been illustrating for children. Is the <i>Love You to the Moon and Back</i> app your first digital book?</b><br />
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<b>Sue Shanahan:</b> My career illustrating for children began over 30 years ago. I've been fascinated with the human form for as long as I can remember. On top of that, I'm crazy about kids. So illustrating for children was a natural fit. <i>Love You to the Moon and Back </i>is my first digital book. It was made from pre-existing art that I own the copyright to. With the help of a couple of SCBWI members, I wrote the poem the art illustrates. Right now I’m working on finishing up the illustrations for another picture book app for Auryn. This is a full-fledged story that’s been milling around in my brain for a years. I am very excited about finally bringing it to fruition. I have my fingers crossed that Auryn will produce it into a premium app like <i><a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2011/12/best-picture-book-apps-of-2011.html">Teddy's Day</a>.</i><br />
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<b>DM: Was it hard to break into the app market? Have you knocked on a lot </b><b>of doors, or was Auryn your first?</b><br />
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<b>SS:</b> Actually, Auryn was my first. I was surprised how quickly they called after my submission. They liked my work, but it also was extremely important that I owned the copyright to everything.<br />
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<b>DM: Author-illustrators are particularly attractive to publishers, both in the digital realm and the printed page. Do you feel you're at an advantage compared with other writers and artists trying to catch an editor's eye?</b><br />
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<b>SS: </b>Definitely. I have a feeling with new apps, Auryn only is interested in picture book author/illustrators. They have been producing apps from pre-existing picture books but only if the book company no longer owns the rights.<br />
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<b>DM: The <i>Love You </i>app merges beautiful illustrations with gentle interactivity that reinforces reading. While it can be read alone, it offers great engagement opportunities for parents to record their voices and share the message of unconditional love. Are you happy with the results of your work when you see it on the iPad.</b><br />
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<b>SS:</b> It is a wonderful feeling to read my book on the iPad. The illumination from behind brings my art to life unlike being reproduced on the printed page.<br />
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<b>DM: Publishing in the iTunes store is a different experience than in the bookstore down the street. <i>Love You</i> is priced at $0.99. How have sales been so far? Would you do it all again?</b><br />
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<b>SS:</b> The app sales are moving along steadily. I was told not to worry about the sales at this point. It takes awhile for them to gain a momentum. I do appreciate the wonderful reviews customers are giving it in iTunes. Yes, I would do it again. I think this is where books are going. It's exciting to be in on the ground floor.<br />
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<b>DM: I liked the inclusiveness of your illustrations -- children are features from all walks of life, including a little girl with Down's syndrome. This is so rare to see in a mainstream picture book. How has the book been received so far?</b><br />
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<b>SS:</b> My art has always reflected the beauty of all kinds of kids. Long ago, I was miffed when an art director insisted I stylize my art like the "Gerber Baby." I stubbornly refused to. My thought was, “How is a child supposed to feel good about herself if there are no images of her in the world?” Who decides what's beautiful anyway? One of my heroes is Norman Rockwell. I figured if capturing real people worked for him it could work for me too. Today people respond to the diversity in my art. Truly, what's different about us is what makes us beautiful.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-9426180493933185002012-02-14T10:39:00.000-06:002012-02-14T10:39:29.872-06:00Grover Takes Home Cybils for Best Book App<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeC30rnPRKIpmlL_O4NM0woStcM3_gWgO152q4AvKFCCw1I8ULitThzk3DGpS3L5R_3TWsLYWaXtxkY-GKidCc-wcam_rGTCfUMaQJn8oRtaH7sulZs3x88Bbd8IPohgAUkVEVdJj7MnV/s1600/Monster+Cybils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeC30rnPRKIpmlL_O4NM0woStcM3_gWgO152q4AvKFCCw1I8ULitThzk3DGpS3L5R_3TWsLYWaXtxkY-GKidCc-wcam_rGTCfUMaQJn8oRtaH7sulZs3x88Bbd8IPohgAUkVEVdJj7MnV/s400/Monster+Cybils.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The <a href="http://www.cybils.com/2012/02/the-2011-cybils-awards.html#more">Cybils</a> were announced today, and I am delighted to see <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-monster-at-end-this-book/id409467802?mt=8"><i><b>The Monster at the End of this Book</b></i></a> as the winner in the brand-new Best Book App category. Sesame Workshop and Callaway DigitalArts get it right with this effort, engaging young readers in the truest sense through highlighted text, hilarious narration, and a fun storyline. While often we see kids zone out with digital devices, <i>Monster</i> leaves no room for passive observing: Grover spends all his time trying to keep the reader from turning the page and getting to the end of the book. It is an app they'll go back to again and again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQCkHHUVeR7QCygavEh5OMnC-ObwIlKOctbcGZzFExF1Cxvt8cmqpJi50hlh9wL8Km8DG8EJVDUd7bGkWs0b23fyI5yn07x6zf3klauvLwzE3PJjxys6jG-1hRGlBPAr7Yu2ET_rVDghG/s1600/Hildegard+Sings+Cybils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQCkHHUVeR7QCygavEh5OMnC-ObwIlKOctbcGZzFExF1Cxvt8cmqpJi50hlh9wL8Km8DG8EJVDUd7bGkWs0b23fyI5yn07x6zf3klauvLwzE3PJjxys6jG-1hRGlBPAr7Yu2ET_rVDghG/s200/Hildegard+Sings+Cybils.jpg" width="150" /></a>Judging for the Cybils was an honor and a thrill because this new medium is still so wide open. And our expectations for what picture book apps can and should be are so varied. Looking at the finalists, you can see the range of styles: <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hildegard-sings/id444772703?mt=8"><b>Hildegard Sings</b></a></i> stays true to its picture book roots with traditional presentation of text and adorable interactivity. For young readers, it feels like a natural extension of a book, with a great deal of fun added in. Click on thought bubbles to see what characters have in mind, tap on a plate of food to feed our hungry hippo, throw tomatoes at the stage after a performance. Hildegard is a great example of an "enhanced" book, taking something that worked great in the paper world and making it interactive and fun for the digital one.<br />
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At the other end of the spectrum is <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bobo-explores-light/id463809859?mt=8"><i><b>Bobo Explores Light</b></i></a>, which is a completely original book that takes the game to a whole new level. Top-notch illustration, animation, and -- get this -- <i>education</i>. I felt like this was the definition of digital learning, and I see it as the future of books. If you buy anything off this list, go right this second to the iTunes Store and purchase this app. I was blown away by how much information is right there at, well, your fingertips.<br />
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<i>Bobo</i> is a nonfiction effort to introduce kids to scientific concepts, and it covers a lot of turf: lasers, telescopes, lightning, reflection, bio-luminescence, and sunlight. Readers are accompanied on their journey by an adorable robot named Bobo. While Bobo communicates and helps the reader navigate the page, Bobo does not narrate. So kids have to do the work of reading, and there is a lot of material. But they are rewarded throughout by pulldown screens that show videos, games using lasers and mirrors, and so much more.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Bobo is for an older audience, so it was a challenge to compare an app like this against the adorable ones for the pre-reading set. Perhaps next year we'll see a variety of Cybils app categories to even the playing field. It felt odd comparing </span><i style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/harold-and-the-purple-crayon/id450829541?mt=8">Harold and the Purple Crayon</a></b></i><span style="text-align: center;"> against </span><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/be-confident-in-who-you-are/id428588931?mt=8" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Middle-School Confidential</a><i style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">, </i><span style="text-align: center;">a book about self-image for tweens.</span><br />
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And the visually dazzling <b><i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-fantastic-flying-books/id438052647?mt=8">Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore</a></i></b> prompted some great discussion. Part book and part movie, this William Joyce effort is a stunning ode to books and storytelling -- and as if proving their point, you can also get <i>Morris Lessmore</i> as a paper book and see the short film, which has been nominated for an <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/01/oscars-short-films-fantastic-flying-books-morris-lessmore-animation.html">Oscar</a>. While I loved this beautiful app, it felt more like a movie-watching experience than a reading one. Again, a passive experience vs. an active one. Great app to buy right this second to see for yourself and test-drive with the kids in your life.<br />
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And that brings us to the seventh and final nominee, which was <i><b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pat-the-bunny/id430902036?mt=8">Pat the Bunny</a></b></i>. I loved how this app brings us full circle. It is based on Dorothy Kunhardt's cutting-edge "touch and feel" children's book published in 1940, which introduced generations of babies to books by letting them pat the bunny's soft fur and sniff the sweet-smelling flowers. Revolutionary! With this app, pre-readers are once again engaged in creative ways through playing peek-a-boo, finding where the bunny is hiding, catching butterflies, and much more.<br />
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If you're curious about the potential picture book apps have for early literacy, these books are great examples of the best that you can find. They are definitely worth checking out. Congratulations to all the finalists.<br />
