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Video courtesy of MobadMedia: 2012 is the Year of the Dragon! Dominic’s proud parents rule the sea and sky, advise the Emperor, and have high expectations for their son. Meanwhile Dom befriends the boy Bo and the other zodiac animals, who wish to paddle a boat in the village’s annual river race. But when other people and Dom’s parents disapprove, what will Dom do? Discover Dom’s ingenious solution in this enthusiastic tale!

Mobad Media transforms Oliver Chin’s fantastic children’s book into an extraordinary 3D experience for the iPad, iPhone 4, and Mac.

This stunning app also makes a great gift for anybody born in 2012 and any of the other Years of the Dragon.

★ 1916 ★ 1928 ★ 1940 ★ 1952 ★ 1964 ★ 1976 ★ 1988 ★ 2000 ★ 2012 ★ 2024 ★

People born in the Year of the Dragon are strong and passionate, as well as idealistic and independent. But they can flare with emotion and be temperamental risk-takers. However, dragons are energetic and shoulder responsibility well, which make them the most reliable companions.

Praise for the hardcover release:

“Favorite Chinese New Year Books for Kids: a planned 12-book series that introduces children to the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Oliver Chin introduces young readers to the characteristics of each zodiac animal through lively stories accompanied by exuberant illustrations.” – China Sprout

“This bright and playful story makes the ancient tradition of the Chinese zodiac accessible to children everywhere.” – Paper Tigers

“Chin continues to creatively reveal the virtues of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac through his series.” – BookDads

“I simply love this book. The richness of the color and the content…The Year of the Dragon is simply fantastic.” – Mike Lee, Tien Wah Press

“Perfect timing with the Lunar New Year.” – Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

“Thanks so much for letting me see your work – it’s really fantastic.” – Samantha Brody, associate editor of Scholastic’s Parent & Child magazine

Features:
• “Read To Me” highlights the words to improve reading skills
• “I Can Read” allows reading at your own pace
• Individual words can be tapped and multiple words selected to hear that section of the story played back
• Interactive surprises and hidden objects on every page
• Original music and soothing narration
• Hints can be turned on to assist in finding interactive thingamabobs
• Auto Play available if you want to watch the story unfold like a movie

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

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Video courtesy of HarperKids: Make Nancy look extra fancy in this first-ever official Fancy Nancy game app! Nancy’s going to a splendid soiree—that’s fancy for party! Read her storybook and then create fancy outfits on every page. After all, no one knows how to dress up like Fancy Nancy!

Fancy Nancy has captured the hearts of readers, and with over 20 million books in print, she’s ready to make her dress-up app debut. With hundreds of possible outfits, and fun and fancy backgrounds and stickers to choose from, fans will love dressing up Nancy and making their very own Fancy Fashion Story. Ooh la la!

Purchase the app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch!

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: June 8, 2011

You have an iPad and your kids are always begging for a turn. Put that screen-time to good use with quality apps that encourage reading. We’ve tested loads of apps that will do just that.

Here are some of the best iPad apps for kids:

How Rocket Learned to Read

Developer’s synopsis: Featuring the original story and artwork by Tad Hills, with delightful animations, lots of interactivity and two additional games to play [make] this a captivating app.

Why we love it: From the “word of the day” to the interactive games, this app is the perfect blend of story magic and entertaining learning.

Be Confident in Who You Are

Developer’s synopsis: Be Confident in Who You Are will be a sure-fire hit with 8-14 year olds. (Even those who don’t like to read!) As a bonus for parents and teachers, this app puts thought-provoking entertainment and solutions into the hands of teens who deal with these personal issues every day.

Why we love it: The graphic novel format and zoom capabilities for frame-by-frame reading has complete kid-appeal.

Pat the Bunny

Developer’s synopsis: Designed especially for toddlers and preschoolers, the app features 14 fully interactive scenes your kids can tap, swipe, and explore.

Why we love it: Fans of the original and must-have Pat the Bunny will easily immerse themselves in the ready-to-explore scenes. For those with front-facing cameras, the “look in the mirror” feature is combines the original and classic fun with technology beautifully.

