Red Cross Launches Emergency App for Children

 Emergency preparedness is no laughing matter and not to be taken lightly.  But kids will get a kick out of a new American Red Cross emergency preparedness app that combines important information and fun.

The free "Monster Guard" app, geared toward children ages 7 to 11, is a game that teaches how to prevent emergencies, such as home fires, and what do if severe or natural disasters occur. 

Set in the "Monster Guard Academy," the young app user is a recruit who trains to prepare for disasters and practices what to do if one happens.

Users can role-play as various monster characters, go through the initiation and engage in interactive training for hazards such as tornados, floods and hurricanes. A player who completes all of the episodes graduates to become a member of the "Monster Guard."

According to the Red Cross, the game is best played on a tablet, but it also works well on other mobile devices. The app can be downloaded through the user's mobile app store. Go to redcross.org/monsterguard or text 'MONSTER' to 90999 for a direct link to download the app.

Goodnight Moon Goes High Tech!

Goodnight Moon has entered the high tech world.  Have a look!

Loud Crow Interactive, award-winning publisher of digital children's books, in partnership with HarperCollins Publishers, announce the release of Goodnight Moon, an interactive app for iPad^®, iPhone^® and iPod touch^®. View the app here.

Written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd, Goodnight Moon is one of the best-selling children's storybooks of all time. More than 60 million copies of the book have been sold since it was first published in 1947.

Accompanied by narration and a piano soundtrack, Goodnight Moon features more than two hundred touchable objects, animations and hidden interactions to discover. Each spread is accompanied by an all new magnifying glass technology, which allows children to explore hidden objects and interact with the story on a whole new level, while also facilitating viewing of the book on smaller devices.

Other features include doodle box and photo booth for personalization, and stickers that can be earned through achievements. Goodnight Moon also includes educational elements such as word highlighting, individual words that are spoken at the tap of a finger, and three different modes to enjoy: Read to me, Read myself and Auto play.

Thacher Hurd, son of Clement Hurd, said:

My father would have loved this beautiful adaptation of Goodnight Moon. Loud Crow and HarperCollins have retained the quiet magic of the book while enhancing it with a lively array of interactivity.

Also available within Goodnight Moon are two educational books, Goodnight Moon ABC: An Alphabet Book and Goodnight Moon 123: A Counting Book. These interactive, educational apps feature letter and number tracing technology, counting and word guessing games, and various interactivities to help keep children engaged.

Goodnight Moon is available for purchase on iTunes^® for $4.99. Goodnight Moon ABC and Goodnight Moon 123 are available through in-app purchase for $1.99 apiece, or both apps bundled for $2.99.  See www.loudcrow.com for more details.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/08/4970196/literary-classic-goodnight-moon.html#storylink=cpy

New Jumping Pages App Narrated by Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder

Those of you who follow my blog regularly know that I like to showcase new apps from time to time.  Today I am pleased to do just that again. 

 This app, narrated by former Democratic Congresswoman, Patricia Schroeder, is delightful!  The House that Went on Strike, is a rhyming, musical and interactive new kids book app that teaches kids (and their parents) respect for their home.

Ms. Schroeder, now of Orlando, had a remarkable political career, including running for president twenty-five years ago.
 

Rania Ajami, Filmmaker and Jumping Pages founder, approached Pat to narrate the new app.  Happily, she agreed.

Her memoir, titled "24 Years of House Work...and the Place is Still a Mess," is a fun play on her years in the House of Representatives.

 And, in her former publishing role, she provides a great perspective about kids book apps in a just penned article called "A 'House' Grandma's iPad Story" that can be found on The Huffington Post.  Her work on the app is getting great reviews.  Wired and Smart Apps for Kids both love her work and the book app!

I want to thank John Casey, Director of Marketing and Development at Jumping Pages for providing information on this terrific new app.  Jump, don't walk to get it!

The Wind In The Willows--New App!

The Kenneth Grahame novel follows the countryside adventures of much-loved characters Toad, Ratty, Badger and Mole.

It centers around the animals' adventures on The River, thought to have been inspired by the Thames, near to which Grahame lived.

But while the new release sticks closely to the original for its words and pictures, a simple touch of the screen brings the story to life.

The famous scene of Toad tearing through leafy roads in his motorcar is now fully animated, with the reader able to steer the vehicle as it speeds along.  Dancing butterflies and partying weasels feature in other scenes that can be controlled by the player.

Developed by creative team Bibliodome, from Chagford, in Devon, the app aims to match the book in all its splendor.

Novelist Sam North, who adapted the tale for the app, told how he made sure the story remained the most important thing — not flashy graphics.  He explained: “Everyone knows what a great, well-loved tale it is and we insisted that the story must remain at the heart of the project.


And artist Steve Dooley, who created the illustrations, said he was inspired by Grahame's words to the original illustrator: "I love these little people, so please be kind to them."

And as for me, your humble blogger, anything that promotes this timeless treasure is splendid!  Grahame did the world a favor by conjuring up these simple but so complex characters that have so much to say in a delightful manner.

"Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" App from Penguin Young Readers

In this post, you will learn about (if you haven't already!) and see one of the hottest new apps to be available soon.  Here comes, Marcel the Shell.

(You can see Marcel the Shell in the video at bottom of post.)

Marcel the Shell

The Penguin Young Readers Group is expanding its line of enhanced e-books and is releasing a series of apps based on some contemporary bestselling picture books.  Several examples are: Judy Schachner’s SkippyJon Jones and Jacky Davis and David Soman’s Ladybug Girl and on classic works like The Night Before Christmas and Peter Rabbit.

In November the series will also feature a simultaneous print/app release of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp, based on a wildly popular YouTube video.

Penguin Young Readers associate publicity director Elyse Marshall said the house will release about one enhanced e-book a month though November with multiple releases planned after that date.

Initial releases beginning in August will be offered at the introductory price of $4.99 for a limited time. All releases will feature dedicated Web sites, interactive games, read-along functionality, animation and many other in-app activities for the young reader.

Adam Royce, v-p, digital content development at Penguin Young Readers, said the apps offered an “enhanced reading experience and interactive features that are true to the reading experience.”

Much the same for Ladybug Girl by Davis and Soman, which tells of a girl in a ladybug costume and her canine sidekick; and Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Red Pajama, a picture book about a baby llama who won’t go to bed.

Both are print bestsellers and the e-books include interactive costume changes for Ladybug Girl; and digital postcards that can be created in the Llama Llama app, which will also be released in a bilingual Spanish-language version.

Coming in November: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, an app with painted illustrations based on a YouTube video—more than nine million viewings—produced by Slate, a former Saturday Night Live performer. This title will feature a simultaneous book and e-book release.

Also coming in November are The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Jan Brett (featuring the Boston Pops Orchestra); and Beatrice Potter’s Peter Rabbit, featuring interactive coloring, reading and matching games for early readers.

Penguin Young Readers associate publicity director Elyse Marshall said the house will release about one enhanced e-book a month though November with multiple releases planned after that date. Initial releases beginning in August will be offered at the introductory price of $4.99 for a limited time. All releases will feature dedicated Web sites, interactive games, read-along functionality, animation and many other in-app activities for the young reader.