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And if you want to get involved in some of the conversations, visit the blogs of my fellow panel of Cybils judges, such as Mary Ann Scheuer's terrific <a href="http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/">Great Kid Books</a>, as well as Alyson Beecher's <a href="http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/">KidLitFrenzy</a>, Elizabeth LeBris' <a href="http://lebrisary.blogspot.com/">LeBrisary</a>, and Dan Santat's <a href="http://dantat.typepad.com/dantat/">website</a>. <br />
<br />Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-73390591325256464082012-02-09T05:05:00.000-06:002012-02-09T05:05:00.176-06:00Keeping Research on Digital Learning and Children's Digital Literature Alive<i>Back in the summer, dotMomming featured a series of interviews with Patrick Cox of the Childhood Studies Program at Rutgers University. Patrick was teaching classes on learning to read in the digital age, and we believe the work he and his colleagues are doing is important to understanding how digital books impact early literacy development for today's generation of children. But that research might be coming to a halt, and what follows is a special guest post from Patrick about how you can help keep programs like his alive.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pfBtjlEvS0ak1NNjCLge2t20fUj5Xaw4tOlNsu7oQ8e3dpZZDlfa4MhlCVoO8Kvx1Yq3QelN9dc1pG_QBPs-tDVqluGcBXN0eLz1SuiOnq7iwemm8CNk8BqhbLHW91jbcW3-eUAEEQuT/s1600/Rutgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pfBtjlEvS0ak1NNjCLge2t20fUj5Xaw4tOlNsu7oQ8e3dpZZDlfa4MhlCVoO8Kvx1Yq3QelN9dc1pG_QBPs-tDVqluGcBXN0eLz1SuiOnq7iwemm8CNk8BqhbLHW91jbcW3-eUAEEQuT/s320/Rutgers.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From "Merry Conceits and Whimsical Rhymes." <br />
Published by Routledge & Sons, New York, 1883. </td></tr>
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Awhile back, I did an <a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2011/08/rutgers-scholar-on-reading-in-digital.html">interview</a> on dot.Momming about an undergraduate course I teach at Rutgers on <a href="http://news.rutgers.edu/medrel/news-releases/2011/08/learning-to-read-in-20110802">Children’s Digital Literacies</a>. Since that time I’ve been including this blog in my course as a resource students can use to learn about still more digital texts for children beyond what we can cover in class. Kate has been kind enough to let me come back to tell you about a threat that has befallen this course.<br />
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My course is part of the <a href="http://childhood.camden.rutgers.edu/">Department of Childhood Studies</a>, a one-of-a-kind program on the Camden campus of Rutgers University, offering the only Childhood Studies Ph.D. in North America. Recently, a plan has emerged in New Jersey to shut down the Rutgers-Camden campus and absorb it into a much smaller and less prepared college that lacks both the research focus and the child focus of the Camden campus of Rutgers.<br />
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This Rutgers campus is home to leading research and instruction in children’s digital literature. Students and faculty here study and teach digital texts created for children, stories written by children using new digital media, children using online virtual spaces, and how “the digital age” impacts literacy, learning, family interactions, and children’s daily lives. In my course students, many of whom are aspiring teachers, learn about digital literature and its potential for enriching use in classrooms and in homes. This campus is also home to the <a href="http://children.camden.rutgers.edu/">Center for Children and Childhood Studies</a> that provides much needed assistance, programming, tutoring, and more to the children of the city of Camden.<br />
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All of this has been possible with the support and recognition that comes with being a first-rate university like Rutgers. If these programs are moved to a smaller, lesser known facility 20 miles outside of the city, they will most likely wither and die -- faculty and students will leave, and the work we have done will come to an end.<br />
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Students, faculty, alumni, and community members have been fighting hard to protect what we have. Kate has kindly allowed me to ask you to help maintain the work we are doing with and for children, and our field-leading work on the developing area of children’s digital literature. Here is a link to a petition started by a Rutgers undergraduate student to <a href="http://www.r2rmerge.com/">Stop the Merger</a>. The petition has collected over 8,000 signatures in just two weeks, and I hope you’ll add yours. I won’t deluge you with links here but will point out that the student behind the webpage has loaded it with links to more information, news articles, etc., as well as other ways you can help if you so desire.<br />
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Thanks,<br />
Patrick Cox<br />
Department of Childhood Studies<br />
Rutgers University-CamdenKate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-70477459676159974492012-02-01T05:05:00.000-06:002012-02-01T05:05:00.332-06:00Happy Digital Learning Day!Today marks the first ever national celebration of <a href="http://www.digitallearningday.org/">Digital Learning Day</a>, which is an orchestrated effort to promote the innovative use of technology in America's classrooms. What does that mean and who is behind it?<br />
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Digital Learning Day is meant to encourage teachers, parents, and students to try something new using technology. This means showcasing success such as students' <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a> programs, kicking off project-based learning by letting students present video book reports, or simply sitting down with digital books and observing how young readers interact with the stories. The <a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/celebrate-digital-learning-day-with-40-years-of-n-times-edtech-reporting/"><i>New York Times</i> blogs</a> about its 40-odd years covering technology and education, and encourages everyone to try three new things involving digital learning today.<br />
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There will be webcasts. There will be virtual town hall meetings. There will be Facebook-ing and Twitter-ing and all sorts of conversations going on about engaging technology for learning. And there will be heavy hitters, as the Alliance for Excellent Education has <a href="http://www.digitallearningday.org/partners/">partnered</a> with Google, <i>USA Today</i>, Intel, and other major players like Kaplan, Scholastic, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Parents and teachers can make good use of <a href="http://www.digitallearningday.org/toolkits/">toolkits</a> and <a href="http://www.digitallearningday.org/awards/">contests</a> to motivate and engage their kids.<br />
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So why all the hoopla? Because so many questions surrounding the good use of technology remain: how schools can first of all access digital technology and then harness it. How we can move our kids from the addictive fun of Plants vs Zombies and into engaged online learning that taps their creativity and opens the doors to real mastery and student success.<br />
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Because technology, while influencing our lives on a day-to-day basis at home and work, too often stops short of the classroom door.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-77478258082792597232012-01-25T05:05:00.000-06:002012-01-25T05:05:00.053-06:00App Review: Chinese New Year With a Dragon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqS7r_6ewSK69QaZG5_rrtSKKN2czL4WcTkES_LTPpqGP8CdIh1ZHTBAHLEgp7e_to0fOwoSB4UMLD-NqeBiVjUo8WXUd0fYvbKtAYSraCy9iDOejtrfq3PB7SsLb3-NBLkvTlSk6D_Pb/s1600/Dragon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqS7r_6ewSK69QaZG5_rrtSKKN2czL4WcTkES_LTPpqGP8CdIh1ZHTBAHLEgp7e_to0fOwoSB4UMLD-NqeBiVjUo8WXUd0fYvbKtAYSraCy9iDOejtrfq3PB7SsLb3-NBLkvTlSk6D_Pb/s320/Dragon1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hearty "<i>gung hei fat choi</i>" to everyone out there, and happy Year of the Dragon. In honor of the turning of the Chinese calendar, to 4710 for those keeping track, we're taking a look at a brand new picture book app from <a href="http://www.mobadmedia.mobi/">Mobad Media</a> called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-year-dragon-in-3d-a-peek/id491232347?mt=8"><i>The Year of the Dragon</i></a>.<br />
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The tale of the Chinese zodiac and that smarty-pants rat makes a fun story, whether for children or adults. And interpreting the characteristics of each of the twelve symbols can be a hoot for kids. My family is fascinated with the zodiac animals, and they often chalk up the behavior of others to the sign under which they were born. "What do you expect, Mom? He's a Tiger!"<br />
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And as with any reading of the <a href="http://www.astrologycom.com/chinesezodiac.html">zodiac</a>, we are quick to lay claim to the positive attributes associated with our own symbols. I'm a sheep (observant! artistic! ingenious!), and I live with a couple of monkeys (self-assured, competitive innovators), one horse (cheerful, quick-witted talker), and a bunny rabbit (elegant and compassionate artist). And when we meet someone who shares our sign, there's immediate sympathy. It's like finding the kinship of another Bears or White Sox fan without all the messy logos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGv8Y4l7wB4ICJxDNYkbwCHSYr__2O6zCnsOQNUpo6iaRcBU4nvKQjXYW9sBVApc_rD-_PTxMwQU6TFf0zGMXPe0-lnMrUXssSZArWoQMyosHh_TFxt4RbaoevLnp3zP_LGvQEpTm-1mV/s1600/Dragon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGv8Y4l7wB4ICJxDNYkbwCHSYr__2O6zCnsOQNUpo6iaRcBU4nvKQjXYW9sBVApc_rD-_PTxMwQU6TFf0zGMXPe0-lnMrUXssSZArWoQMyosHh_TFxt4RbaoevLnp3zP_LGvQEpTm-1mV/s320/Dragon2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>The Year of the Dragon</i> is a sweet, simple story of Baby Dominic, a newly hatched dragon whose parents remind him of what makes their kind so special. "Who blows the winds? Who commands the rain? Who advises the Emperor? We do!"<br />
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When Baby Dom and all his friends from the zodiac team up together to win a race, he uses his own special dragon traits to save the day.<br />
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With fun interactivity that doesn't let tapping fingers get too distracted and vivid illustrations, <i>The Year of the Dragon</i> feels like a traditional book. And Mobad keeps the focus on literacy, as kids can choose to hear a narrator tell the story and follow along as each word is illuminated, or read to themselves. And if a child stumbles across an unfamiliar word, Mobad has made learning new vocabulary easy: she can just tap on the text and hear it pronounced.<br />