Tacky the Penguin by Oceanhouse Media

Developer’s synopsis: To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched. By combining the original text and artwork with features that entertain and promote reading, this omBook appeals to readers of all ages.

Why we love it: Because it is nice to have a classic book while you are on the go.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Developer’s synopsis: Meryl Streep shares the tale of love so powerful it can turn a toy bunny into a real rabbit. Read along, play along, and record your voice with apps for families from Ruckus Media!

Why we love it: Meryl Streep. Need I say more? Audio heaven combined with blissful illustrations.

John Henry

Developer’s synopsis: Denzel Washington tells the tale of Big John Henry and his hammer, stronger and faster than any machine. Read along, play along, and record your voice with apps for families from Ruckus Media!

Why we love it: And the celebrity readings keep coming … Denzel Washington. This app is 100% quality and we love the “Read and Record” function.

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

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©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Teo Grimalt, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 16, 2011

Name: Forgotten Colours and Other Illustrated Stories

Author: Silvia G. Guirado

Illustrators: David Garcia Forés, Desiree Arancibia and Marta Garcia

Developer: Play Creatividad

Category: Books

Price: $1.99 (special release offer)

App site: apps.forgottencolours.com

What would happen if the world’s colour started to vanish and everything turned pale, gray and gloomy? Carmesina knows, she is the main character in a story where colours are disappearing until she meets a black cat, an event that will change the course of her life.

This is the plot of the first story in Forgotten Colours and Other Illustrated Stories, a summary of 15 stories about love, friendship, fears, courage… seen from a slightly different point of view, half way between reflection and smile.

A journey to other worlds and other times, where fantasy and reality blend to awaken the best in ourselves.

113 pages containing fifteen stories that deal with universal themes, seen from an optimistic and lively point of view, written by Silvia G. Guirado. Astonishing illustrations accompany these stories, sparkling, colourful and fresh, by three unique artists: David Garcia Forés, Desiree Arancibia and Marta Garcia.

After a great reception in Spain, selling over 10000 copies in two languages, Forgotten Colours and Other Illustrated Stories takes a step further getting into the digital world, in English and Spanish, to help spreading the colours to the rest of the world. In the iPad version of the book you are invited to discover this colourful world and find a new way of reading. It includes the Sketchbook, an unpublished collection of the illustrators’ sketches, and interactive elements on the illustrations that will enliven them as you read.

Recommended to adults who wish to recover the forgotten colours and to young people who are painting the future.

This book has been created by the agency Play Creatividad and tends to encourage the creative and positive spirit. 10% of the proceeds obtained from the sale of this book shall be donated to the DNGO Educación Sin Fronteras (Education without Boundaries).

The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. This article was provided by the author. Read more …

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Jane Hague, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 20, 2010

The Great Snail Race Children’s Book

MUM OF FIVE CREATES A FUN INTRODUCTION TO MATH

First in a series of ten fun children’s books for theiPhone and iPad

Direct link to The Great Snail Race children’s book on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/great-snail-race-kids-stories/id415166277?mt=8

Professionally narrated multimedia-rich children’s book for iPhone & iPad

iPhone / iPad SCREEN IMAGES:

Home Screen

Number Town Map—Touch Interactive

THE GREAT SNAIL RACE

This book is professionally narrated using full character voices. Children can play the story with or without the highlighted text or audio narration and can switch the text on or off at any point while reading or listening.

FEATURES:

1: Text highlights as you read.
2: “Read it to me.” Full narration with manual or automatic page turning.
3: “Read it myself.” Self-paced reading. Show or hide text with a simple touch.
4: Interactive Number Town Map.
5: Touch objects to hear a description.
6: Listen to “The Number Fun Song.”
7: Beautiful narrative performance by Sharon Hunter and Daryl Scobie.
8: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

“Hello, I’m Little Tilly Two. We had the Great Snail Race at Number Town School this week.”

“Come and read about the race and find out who came in first, second, and third.”

“The Great Snail Race focuses on the number two, represented by me, Little Tilly Two.”

Stories from Tilly’s Number Town are part of the Number Fun series of children’s educational products that bring numbers and counting to life using fun characters that inspire young learners.