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The age range for <i>Year of the Dragon</i> is broad, as the youngest app set will adore Dom and the interactive features, and emerging and confident readers will enjoy the storyline, the other Chinese zodiac characters, and the hidden surprises.<br />
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Priced at $4.99.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-88288628112362632142012-01-18T05:05:00.000-06:002012-01-18T07:24:50.056-06:00Quality Kids Apps: Beyond the $0.99 Download<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wanted to share an interesting post over at <i>Wired's</i> Geek Dad about <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/kids-app-design/">the future of apps for children</a>. The author, Daniel Donahoo, talks about a push toward app development for children that is purposeful rather than just profit-driven. And while it might sound like an idealized world he's seeking, it is one worth striving for: quality products geared for kids that can harness all that finger-tapping energy for good.<br />
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Donahoo imagines "medium-sized independent and corporate developers of children’s apps existing side by side, all pushing each other to produce better digital tools for kids' learning and development. But I believe it has something to do with the crowd and also educating and supporting parents to make the best consumer choices and to support a breadth of apps and digital tools – not just the same old franchised apps from movies and books that we see everyday."<br />
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A key point Donahoo notes, among many, is pricing. "If we are to sustain the vibrant and dynamic number of children’s app developers we need to move beyond the 0.99c app. Consumers are currently downloading content for children that is at bargain basement prices and the problem is that could drive some of the key innovators out of their own development studios and over to larger players, or away from children’s apps and into more profitable digital arenas."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F9p42xR3S3CJtjHVm0MiymSGFYOd0E_KzjwUCzO8F8JikeY8ed-GuQA3bZpGAs934Ac5-h6ORf4fxc9ipqp-Bgm4_vBi9li7TsmTLlBAT28jTWnDCe-otdtDQo6lzUeq6NYrC_hkZqEE/s1600/Milk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F9p42xR3S3CJtjHVm0MiymSGFYOd0E_KzjwUCzO8F8JikeY8ed-GuQA3bZpGAs934Ac5-h6ORf4fxc9ipqp-Bgm4_vBi9li7TsmTLlBAT28jTWnDCe-otdtDQo6lzUeq6NYrC_hkZqEE/s200/Milk.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
I think of this as the Organic Milk Approach. I pay a little more for organic milk because I believe it's better for my kids' developing brains and bodies, I want to support organic farmers and keep them in business, and I want to ensure that higher-quality products like this stay in the mainstream market.<br />
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Same for quality children's apps.<br />
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Donahoo and Andy Russell, co-founder of <a href="http://launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/">Launchpad Toys</a> and the much-lauded children's app Toontastic, have put forth <a href="http://childrensappmanifesto.net/">The Children's App Manifesto</a> and begun pushing educators, marketers, investors, app developers, and most importantly parents to think about ways to best support quality educational digital content.<br />
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After my first-grader asked me just a few days ago to wake him up at 5 a.m. so he could harvest his Smurf pumpkins -- and purchase a few Smurfberries too -- two Manifesto items hooked me right away:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Play should not be over-commercialized by consumable goods nor advertisement.</li>
<li>Apps should not disguise costs nor manipulate children’s emotions to entice spending.</li>
</ul>Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-9841779472495815532012-01-16T05:05:00.000-06:002012-01-16T05:05:00.508-06:00Magic School Bus: The Future of E-Learning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My first-grader was excited to use a coupon at his school's paperback bookstore the other day, and I stopped him. He had in his hands a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/0590414313/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326638639&sr=8-3"><i>The Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor</i></a>, and I, as if moving in slow motion, pointed back toward the bright yellow bookshelf and told him to pick another book. I was experiencing a complete out-of-body moment, hearing my voice from some far away place tell him, "We can download this book. It will be way better on the iPad."<br />
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And it is.<br />
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Bypassing a paper book for a digital one is still a new thing to me. And I am squeamish about it sometimes, fearing that my favorite neighborhood haunt, <a href="http://semcoop.indiebound.com/57th-street-books">57th Street Books</a>, will disappear because I opt for an app instead of a former tree. So moments like the one at my son's school make me itchy.<br />
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But let's face it, digital books can do things that paper cannot. And in some realms, such as the informative, nonfiction picture book world where <i>Magic School Bus</i> dominates, the digital version is unbeatable. One look at the <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-magic-school-bus-oceans/id410622343?mt=8">Oceans</a> </i>app, and the future of e-learning becomes clear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHwBTzNv1trk8hInIe1DGxhBXHhYKFmEiGO3HRAm8kaNkuACpC3QylCWJdFtuKUkJwBv3XBW0qZFCmkjPBvkSDfKZoSLpo8-hO_BjyXt6Fwn5i7UL1xHJdQ8TY3A9eEL3CLP7-cnRZ8Xk/s1600/MSchool+Bus+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHwBTzNv1trk8hInIe1DGxhBXHhYKFmEiGO3HRAm8kaNkuACpC3QylCWJdFtuKUkJwBv3XBW0qZFCmkjPBvkSDfKZoSLpo8-hO_BjyXt6Fwn5i7UL1xHJdQ8TY3A9eEL3CLP7-cnRZ8Xk/s320/MSchool+Bus+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The first real interactivity comes when young readers tap the bubbling water near an illustration of a sea urchin. A screen rolls down, and quick-hit bulleted points about sea urchins appear beneath a short video clip of an actual sea urchin. Budding naturalists can watch a spiny purple creature scoot along the ocean floor -- not just an artist's rendering of it, but actual undersea footage.<br />
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Interactive games demonstrating how various sea life swims teach the difference between a whale's means of locomotion vs. a squid's vs. a jellyfish's. Detailed photographs of sea stars, limpets, periwinkles, and others offer real-life examples of sea animals kids might not otherwise get to know. More video clips of flounder drifting among rocks drive home the benefits of camouflage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_YELaCz8RE1aWYBmhCcMSCXJ6TO4vIZ-uxv_pVpilJcHv53CaWjblYcihCnKaUz-YbCMeWbH0UmL4WWAv0wlNGimNa3JiYeUriTj5yqfWIE4vYDb_51AVRdHUWUnlEpzfzeu1CsMNKyi/s1600/MSchool+Bus+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_YELaCz8RE1aWYBmhCcMSCXJ6TO4vIZ-uxv_pVpilJcHv53CaWjblYcihCnKaUz-YbCMeWbH0UmL4WWAv0wlNGimNa3JiYeUriTj5yqfWIE4vYDb_51AVRdHUWUnlEpzfzeu1CsMNKyi/s320/MSchool+Bus+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Aside from showing kids the habitats and behaviors of undersea life, as well as showing phenomena like hot water vents and ocean waves, the app offers a variety of entry points for literacy learning. The read-along narration illuminates each word in red as it is spoken. Little fingers can tap the dialogue bubbles and hear the kids and Ms. Frizzle ask questions or comment on the scene as they read the words in the speech bubble. Whether a pre-reader or a confident one, the app is accessible to many levels.<br />
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Priced at $7.99, $1 more than the paperback, this book is packed with opportunities for interactive, exciting learning. Consider it a kid-friendly Jacques Cousteau adventure, right at young readers' fingertips. <i>Magic School Bus: Oceans</i> presents the best digital media has to offer young learners. Worth checking out immediately.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-39978851483531906572011-12-21T05:05:00.000-06:002011-12-21T05:05:00.099-06:00Cinderella : Our Top Picture Book App of 2011We've kissed a lot of toads this year in app-land. Or maybe a more apt metaphor for this post would be along the lines of wedging our feet into a lot of ill-fitting slippers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzD65mFWaRQhrjakcjU6z2iZ_5S0hrnL3FU4wV1vfKlCbbDX9Lj0H7tCnCmxFaqfSkj3IfAQtzA1C1lJ68bdBBeCvK42YX3e04CXzaIcfCbT2RyPGCFbH-BajWP33iFjalf6X3ADv1Ffa/s1600/Cinderella.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzD65mFWaRQhrjakcjU6z2iZ_5S0hrnL3FU4wV1vfKlCbbDX9Lj0H7tCnCmxFaqfSkj3IfAQtzA1C1lJ68bdBBeCvK42YX3e04CXzaIcfCbT2RyPGCFbH-BajWP33iFjalf6X3ADv1Ffa/s320/Cinderella.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
And while we've also stumbled across some real gems (see last week's post on the <a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2011/12/best-picture-book-apps-of-2011.html">Best Picture Book Apps of 2011</a>), our heart belongs to one big winner for the year. I'd like to devote this space to my No. 1 picture book app for 2011 with a few reasons why. So let's cut to the chase and reveal our winner. Drumroll please. . .<br />
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Nosy Crow's <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id457366947?ls=1&mt=8"><i>Cinderella</i></a> takes a familiar tale and makes it extraordinary. Young readers can follow along with the text, then take a few moments on each page to interact with the story:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Help Cinderella clean up the kitchen by clicking and dragging fruits into the fruitbowl, stacking up the cups and plates, and throwing logs onto the fire. </li>
<li>Get a little silly with the Stepsisters by dressing those soft-headed tyrants in ridiculous outfits for the ball.</li>
<li>Work with Fairy Godmother in the garden to turn the mice into footmen, the pumpkin into a carriage, and all the familiar ball-preparations. These tasks require real skills and include some fun surprises, which keep my young readers completely engaged.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgNwtRdhafkrYJ_M6yBj51ABdGEw3M8DEMtJ5Q5c2XBKfmgERYnobwPR7U8YJFM-oymeF2xpOJOQZEblCDKtAj_LM7oXzdvSFV3qKT3c-KyGqJx-H8yAY2KUKJjM56b9ZVfMfVa0aJxLk/s1600/Cinderella3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgNwtRdhafkrYJ_M6yBj51ABdGEw3M8DEMtJ5Q5c2XBKfmgERYnobwPR7U8YJFM-oymeF2xpOJOQZEblCDKtAj_LM7oXzdvSFV3qKT3c-KyGqJx-H8yAY2KUKJjM56b9ZVfMfVa0aJxLk/s200/Cinderella3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
But best of all is the ball itself, where Cinderella gets a few minutes alone with her prince. <a href="http://nosycrow.com/">Nosy Crow</a> does a great job making their books fun and a little unpredictable, and their <i>Cinderella</i> is no exception. Readers can have the happy couple dance a traditional waltz, break out their disco moves, or even go Bollywood. My first-grader comes down with a serious case of the giggles every time we get to the dance scene.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGpAluJpkQ-DMnaAD_bzK7MckAC3_Pean07NJJA9xuFKfPEeR_uxf1cDGo-9MF-bzaSr6YFxep149MylCm1p3TmyvvLpWEAe-q6oLw9yK2yUTZwP1A4l619vMZtU0Uqe-KwsfeEpV5jTn/s1600/Cinderella2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGpAluJpkQ-DMnaAD_bzK7MckAC3_Pean07NJJA9xuFKfPEeR_uxf1cDGo-9MF-bzaSr6YFxep149MylCm1p3TmyvvLpWEAe-q6oLw9yK2yUTZwP1A4l619vMZtU0Uqe-KwsfeEpV5jTn/s320/Cinderella2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
What appeals to me about Nosy Crow's apps is the emphasis on building literacy skills. These are, after all, books. And the audience is beginning readers. Nosy Crow's app hits the mark at many age levels and abilities, as more savvy readers can explore some of the nuanced humor throughout the story and early readers can tap on the characters to generate more speech bubbles that give clues about surprises on the page.<br />
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So what makes Nosy Crow's <i>Cinderella</i> No. 1? It's the perfect balance of a variety of factors:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Top-notch illustrations</li>
<li>Lively writing that puts a fresh spin on a familiar story</li>
<li>Original interactive features </li>
<li>A commitment to early literacy</li>
<li>Strong sense of fun</li>
</ol>
This sets the bar high for other app producers breaking into this new medium of children's literature, where the lines between book, movie, and game are often blurred in the push to attract kids. Hats off to Nosy Crow for getting it right, and having so much fun in the process.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-40488743041038212702011-12-12T05:56:00.000-06:002011-12-12T10:08:08.688-06:00Best Picture Book Apps of 2011DotMomming apologizes for the November hiatus, but we were working on a bit of longer writing that required all our brainpower. But we're back in business, just in time for the holidays.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqkEpz_bBgQyKX9EVaSxxI_WIAz_MCCXP5iBsqGbcNmsqaRTkmqn_FUggFEWAIvFkbJdtc-8oYyfD4yjgUN_S3aLwhagNKpq_p3xBpSs1cpp1QZ1HSqKof975rHQ4heXdKByNQxRLJgN8/s1600/Best11AnimalShow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQqkEpz_bBgQyKX9EVaSxxI_WIAz_MCCXP5iBsqGbcNmsqaRTkmqn_FUggFEWAIvFkbJdtc-8oYyfD4yjgUN_S3aLwhagNKpq_p3xBpSs1cpp1QZ1HSqKof975rHQ4heXdKByNQxRLJgN8/s320/Best11AnimalShow.jpg" width="213" /></a>Both <a href="http://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2011/book-apps/">Kirkus Reviews</a> and <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/892825-427/sljs_top_10_2011_apps.html.csp">School Library Journal</a> are great resources for finding helpful reviews not only of apps for kids but for all kinds of reading, like those things with paper. Their "Best Of" lists are rolling out for 2011, and we're hoping to see some of our favorite apps on there.<br />
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Here is dotMomming's rundown of our favorite picture book apps of the year:<br />
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For the youngest iPadders, Chronicle's <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/animal-show/id441859947?mt=8"><i>Animal Show</i></a> is adorable. With a festive, circus vibe in the visuals and audio, little swipers can learn to identify 31 animals -- tap on the sheep and hear it <i>bah-bah-bah</i> -- play matching games, test their memory, and work on counting skills. A definite keeper that they'll want to go back to again and again. ($1.99)<br />
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We also love the bedtime app <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nighty-night!-hd/id428492588?mt=8"><i>Nighty Night! HD</i></a> ($1.99) from <a href="http://shape-minds.com/work/motion/einschlafbuch.html">Shape Minds and Moving Images</a> and created by Oscar-nominated animator Heidi Wittlinger. In this beautifully rendered app, young readers get to put the animals to sleep all around the farm by turning out the lights. This is a perfect example of the magic apps can conjure -- the child is the actor and gets to decide when to make the bedtime call on every page. And though I missed the merging of text with narration, my first-grader did not. Parents who want their kids reading or at least having literacy awareness might find the lack of words on the page disappointing as well. But still, the visuals and interactivity more than make up for it.<br />
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For parents who want their wee ones interacting with words, check out Sandra Boynton's <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-going-to-bed-book-for/id421933225?mt=8">The Going to Bed Book</a></i> ($3.99), which allows for a great deal of fun but keeps wee readers focused on the task at hand -- getting under those covers and calling it a day. Created by the wizards over at <a href="http://loudcrow.com/books">Loud Crow</a>, the Boynton apps are not to be missed. Every one is a gem, offering kids the choice to have the story read to them or letting them read it themselves. Boynton books are for the youngest readers who are developing literacy skills, so the highlighting of words to flow with the narration and the subtle cues to move us along through the books go a long way in teaching kids the basic mechanics of reading. Loud Crow is a name you can trust.<br />
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And while there are plenty of big names in the App Store now -- from Mo Willems' <i><a href="http://www.pigeonpresents.com/book-info-pigeon-app.aspx">Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App</a> </i>to the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fancy-nancy-sensational-babysitter/id426621878?mt=8"><i>Fancy Nancy</i></a> franchise -- we like what's coming from the smaller producers, too. <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/auryn-teddys-night/id411567366?mt=8">Teddy's Night</a></i> ($0.99) from <a href="http://auryn.com/">Auryn</a> is an adorable app about what a teddy bear is up to at bedtime. The soft, pastel illustrations set just the right tone, the child's narration is charming, and the interactive elements are surprising and entertaining without taking away from the story.<br />
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We've written before about <a href="http://www.crabhillpress.com/index.html">Crab Hill Press</a>, and their <i><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-dad-drives-roller-coaster/id428268576?mt=8">My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car</a></i> ($1.99) is still one of our all-time favorite apps. Two words: rollicking hilarity! Forget about minivans, the little boy in this story has a family that drives wild ride rides from the amusement park, like a merry-go-round horse and a spinning teacup and a roller coaster car. With a beach-blanket-bingo party soundtrack, this app is a gas, and the type of story they'll return to again and again. Here's hoping Crab Hill has more great things to come in 2012.<br />
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<b>Next up:</b> A review of our No. 1 pick for 2011. Stay tuned. . .Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-14987720737698277192011-10-18T05:56:00.000-05:002011-10-18T05:56:33.814-05:00Children's Picture Book Apps Are Not a Part of the Public Library's Story -- Yet<br />
As more e-readers are getting into the hands (and under the tapping fingers) of young readers, picture book apps are gaining a wider audience. But not at the public libraries. To understand a bit more about why, dotMomming reached out to <a href="http://www.chipublib.org/">Chicago Public Library</a> Youth Materials Specialist Andrew Medlar. This is the last in a series of posts in our conversation about digital books.<br />
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"Apps of all types are a significant consideration in our latest Strategic Plan," Medlar says, "and for the book/media industry at large. We can only offer our communities that which is available in the first place, and many of the great sessions and discussions at this summer’s <a href="http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/">BookExpo America</a> and <a href="http://www.ala.org/">American Library Association</a> conferences focused on apps and the fact that while they are exciting, and many are fabulous, no one has yet figured out how to make them able to be checked out through libraries."<br />
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Among the library's hurdles is that some of the major publishing houses are resistant to making their titles available to public libraries for e-book lending.<br />
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"Several major American houses still won’t even allow libraries to buy their e-book titles even though that technology is readily available—and so the logistics of app circulation simply haven’t been satisfactorily developed," Medlar says.<br />
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And while it's the publishing houses dragging their feet, some perceive public libraries to be the staid institutions clinging to the paper era. But that's certainly not the case in Chicago, where the Chicago Public Library's flagship Harold Washington Library is leading the way with its teen-centric <a href="http://youmediachicago.org/2-about-us/pages/2-about-us">YOUmedia</a> space. Through YOUmedia, teens turn to the library to check out tools ranging from digital cameras to laptops, and to collaborate and create with new media.<br />
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"The Library is always evolving in how we support Chicagoans in new ways of reading, learning and discovering," Medlar says, "and this is a key area of strength in our past, present and future Strategic Plans. <br />
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"The expansion of YOUmedia from its internationally renowned success at the Harold Washington Library Center into more neighborhoods across the City is a prime example. The role of the public library has always been to provide access to information – the ways in which patrons now demand that information has changed (and is constantly changing), so it libraries are adapting to those new formats."<br />
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It's an exciting time for libraries as they make the changes necessary to stay relevant in a digital age. And I imagine that doing so under anemic budgets is all the more challenging. So whether it's a book in paper form or electronic, the library is working hard to satisfy the demands of a changing audience.<br />
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"Content trumps format, and reading, in any way, shape or form, is a positive, educational, fun, and lifelong activity," Medlar says. "As far as the physical form of the text, for young people it’s not an either/or proposition; they move back and forth between e-books and p-books without a problem."<br />