Identifying numbers and counting are important early learning skills. Stories from Tilly’s Number Town represent each number in a fun pictorial way that young children find easy to understand.The Great Snail Race focuses on the number two, represented by number character, Little Tilly Two.

These simple stories and delightful illustrations provide an effective way for parent and child to explore numbers, basic math, and reading skills in everyday situations. The Great Snail Race deals with number sequences and helps your child understand the concepts of first, second, and third. Kids have a lot of fun finding the numbers hidden in each illustration, and the more they find the happier they will be!

More Stories from Tilly’s Number Town:

1: Professor One Gets in a Muddle: A story about Professor One
2: The Great Snail Race:                    A story about Little Tilly Two
3: Trouble at Trio Farm:                     A story aboutFarmer Freda Three
4: The Camping Trip:                         A story aboutFergus Four the Fisherman
5: The Special Visit:                           A story about Mr Hive Five the Bee Keeper
6: A Very Busy Week:                        A Story about Nurse Trixie Six
7: Shape Up Number Town:              A story about Sally Seven the Sports Star
8: All in a Day’s Work:                       A story about Policeman Ernie Eight
9: The Harvest Festival:                    A story about Nun Nine
10: Laboratory Ten:                           A story about Professor One and Robot Zero

iPhone / iPad Release WK 8 – Feb 2011

iPhone / iPad Release WK 9 – March 2011

Author: Jane Hague

Illustrated by: Ferdinand Tang

Narrated by: Sharon Hunter & Daryl Scobie

Programming by: Jose Massada

Book layout by: Carolyn Glennie

Number Fun Song by: Angela Glennie

Published: 2011 – 123 Number Fun Pty Ltd

Melbourne, Australia  © Jane Hague 2010

ISBN: 978-0-9806737-5-3

Janue Hague

About the Author: In 1999, Jane Hague found herself homeschooling her two young daughters. As she gathered teaching materials, she discovered there were very few resources that approached numbers, particularly multiplication, in a multi-sensory fashion. Jane started using pictures and short stories to engage her children’s imagination and their visual and auditory recall of the multiplication tables.

Her techniques were an instant success and she soon had eleven number characters and dozens of short mnemonic verses. Tilly’s Tables were born. Tilly’s Tables multiplication flash cards are based on eleven fun characters who get into all sorts of situations. Colourful illustrations combined with brief stories create number images in your child’s imagination – making the multiplication tables easy to remember.

In her own schooling, Jane used various mnemonic techniques to remember facts. She was especially fond of simple verses and stories. Spelling the double consonants in address, for example, can be tricky for primary students unless they remember that: letters “Delivered Directly are Safe and Sound.”

Other mothers loved her ideas and urged her to create flash cards. She did, and the first 1,000 packs of Tilly’s Tables quickly sold out. However, it wasn’t until her family returned to Australia and her five children were happily settled into school that Jane found the time to dedicate herself to improving and expanding her ideas.

In 2008, Tilly’s Tables became an audio eBook, using the voice talents of Sharon Hunter to bring the number characters to life. The eBook proved to be as popular as the flash cards. In 2009, the character images and packaging design were refined and a range of complimentary products were developed. In addition to Tilly’s Tables, there is now Tilly’s Number Fun (a precursor to Tilly’s Tables).

Tilly’s Number Fun flash cards introduce young children to numbers in a colourful pictorial way. Each number has its own identity, making it personable and fun. These cute characters are also expanded in Stories from Tilly’s Number Town, which includes ten short stories that explore numbers in everyday situations children can relate to.

Jane is now in collaboration with the Chookas Theatre Production Company to produce a Stories from Tilly’s Number Town stage show.

Jane trained as a DSA nurse and ran a successful catering company before starting her family. When Jane is not working on Tilly’s Number Fun, she is at home in the beautiful Yarra Valley with husband Keith, five children, three horses, and three dogs. Jane has also travelled extensively throughout Europe and beyond, and travel remains her great passion.