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"Let’s just give them the freedom to pick from all of the great stories out there in the world, however they’re told."<br />Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-10955202224790497882011-10-11T07:25:00.000-05:002011-10-11T07:25:49.900-05:00Young Readers, e-Books, and the Public Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like Clifford the Big Red Dog, interest in e-books has grown exponentially over the past year. Figures from June show e-book sales rocketing 167 percent, to $80.2 million, at the 15 houses that reported figures to the <a href="http://www.publishers.org/bookstats/formats/">Association of American Publishers</a> monthly sales report. And according to <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/48646-e-book-sales-jump-in-june-print-plunges.html">Publisher's Weekly</a>, for the first half of 2011, e-book sales were up 161 percent to $473.8 million.<br />
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This red-hot streak should continue as new reading devices continue to enter the market and consumers turn on to digital books. So as e-book sales reach the stratosphere, dotMomming was wondering what's happening at the public library. We reached out to Andrew Medlar, Youth Materials Specialist for the <a href="http://www.chipublib.org/">Chicago Public Library</a>, to find out.<br />
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Numbers for trade paperback sales dropped off in June, down 64 percent, according to Publisher's Weekly, while children’s hardcover sales fell 31 percent. And for the first half of 2011, sales in all the trade segments were off by more than 10 percent. So the trend seems to be clear in bookstores -- digital books are on fire. Is the library seeing the same spike in e-book demand?<br />
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"In a word: yes. In four words: yes, very much so," Medlar says. "Interest, requests, circulation, and budgets for e-books continue to grow exponentially.<br />
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"The subsequent challenges then include balancing this with continued strong demand for the many other formats CPL provides, and working with publishers and distributors to make more e-content available to the library market in the first place."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqYFV3f-rr0q8A9e0rDy6AYG2qEDDbRNx_BIy_hpFzocBfcCW0eTpdjyfqsQoh1_YpYjQYmRrXltYqJhd3uWdwOo1bAXriwT9BASgNGOexO7rayKnGgL3Fsn9XAlUE0UaNbFhKELjY1gT/s1600/Boy+Ereader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqYFV3f-rr0q8A9e0rDy6AYG2qEDDbRNx_BIy_hpFzocBfcCW0eTpdjyfqsQoh1_YpYjQYmRrXltYqJhd3uWdwOo1bAXriwT9BASgNGOexO7rayKnGgL3Fsn9XAlUE0UaNbFhKELjY1gT/s320/Boy+Ereader.jpg" width="212" /></a>So where are the kids? The adult market seems to be out ahead of children's books, which makes sense as adults have the buying power to make use of reading tablets. But as more schools try out e-reader technology, demand for kids e-books will rise. Are Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and beyond capturing tween and preteen attention?<br />
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"Ten percent of e-book requests placed on our website are for teen titles," Medlar says, "and about 1 percent are for materials for kids up through age 13."<br />
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So what are the trends Medlar is seeing at the Chicago Public Library?<br />
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"Well, in the interest of user privacy, of course, we don’t track who is checking out what," he says. "But it is clear that many whos are checking out a lot of whats.<br />
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"Circulation of e-books has been consistently rising, and leading the charge is teen-directed literature, such as series by Meg Cabot, James Patterson, Maggie Stiefvater, Kristin Cast, Suzanne Collins, and more."<br />
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And what's ahead?<br />
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"Regardless of the age of the reader selecting these titles, this is definitely where the bulk of youth e-publishing and use is," Medlar says.<br />
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"This will continue, and the production of e-titles for tweens and younger will certainly grow itself, especially as more schools embrace e-readers. Interestingly, many of the tween titles immensely popular in paper (authors such as R. L. Stine and Erin Hunter, to name just two) are not seeing the same demand in e-formats, so this is likely still to take a while to catch up."Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-9036962953332862082011-10-04T05:05:00.000-05:002011-10-04T05:05:00.146-05:00How e-Books Can Save Your MarriageDotMomming is celebrating a glorious alignment of stars over here, and we want to share the joy. It has to do with a few of our favorite things -- the public library, the iPad, and our Spousal Unit (in no order of preference).<br />
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Many readers already know the ins and outs of checking out e-books from the library. But for those who do not, we're going to help you get into gear with OverDrive, the library's e-book vendor. And in the process, perhaps we'll restore harmony to your household just as we did at our own.<br />
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<ul>
<li>No more fighting over the bedside lamp being on all night, since you can read books in the dark using your e-reader's black screen and white type! </li>
<li>No more enduring your darling's cranky sighs at the sound of your pages turning, since your e-reader's digital pages turn noiselessly!</li>
<li>And need we remind you? These books are free!</li>
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What's not to love?<br />
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And for <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/get-library-books-on-your-kindle/2011/09/21/gIQA9wfalK_story.html">Kindle users</a> out there, OverDrive is now available for use for the first time. Until last week, digital lending was limited to iPad, smart phone, Sony Reader, and Nook.<br />
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To help explain the process, dotMomming contacted <b>Andrew Medlar</b>, Youth Materials Specialist for the <a href="http://www.chipublib.org/">Chicago Public Library</a>, to talk about e-books, the library's digital bookshelf, and where the kids are. We'll devote the next handful of posts to our conversation.<br />
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But first, the basic mechanics of how to check out an e-book through the public library.<br />
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"Patrons are invited to visit the Library’s downloadable media catalog at <a href="http://overdrive.chipublib.org/">OverDrive</a> to search and/or browse through our rich e-book collection," Medlar says. OverDrive offers several e-book formats, such as EPUB, PDF, mobipocket, and now Kindle Book. Before attempting to download a book, however, iPad users need to download the <a href="http://overdrive.com/software/omc/">free OverDrive app</a>. If you're using a Nook, you'll need to download the <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/">Adobe Digital Editions</a> software.<br />
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"Once you find a title in which you’re interested, you’ll either be able to add the title to your cart or put the title on hold if all of CPL’s licensed 'copies' are checked out to other users." This step is intuitive, as a button to the right of the book information sits waiting for your click. <br />
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"If you place it on hold, you will be asked to provide an e-mail address where you will be notified when the title becomes available," Medlar continues. "If it’s currently available you’ll be able to add it to your cart and proceed to checkout, at which point you’ll need to enter a library card number in good standing and your ZIP code."<br />
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And there's more. Can you handle it?<br />
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No late fees. The book just "disappears" from the e-reader when the checkout period expires. While we love this feature, dotMomming does realize that we are single-handedly supporting the CPL system through our endless late fees. Will e-books put a dent in the library's revenue stream?<br />
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"While the automatic return of e-books does result in fewer late fees for the Library," Medlar says, "we actually see it as a great marketing point for potential patrons." <br />
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He's talking about you. Good luck -- in your reading and your marriage.</div>
Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-45266206125140216522011-09-27T05:05:00.000-05:002011-09-27T05:05:00.776-05:00App Review: Trees Are Best FACTWe have not come across too many nonfiction picture books in the App Store. So when we stumbled upon <i>Trees Are Best FACT</i>, we were excited.<br />
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Created by <a href="http://hedgehoglab.com/apps/trees-are-best-fact/">Hedgehog Lab</a>, <i>Trees Are Best </i>is a celebration of all things tree. Told from the perspective of an 8-year-old boy whose friend says "diggers" are best, it is an exploration of what our barky friends can do, from giving us air to breathe to telling us their age in concentric rings.<br />
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The interactive components are engaging, beginning on the title page where readers have to shake the iPad to clear a pile of leaves and reveal the text. From dragging on branches to make a tree grow to using a tiny magnifying glass to examine a teensy tree, the whistles and bells on <i>Trees Are Best</i> will keep readers' interest.<br />
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There is even an art pad to let young fingers draw their own trees and share them with friends via email. The images can be posted to Facebook pages as well, though the audience for this app is a bit too young to have a Facebook account. But posting on Mom or Dad's page might be the modern equivalent of hanging artwork on the refrigerator.<br />
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The narration is solid and sound effects entertaining, though my grownup eyes found the type a bit too small here and there. The visual appeal of <i>Trees Are Best </i>is tremendous -- from collage to video to illustration, with humorous touches here and there that are sure to amuse.<br />
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A "coming soon" notice from Hedgehog promises a build-your-own treehouse tool and a tree-spotter's guide, among other upgrades. We look forward to seeing those additions to this lovely, original app. <i>$0.99 for iPad, in English and German</i>Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-70844379555614091372011-09-22T03:05:00.000-05:002011-09-22T10:17:43.620-05:00App Review: Let Me See. . . What Will I Be?It would be easy to sum up <i>Let Me See. . . What Will I Be? </i>in a single word: adorable. But there's much more to the story about Miss Rosie Red than first meets the eye.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6l6vSk-3nl4HGOR_jKXDYPSezRxcjZcbL_wxixQffrZ8kpuOX5BnjpASXkXkEbwz1ifH7JipzdkVesMFNvkj6e5Rge6C2aJ7n30IIwYbBWO1gmGJ8PoPxUqqBC7jK5J3YReQw8jbSzGNq/s1600/Rosie+Red+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6l6vSk-3nl4HGOR_jKXDYPSezRxcjZcbL_wxixQffrZ8kpuOX5BnjpASXkXkEbwz1ifH7JipzdkVesMFNvkj6e5Rge6C2aJ7n30IIwYbBWO1gmGJ8PoPxUqqBC7jK5J3YReQw8jbSzGNq/s320/Rosie+Red+full.jpg" width="257" /></a>Written by Northern Ireland author-illustrator Trisha Deery and produced by Derry media company <a href="http://missrosiered.com/">Dog Ears</a>, <i>What Will I Be?</i> was released simultaneously as an app and a paper book. It features the curious Rosie, age 3-ish, and her delightful two sidekicks, Baby and a cat named Cooper.<br />
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The story is simple. Rosie has been invited to a birthday party and must decide what she wants to be for it. An astronaut? A fairy? A dinosaur?<br />
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The narration is sweetly performed by a young child, and my three kids could not get enough of it. The book is geared for the youngest appsters, but older readers will get a kick out of this toddler's antics. My six-year-old ate it up, taking joy in what the young whippersnapper Rosie was up to.<br />
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Darling illustrations of Rosie and her friends dressed in each possibility offer just the right amount of interactivity without letting little fingers lose track of the story. The emphasis is on Rosie and her excitement about going to a birthday party, and the resolution is spot on.<br />
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Miss Rosie has a strong appeal, and her charming companions Baby and Cooper create an irresistible triple-threat. Dog Ears reports the possibility of a TV show in the works, along with more books. What we liked best about Rosie was that her dress-up choices were not stereotypically girlie. Sure, the fairy option was a sparkly pink froth, but it was balanced by Rosie as a dinosaur and as an astronaut.<br />
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There is an air about this character -- resplendent in her striped red tights -- that is reminiscent of a certain pig with a big personality. Here's hoping we see more of Miss Rosie Red. With all this potential, who knows what she will be.<br />
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<i>$2.99 for iPad and iPhone; paper book available in English and Irish</i><br />
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<br />Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-6151983318806315962011-09-20T06:58:00.000-05:002011-09-20T06:58:12.645-05:00JibJab Brings Its Sense of Fun to Kids Books<br />
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JibJab's <i><a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/everyday_fun/category/starring_you">Starring You</a> </i>holiday and birthday greetings have been cracking us up since 2007, when the first e-cards that allow users to put the heads of loved ones into hilarious videos made their debut. Now brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis -- Jib and Jab themselves -- are dipping their toes in the waters of children's apps with <a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/kids">JibJab Jr.</a><br />
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The first title -- <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jibjab-jr.-books/id439449113?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">The Biggest Pizza Ever</a> -- comes free when you download the JibJab Jr. app. If you like, you can buy the other titles currently offered in the app's home screen, <i>Alphabet Wrangler </i>and <i>Ocean Commotion</i>, each for $7.99. Or go for the monthly JibJab Jr. plan at $3.99 and receive a new book automatically each month.<br />
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Personalizing the JibJab line of books is incredibly simple. In a few keystrokes, you can upload a photo of your wee one and type in her name, then sit back and enjoy the rollicking ride. Prepare yourselves for some fun.<br />
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Because dotMomming has enjoyed JibJab over the years (spending countless hours creating wacky holiday cards for everyone she could think of), we reached out to Gregg Spiridellis about the new children's book line, what's behind this latest move, and what's ahead for JibJab.<br />
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<b>DotMomming</b>: Among the hilarious features to JibJab cards is the audio. My writing group still chuckles over the fabulous JibJab holiday card they received last December, set to Jose Feliciano's <i>Feliz Navidad.</i> With the JibJab Jr. books for kids, there is no audio, no gentle piano accompaniment, no "read to me" feature as with many apps. Was this a deliberate decision to focus on the story and the printed words?<br />
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<b>Gregg Spiridellis</b>: Yes, it was a deliberate decision and, yes, it was a mistake. We were so focused on making this about the parent reading to the child that we missed the opportunity to insert subtle sounds that enhance the experience. We are working on it now, and it will be the first major feature enhancement for us.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: Many picture book apps include interactivity where kids tap on puffy clouds to make it rain or swipe a tree to make it grow taller. With <i>The Biggest Pizza Ever</i>, the interactivity is in creating characters. With a few simple steps, kids can import their own picture and feature themselves as the hero of the story. Can you talk about the decisions that went into the book's interactivity?<br />
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<b>GS</b>: Our mission is to enhance the time parents spend with their children sharing stories at bedtime. As parents, my brother and I find it frustrating when we are trying to tell the story and all the kids want to do is click the screen. There is nothing wrong with interactivity, especially for learning games, but for bedtime reading, we think it distracts from the storytelling experience. We may do some experimentation with this in the future, but unlike sound, which we are adding as quickly as possible, we are holding off on interactivity beyond the creation of the book itself.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: Picture book apps are exciting new creatures, and they are very much in their infancy. Can you talk about why JibJab decided to venture into this world and what you hope to do?<br />
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<b>GS</b>: The fact that there is so much room for re-invention of the bedtime storytelling experience with new technology is what excites us! We hope to leverage technology to create products that enhance the time parents spend telling stories to their kids!<br />
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<b>DM:</b> JibJab has a very particular sense of humor, and it comes through in the first example of your books, <i>The Biggest Pizza Ever</i>. Where or from whom does this sensibility come? Gregg? Evan? Is one brother funnier than the other? And what can we expect to see from you guys in the coming months?<br />
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<b>GS</b>: Everyone at JibJab is funny! That’s our business! While my brother and I decide on what stories get produced, <i>The Biggest Pizza Ever</i> is written by one of our very talented employees, Scott Emmons. In the coming months you will see more books with that JibJab sense of humor, aged-down for the 2- to 6-year-old people in your life!<br />
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<b>DM</b>: In a recent <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/story/2011-08-30/JibJab-founders-give-e-card-strategy-a-twist-for-kids-books/50194782/1"><i>USA Today</i> interview</a>, you described the opportunity to "disrupt" children's publishing. What does that mean?<br />
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<b>GS</b>: We think new technology creates new opportunities to tell stories that will be far more immersive and engaging than what is possible on printed paper. The traditional publishers have built a business printing things on paper and distributing that paper to wholesalers (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.). We think the skills required to be a world-class children’s publisher in the future will be very different than the skills required to be a leader in the past.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: As parents yourselves, can you talk about your own kids' reading habits and what you see as the future in book publishing? Do your kids prefer digital over paper, both? What do you prefer as a parent?<br />
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<b>GS</b>: Both Evan and I prefer reading iPad books to our kids at night, and they prefer it as well! The reason we prefer it, as parents, is that we can turn off the lights and crawl into bed and read the stories in the dark, which really helps wind the kids down for bedtime.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: Tapping, swiping, games, animation. What are your thoughts on a book as a tool for early literacy? Where are the boundaries? When do they become a movie or a game? And does it matter?<br />
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<b>GS</b>: There is no doubt that the iPad is an amazing early learning tool (some of the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bob-books-1-reading-magic/id403753501?mt=8">Bob apps</a> are great for early learning). While we are focused on the bedtime reading experience right now, we think there are obvious opportunities to expand into learning apps in the future.<br />
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Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-25511781406755710602011-09-15T03:09:00.000-05:002011-09-15T03:09:00.402-05:00App Review: Finn's Paper HatIt's no surprise when wee ones these days look at a VCR tape and wonder what in the world to do with it. Ditto phones attached to walls, CD racks, and the handles that roll car windows up and down.<br />
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What breaks the heart of newspaper lovers everywhere is the notion that this same under-40-inches set will not know what you can do with a newspaper. Roll it up and train the dog. Wrap dishes and coffee mugs in it and pack for a move. And best of all, fold it up and make a hat.<br />