Contact: Keith Hague
123 Number Fun Pty Ltd
Box 409, Montrose,
Vic 3765, Australia
Tel: +61 3 97239917
Web: www.123numberfun.com
Email: Keith@123numberfun.com

The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. This article was provided by the author. Read more …

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 20, 2010

Janue Hague

Jane Hague home-schools her children. Her interactive series, Tilly’s Number Town Educational Children’s Books, was born after Hague discovered that there were very few resources that approached numbers, particularly multiplication, in a multi-sensory fashion. “The Great Snail Race” is the first in a series of ten fun children’s books for the iPhone and iPad.

TCBR: Can you tell us what inspired you to begin writing the 123 Number Fun series?

Jane Hague: In 1999, through a series of circumstances, I found  myself homeschooling my two young daughters. My daughter Matilda (Tilly) was struggling to remember the multiplication tables. As I looked for resources, I was disappointed at the lack of multi-sensory products available. I decided to research memory techniques and became interested in mnemonics and went on to create twelve number characters and numerous mnemonic verses, resulting in a truly multi-sensory approach to learning and recalling the multiplication tables. Tilly’s Tables Flash Cards were born. We then started to look for ways to help younger children grasp numbers and counting more easily and adapted the number characters from Tilly’s Tables to create 123 Number Fun flash cards. Stories from Number Town expand on each individual number character.

TCBR: Which age group would enjoy reading the books?

JH: 123 Number Fun and Stories from Number Town are suitable for children age two and upwards. The iPhone / iPad e-books have a range of options to cater to all ages and abilities.

1: “Read to me”: an autoplay narrated version for non-readers
2: “Follow along”: narrated with highlighted text for those learning to read
3: “Silent”: for fluent readers who do not require the narration

TCBR: An iPad application seems like a good choice for creating a multi-sensory learning experience. Would you describe the learning opportunities that your e-books have to offer?

JH: The e-books running on iPhone and iPad allow the use of simple multimedia techniques to engage the child and to create interest and interaction with the application. Our e-books incorporate a professional narration by  two artists using full character voices. The screen also moves around each page to focus attention on the subject, while touch sound effects create a degree of interaction. We are also working on a new app, “123 Count with Me”, a totally interactive educational number experience.

TCBR: There are ten titles in your series. Does each book present a new mathematical topic?

JH: Yes. Each book deals with a different math’s topic. The Great Snail Race forms a introduction to the number two and looks at number sequencing. A Very Busy Week forms a introduction to the number six and focuses on simple addition. The Camping Trip forms a introduction to the number four and  investigates weights and measures. All of these mathematical topics and more are expanded on in the soon-to-be-released 123 Number Fun workbooks.

TCBR: How long did it take you to write each book?

JH: The writing and editing process takes about four weeks and the illustrations take another four to six weeks. We also finalise the process by creating digitally printed prototype books and we have found this particularly helpful for checking continuity.

TCBR:  It takes a team to create an application. Was the creation of each e-book a lengthy process?

Click to purchase

JH: Recording the narration and programming for The Great Snail Race e-book took our team of nine around four to five weeks to produce, although this first e-book also formed a template for the other nine titles. We are hoping all the hard work in the beginning will make subsequent titles easier and quicker to publish.

TCBR: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating the applications?

JH: The fact that we could do it at all without any direct knowledge of computer programming still surprises me when I think about it. The Internet helped tremendously in assembling our team. We have voice-over artists here in Melbourne, Australia, along with our packaging and book designer. Our illustrator is in the Philippines and our programmer is based in Portugal.

TCBR: Should we expect to see more e-books from you?

JH: Yes, most definitely. The next two books, The Harvest Festival: a story about Nun Nine, and A Very Busy Week: a story about Nurse Trixie Six, are due for release on iTunes before the end of March. Books four and five are also well underway, with the narration recorded and our illustrator busy creating the artwork.

TCBR: As an experienced homeschooling mom, what words of wisdom would you offer to parents that are considering homeschooling their children?

JH: Gather as many resources as you can, employ specialist teachers if you need to, but most important of all, make sure you have a strong social network, as home schooling can be lonely without contact with other children of the same age.

TCBR:  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

JH: Thank you for showing an interest in the Tilly’s range of products.

The Author Showcase is a place for authors and illustrators to gain visibility for their works. Read more …

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Lindsey Wright, for The Children’s Book Review

Published: January 28, 2010

These days it seems nearly everyone has a Kindle or iPad. From businessmen who use the devices to keep up on the stock market and the news, to students enrolled in online schools who use their iPad or Kindle to do homework, the reasons for having an e-reader, and the benefits supplied by them, are endless. The Huffington Post reports e-book readers and applications are one of the fastest growing trends with more than six million devices sold in 2010. Following the holiday season, e-book publishers saw a major increase in sales representing an exponential increase over last year’s numbers. While e-books sales account for a small portion of the overall market, children’s books are seeing instant benefits. E-books combine interactive features, sound effects and high-resolution graphics in a compact, kid-friendly package that is creating unlimited potential for innovation and growth.

Kids aren’t the only ones enjoying the newest generation of interactive features available with e-books. Parents love the convenience and low cost of e-books. According to Rocco Staino from the Empire State Center for the Book, Americans in their 30s, who also have children, were among the first to adopt Apple’s iPhone and iPad products. This phenomenon led to the early popularity of children’s e-book titles. With the prices for e-readers and related technology dropping, it’s projected more than 11 million e-readers will sell in 2011.

Today, new releases are available alongside classics that have been updated with slick graphics and a multitude of interactive features. According to Wired Magazine, the newest wave of interactive features creates a hyperactive story environment incorporating original music, sound effects, text, multimedia elements and video in a seamless package. For instance, some interactive children’s e-books include a “look and listen” narration feature that highlights text as it is read. Likewise, other e-books include special features such as music and sound effects that create a reading experience that’s exciting for kids. Customizable settings allow narration and sound effects to be turned on and off. Some publishers also offer tools with pronunciation assistance and definitions to aid in learning comprehension.

Today’s kids are very sophisticated and tech-savvy, preferring text-rich chapter books to the picture books that were traditionally marketed to their age group. While the New York Times reported on the drastic decline of the picture book in recent years, the e-book presents a new opportunity for authors and artists to bring back the picture book by creating high-resolution e-books with complex and abstract concepts that encourage creative and critical thinking.

Disney, Scholastic and Marvel Comics are among the first publishers to embrace and package interactive e-books for children. These publishing powerhouses, along with independent media developers, have licensed the rights to build interactive content around the legendary Dr. Seuss series and other popular books. Disney’s unique tools allow kids to change the story’s outcome to fit their vision; while Scholastic and other companies are experimenting with tilt-activated and touch-screen activities, such as virtual finger painting and experiencing interactive sensations related to the story.

Interactive e-books for children are available with Apple’s iPad, The Amazon Kindle, The Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony’s eReader. However, the iPad and its apps seem to have an advantage over other e-readers when it comes to viewing image-based books. With the iPad, readers can change the way they view their e-book simply by turning the screen from vertical to horizontal. Similarly, the device’s frame-by-frame, page-by-page and touch-to-zoom technology is rapidly improving the accessibility and appeal of digital comics, graphic novels and other multi-media publications.

While some consumers may still be leery of replacing traditional books with readers, it is crucial that consumers do ultimately embrace this technology, as interactive e-books are great education tools for children and young adults. Data from The Kids & Family Reading Report published by Scholastic shows that approximately 80 percent of kids read for fun at least once per week. On the other hand, the U.S. government’s official Time Use Survey published by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, shows young adults between the ages of 15 and 19 spent only five minutes reading on an average weekend day.

Clearly kids enjoy reading, but it seems that they often lack the motivation to pick up a book and read when there so many other forms of media to distract them. However, it appears this disconnect can be remedied through the use of e-readers. According to Scholastic’s Reading Report, more than 50 percent of kids 17 and under said they would read more if they had access to e-reader technology. The clear solution is to begin using e-readers as educational tools. The interactive e-books that can be purchased on iPads and Kindles are now created in a way that falls between traditional books and video games, making them more entertaining than traditional books. Thus using these e-books to educate kids will not only make learning more fun, but kids will also be much more inspired to read

Lindsey Wright is a music tutor, computer repair consultant, and substitute teacher in Washington State.

Image courtesy of Travis Warren.

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.