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That's why <i>Finn's Paper Hat</i> caught our eye. Produced by <a href="http://apps.tizio.eu/picturebook_finnspaperhat">Tizio Publishing</a>, the same folks who created the enchanting <i><a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2011/08/dotmommings-top-picture-book-apps.html">Fierce Grey Mouse</a></i>, <i>Finn's Paper Hat</i> is the second app from talented author-illustrator <a href="http://www.cfordesign.co.uk/">Chantal Bourgonje</a>. </div>
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In this story, Finn creates a newspaper hat and embarks on some exciting adventures. When rain pours down, he doesn't worry about the water drenching his hat. He turns it over and sets sail. With engaging animation, Finn's journey moves from ocean waves to a bumpy encounter with a whale.</div>
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Readers can tap the page to add snowflakes at the North Pole and drag their fingers across the page to run the whale aground. More encounters with a seal bring other adventures as Finn makes the best of every situation. And his creative uses for the paper hat celebrate imagination.<br />
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While many apps can be heard in a variety of languages from Mandarin to Dutch, <i>Finn's Paper Hat </i>offers options I've not seen before: Readers can choose to have the narration performed in Australian English, American English, U.K. English, and beyond. I chose English narration with an Irish slant, and I felt like Colin Farrell was snuggled in the chair with me. Sigh.</div>
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<i>Finn's Paper Hat</i> offers extras that include a how-to guide for making your own paper hat, as well as coloring pages. <i>$1.99 for iPad</i></div>
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Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-57713862344614636052011-09-13T05:05:00.000-05:002011-09-13T06:14:30.137-05:00Crab Hill Press Enjoys the Wild App Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're always on the lookout for a good time over here at dotMomming. So when we discovered the fast-paced, downright thrilling picture book apps created by <a href="http://crabhillpress.com/index.html">Crab Hill Press</a>, we got a little weak in the knees. Their <a href="http://crabhillpress.com/nashsmasher.html" style="font-style: italic;">Nash Smasher!</a> app, about a boy with a certain amount of <i>joie de vivre</i> and a hammer, made our <a href="http://dotmomming.blogspot.com/2011/08/dotmommings-top-picture-book-apps.html">top picks for summer</a>. And <i><a href="http://crabhillpress.com/rollercoaster.html">My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car</a> </i>still has us reeling.<br />
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Of course we had to reach out to Crab Hill and meet the imaginative minds behind such madcap fun. <a href="http://www.billdoyle.net/">Bill Doyle </a>serves as chief writer and Rachel Ericson is creative director.<br />
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<b>DotMomming</b>: I see on one of your pages that you have "30 years combined experience in kids publishing." Can you elaborate? You come from book backgrounds. What made you make the leap into apps and digital books?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: Rachel and I both come out of the print world. We became friends at Sesame Workshop in the '90s. I was editor of a magazine called <i>Kid City</i>, based on The Electric Company, and Rachel was art director of <i>Contact Kids Magazine</i>, based on the show 3-2-1 Contact. After Sesame, we had a blast freelancing on different projects together and had always talked about working on our own thing. We’re both gadget geeks—so when apps first appeared on the radar, we knew we wanted in.<br />
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It helped, too, that I’d been writing for different websites and different interactive publishers like LeapFrog. I was itching to apply some of what I was learning to our own projects.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: The joys of running your own app development business likely are many, including having complete control of the content and look of the books you're creating. Can you explain the appeal of Crab Hill Press and what you enjoy most about it?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: I love working with big publishers. You can’t beat the editors I’ve worked with, the illustrators I’ve been paired with, or the support and distribution the big companies can offer.<br />
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It’s exciting, though, for us to go out on the tightrope on our own…either we do some cool acrobatics that gets the crowd going…or we might fall. Either way, it’s a rush just knowing that it’s all up to us.<br />
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At Crab Hill Press, we have a rule: we only do something if we’re having fun. It sounds like a cliché or something you might say during an interview, but it’s absolutely true. If a project starts meandering out of the realm of “wow, we’re having a good time,” we’ll pull back and take a breather until it’s fun again. Everyone has enough going on in their lives that they don’t need something that might feel like more work.<br />
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<b>Rachel</b>: We seriously only do what we enjoy. Bill is super enthusiastic, which makes it more fun, and the chain of command is pretty short. There's me, and there's Bill. And usually we agree. Of course, we hope that it will translate into being rich and famous one day, but mostly we're making apps we really believe in. And we focus on quality, originality, and content. There is no one in the process disputing our gut feelings or diluting an idea.<br />
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I also love being able to work with great people. <a href="http://www.trox5.com/">Troy Cummings</a> and <a href="http://www.danielguidera.com/">Daniel Guidera</a> are both illustrators I've worked with extensively in the past. Together with Mark Arenz, the fantastic programmer of our apps, we not only have a really talented and creative team, but also one that's really FUNNY. It's definitely my policy to only work with people I like, and these guys crack me up all the time.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: The flip side of the coin is that you assume all the risk and all the expense: developing the platform your apps run on is costly, you have to sell a lot of books to see a profit. Can you talk about the stresses and nail-biting moments of running Crab Hill?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: I think the two days after we released our first app, <i>Nash Smasher!</i>, were a little harrowing and when I chewed up the most nails. That second after we were approved for the App Store and went on sale, I thought, “Oh, we’ve put out an app and there are millions and millions of people with devices…we’re going to be HUGE immediately.” That wasn’t the case. While Apple has always been amazing to us and featured us in New & Noteworthy and What’s Hot, at first we kind of sank unnoticed into the huge pile of apps. We tried running ads on Google and Facebook...those didn’t work out. Lucky for us, <a href="http://www.iphone4kids.net/2010/12/16/nash-smasher-interactive-pop-up-book/">Apps4Kids.net </a>was the first site to notice us. And, a couple months later, when <i>The New York Times</i> named Nash Smasher one of the Top 10 Kids Books for the iPad, things really started to move.<br />
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<b>Rachel</b>: I think the approval process for each app has been the only moment where I bite my nails. That's when you send your baby out in the world and it's out of your hands. It was also a bit of a cold shower to see that we didn't automatically sell thousands or even hundreds in a day. But I've adjusted my expectations, and we're exploring new ways in order to better the sales figures for our current and upcoming projects.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: For authors and illustrators considering going this way, I think it's important for them to understand profit margins in the two publishing realms (app vs. traditional). Can you give a sense of what's in it for authors and artists once a platform is set up -- from what I can see, there is real money to be made despite the low price of apps.<br />
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So let's talk profit margins and sales. Both of your picture book apps sell for $1.99 in the App Store. Can you break down (in general terms) the costs involved in bringing a picture book app to life -- from idea (and you have had fabulous book ideas!) to finished product? What percentage are you taking home for each app downloaded? In the traditional book market, a picture book needs to sell about 10,000 copies to be deemed a success. How many sales do you need to "make it" as an app? And to "make it BIG"?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: Print is a big part of both of our lives, and individually we have great relationships with big companies. For example, I’ve got a book with Scholastic that sold about 450,000 copies in a year. Those kinds of numbers are extremely hard to beat—and so is the support and talent you can access.<br />
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Because we’re small, we don’t have the overhead of big publishers. So we can charge a little less for our apps. And when it comes to margin, the 70/30 split that Apple has established is incredibly fair.<br />
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Speaking of fair, that’s something I’ve learned from publishers and book packagers I’ve worked with: Be fair to the people you’re working with. Give illustrators the credit and percentage they deserve.<br />
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<b>Rachel</b>: I'm not really sure what that number would be to consider your app a success. We're doing our best to make sure that the people involved in our app production get compensated fairly. But we're not Angry Birds…yet.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: Production time is one of the major differences between picture book apps vs. picture books with paper pages. For an author, it might take more than a year to see your book make it through the editorial process and onto a bookstore shelf. For a picture book app, the process can be just a matter of months. Can you talk about <i>Nash Smasher!</i> and <i>My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car</i> and how long the creative process took for those apps?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: One of my favorite print books out now is <i><a href="http://www.billdoyle.net/works.htm">Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie</a></i> which took about two years to go from idea to shelf. I thought our apps would be much, much faster. But time gets eaten up in different ways, and both <i>Nash Smasher!</i> and <i>My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car</i> took about half a year. It helps that we work with one of the best and most creative programmers, Mark Arenz—he keeps us moving at just the right pace.<br />
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<b>Rachel</b>: I’d agree. I think it took about six months from concept to launch. It might have been faster if Crab Hill Press was my day job, but luckily we didn't have the stress of a hard and fast deadline hanging over our heads.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: There is a sort of gold rush happening in app-land as authors, illustrators, and publishers flock to this new frontier. How do you avoid getting swept up in the frenzy to throw as many apps out there as you can and see what sticks? How do you ensure quality -- in story content, illustration and interactive features?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: I think creating apps is a little like dating. You don’t want to rush things, promise too much, come off as desperate, or seem greedy. Because Rachel and I both are still working in the print world with other publishers, we have the luxury of time right now. Plus, as someone who’s wanted to be a writer his whole life, I have a file cabinet full of ideas and it’s fun to sift through them and find just the<br />
right new project.<br />
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One quick quality suggestion: Don’t skimp on sound in your apps! I had a teacher at NYU who said if you only have a little money for a film, spend it on a good microphone. The same idea is true for apps. Good sound will take you a long way. Oh! And respect your reader. Don’t oversell in the iTunes description and be very careful not to talk down to kids in the books.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y74jzd9UhbQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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[Check out a clip of Crab Hill's <i>My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car </i>to get a sense of how important audio is to the app experience.]</div>
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<b>Rachel</b>: Working with the right people, remaining enthusiastic, and respecting your audience are the best ways to keep your quality high. Busy with all sorts of things in life, we choose our projects carefully, and don't have time to throw out a bunch of apps to see what sticks. So that helps. In addition to that, I have a five-year-old and feel responsible to create things I'm extremely proud of: if it’s not good enough for her, it’s not good enough.<br />
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<b>DM</b>: Coming from traditional books and now venturing into apps, how do they compare for you -- creatively speaking? Where does your heart lie? And what do you see for the future of picture books?<br />
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<b>Bill</b>: With the more traditional print books I write, I find this wonderful focus…where each and every word is an important brick in the mental picture and character composite you’re building for readers.<br />
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The book apps are different kinds of productions. I can bring in a few more of the<br />
things I picked up at NYU, and combine even more of the things I love: design, art, story, lighting, music, and voice talent.<br />
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What’s exciting about the future of kids book apps is that no one is completely sure where it’s going. We attended the incredible <a href="http://www.childrenssoftware.com/dustormagic/">Dust or Magic App Camp</a> in May and met all sorts of developers from one-person companies to those working with Disney…and it seems we’re all on the same terrific ride: trying to figure out what will be the next big thing!<br />
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<b>Rachel</b>: I love paper, I’m always going to be creating things for print… but an app is just wide open as far as what you can do with it. It’s a very exciting time for designers, and it makes my brain hurt trying to think of ways to be more creative!<br />
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There will always be a future for picture books though; the market may change, but it won't go away. If anything it will make the market for quality books stronger. Think of movie theaters… everyone thought they would die once we were able to watch films at home, but in actuality it's motivated the industry to make better movies and made going to the movie theater something special. Holding a book in your hands will always remain something special.<br />
<br />Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2312163032781475454.post-18894429581123973202011-09-08T05:05:00.000-05:002011-09-08T05:05:00.567-05:00Another Card-Carrying Member of the CPL<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCICVHTFvyEsjv5RaEi571cCLASHQDj1qBCKz9HrEDvfIGG_AgB48awwCyrHZjLNKBAfT8O7EieIIG3Ttph_d22Rhis-yPIc9Vn_mWNinqqFzZj3MjGx1j2syxNxqvfxshHfgVq28lIj6H/s1600/Blackstone+Library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCICVHTFvyEsjv5RaEi571cCLASHQDj1qBCKz9HrEDvfIGG_AgB48awwCyrHZjLNKBAfT8O7EieIIG3Ttph_d22Rhis-yPIc9Vn_mWNinqqFzZj3MjGx1j2syxNxqvfxshHfgVq28lIj6H/s200/Blackstone+Library.jpg" width="150" /></a>I stopped by the <a href="http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/blackstone/p/History/">Blackstone Branch</a> of the Chicago Public Library the other day with the kids in tow. It was one of many stops on a hot day full of errands to the dry cleaners, the grocery store, the pet store, and the coffee shop.</div>
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"Why are we sitting down?" asked my six-year-old, resting his head on the wooden table.</div>
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"Because we need to fill out this form," I explained. "You're getting a library card today."<br />
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He wasn't going for it. He was hungry, he was tired, and he was desperate to get home and back to playing with the dog or staging battles with his knights. Anything but having to sit quietly at a table and perform some writing task.<br />
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And as with many young boys, reading and writing are not his default settings. Neither activity comes easy to him. Despite a summer spent immersed in books, he's not a confident reader. And as for his writing ability, fine-motor skills are not his strong suit.<br />
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"Why can't we go to the library where you bought me <i><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/badkittymeetsthebaby">Bad Kitty</a></i>?" he argued.<br />
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"Because that's a bookstore, and we have to <i>buy</i> the books there," I said with a peppy voice, though he was not so swayed by my enthusiasm. "A library is where you get to read the books for <i>free</i>."<br />
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Clearly I need to work on money management with my kids. Because "free" doesn't seem to have the same motivating effect on them as it does on me.<br />
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We got in line and waited for our turn at the desk. Big sister and brother joined us, heaving their own deep sighs and obviously wishing they were somewhere else, too.<br />
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Until Elbert.<br />
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<b>Elbert Patterson</b> is the head clerk at the Blackstone Branch. He has been the friendly face of the Chicago Public Library system for me over the years -- always pleasant and never once scolding me for my shameful accumulation of fines. But on this day, Elbert Patterson was bigger than that. On this particular day, Elbert Patterson was the embodiment of all that is wonderful about public libraries.<br />
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"Gabriel," he said in a deep and somber voice. Then he paused for a few beats, reading over the application form my almost-first-grader had placed on the counter. "Gabriel, you did a wonderful job writing your name."<br />
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Suddenly, Mr. Cranky Pants stopped slouching. He stood a little taller in his sneakers. His brother and sister quit their fidgeting and gazed up at Elbert, too. Both seemed keenly aware that Gabriel was having A Moment.<br />
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"Sometimes, people fill out the forms, and they are messy," Elbert continued. "Your G is perfect, and both your Ss are facing the right way. Not everybody gets that right."<br />
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Gabriel nodded with a gravity I'd never witnessed in him before.<br />
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As Elbert explained the borrowing privileges Gabriel was now granted, I looked around at the cathedral-like setting that is the Blackstone Library -- the first branch in the city's library system. Unlike the contemporary design of many suburban libraries, patrons stepping through the doors here are met with a stunning rotunda flanked by four murals depicting labor, literature, the arts, and agriculture.<br />
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And like a cathedral, it inspires a sense of reverence.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi07ltl-QfNzR4NkCHUWAg_IiUAGrIgVC2ANzTpz010ptN9IOtpJ1PQDc0dNlIfSV4zAooKYFGDODtqiezyeNx5aoawg7dUhJ9d111A1LACWSvIQf6Mtkbx6QLgjtH8zYeHrhCNUqSd1Oq/s1600/Chicago+Public+Library+Card.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi07ltl-QfNzR4NkCHUWAg_IiUAGrIgVC2ANzTpz010ptN9IOtpJ1PQDc0dNlIfSV4zAooKYFGDODtqiezyeNx5aoawg7dUhJ9d111A1LACWSvIQf6Mtkbx6QLgjtH8zYeHrhCNUqSd1Oq/s1600/Chicago+Public+Library+Card.gif" /></a>The line behind us began to stack up, but Elbert didn't rush us along. He printed Gabriel's name out in bold block letters and had him check it for mistakes. Then when it was ready, Elbert presented the green and white plastic rectangle to Gabriel with all dignity and respect it deserved.<br />
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There are few cards as powerful as a library card. Not only because libraries play such a crucial role in maintaining a democracy and supporting an educated populace -- all highfalutin notions. But for a child, it instills their first sense of community and belonging.<br />
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"Congratulations, Gabriel," Elbert said. "You are free to use the Chicago Public Library."<br />
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Now, the reverence I feel isn't just for our beautiful library building. It's for the Elbert Pattersons of the world.Kate Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14412793482696435963noreply@blogger.com5