Archive for the ‘eBooks for Children’ Category
Britannica Kids apps go on sale tomorrow no comments
Britannica is putting nine of its educational iOS apps on sale from July1 through July 10. Britannica Kids: Solar System will be reduced from its regular price of $4.99 to $0.99 in honor of the final launch of the US space shuttle on July 8. Other apps in the Britannica Kids series will be reduced to $1.99. Available at iTunes.
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LeapFrog LeapPad children’s tablet available soon no comments
LeapFrog announced today that its LeapPad tablet (formerly known as the LeapPad Explorer) for children will be available for preorder soon and is expected to be on store shelves on August 15. The LeapPad will initially be available in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. This new tablet for kids should also be available in other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, later in the year.
The LeapPad will have 2GB of memory and has a built in camera and video recorder, microphone and built-in photo studio apps. The display is a 5-inch touchscreen featuring a resolution of 480 x 272. The tablet is designed to be appropriately durable for use by children.
The MSRP will be $99.99. The LeapPad will launch with more than 100 edutainment cartridges priced at $24.99 and it is compatible with existing LeapPad Explorer cartridges. There will also be downloadable apps available for $5 and up.
Update: The LeapPad was available for pre-order briefly but initial stock sold out in two weeks. I’m guessing this is going to be one of the must-have toys this holiday. LeapPad says it will have stock again on August 15. The LeapPad can be bought directly from LeapFrog.
Some more from the press release and a video from LeapFrog:
“We wanted LeapPad to offer kids the ability to create their own personalized experiences and have fun while learning at their own pace with content that automatically adjusts to their skill level,” said Craig Hendrickson, senior vice president and chief product officer for LeapFrog. “LeapPad’s apps inspire kids to explore their inner creativity. Whether doodling on photos taken with the built-in camera, creating a story about themselves in the Story Studio, or bringing their favorite characters to life with the Animation Studio, there is truly something for every child.”
Unique to LeapFrog products, games auto-adjust so kids can learn at just the right pace – and each LeapPad book app is actually three books in one – offering each story at three different levels. LeapPad even remembers a child’s progress from game to game and book to book to keep the content challenging and engaging. Kids can build a strong learning foundation with phonics skills, mathematics and spelling, and then take learning beyond the basics to geography, world languages, music, creativity, science and life skills such as brushing their teeth. As they embark on new learning adventures, kids can also practice their writing skills with step-by-step guidance and a child-sized stylus.
With Story Studio, kids create their own stories all about them using the built-in camera, personalized artwork, and even their own voice. This new app offers kids the opportunity to create more than 27,000 story combinations, including imagining what they want to be when they grow up, building their own family tree and more. Best of all, LeapPad allows parents to easily and instantly share their children’s masterpieces with family and friends via email or Facebook.
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A few new children’s reading apps no comments
Children’s reading apps are one of the biggest categories at the Apple App Store and there are indeed a ton of them. These are just a few recent titles that look interesting.
Journey Into the Deep
Based on the award-winning book by Rebecca L. Johnson, this enhanced ebook from Lerner Publishing is not just for children. The app explores the ocean from the shallows to the deepest abysses and introduces readers to some of the newly discovered sea creatures found there.
Journey Into the Deep is based on scientific expeditions involved in the Census of Marine Life, which was conducted by more than two thousand researchers from 82 countries over ten years. The app takes readers to research sites around the globe. In addition to video and photographs, Journey Into the Deep includes links to websites containing further information and a discussion guide.
Journey Into the Deep is $2.99 at iTunes.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is an animated children’s short film and interactive book. The app contains several interactive mini games that help to advance the story. Available for $4.99 at the App Store.
Kung Fu Panda 2
The Kung Fu Panda 2 interactive storybook follows the plot and contains
imagery and music from the film of the same name. The story follows Po (Jack Black) as he lives his dream protecting the Valley of Peace as the Dragon Warrior alongside his friends and fellow Kung Fu masters, the Furious Five — Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey.
Designed for children aged two and up, Kung Fu Panda 2 features a narration option and the pages can be turned manually or will turn by themselves with the Auto Play mode. The app also includes “Create-A-Scene” which is a digital sticker book featuring the main characters from Kung Fu Panda 2.
$2.99 at iTunes.
Once Upon a Potty
Oceanhouse Media has released Once Upon a Potty: Girl and Once Upon a Potty: Boy. These books are the first results from a licensing partnership between Oceanhouse Media and bestselling children’s author and illustrator Alona Frankel.
Frankel’s Once Upon a Potty picture books, audio editions and videos have sold more than five million copies in the US alone and have been translated into many languages.
The new enhanced versions include the ability for young readers to read by themselves or have the story narrated to them. An Auto Play mode is also available to play the story like a movie. Other features include a Sing-Along, picture/word association, lyric and text highlighting as well as an original musical score to accompany the original artwork.
Available at iTunes for an introductory price of $2.99.
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Free ebooks for the Kindle & other ereaders – 6/11/2011 no comments
There is another long list of free ebooks that have been liberated from their price tags. Below are some and tomorrow I’ll post more.
Barnes & Noble is currently giving away Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages by Leland Gregory. This ebook is currently $5.99 at the Kindle Store.
There are currently 67 enhanced ebooks from Vook that are free at the Kindle Store. These include a lot of golf tutorials, but there are many other subjects as well — various history titles, exorcise routines, photography how-tos and even a Vook on brewing beer at home. These will be best served on a tablet or other device that can display video.
Enhanced ebooks from Vook are also available at Barnes & Noble for the Nook Color ereader, but there seems to only be one that is currently free.
Macedonia by Tom Lichtenberg (no ratings) Literary fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
The Part Time People by Tom Lichtenberg (3 1/2 stars/4 reviews) Mystery. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Heather’s Haunted House by Scott Cardinal (5 stars/1 review) Horror. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
The World According to Oprah: An Unauthorized Portrait in Her Own Words by Ken Lawrence (3 stars/3 reviews) Biography.
Beyond the Quiet by Brenda Hill (4 1/2 stars/6 reviews) Mystery. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
A Pagan Book of ABC’s by Shanddaramon (2 stars/4 reviews) Spirituality. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
The Alp’s Dream by Martin Rouillard (2 stars/2 reviews) Horror. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
What Dragons Prefer by Dayle A. Dematis (2 stars/2 reviews) Short fantasy. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Heart of the Wild (Book One of the Amory’s) by Rita Hestand (2 1/2 stars/2 reviews) Romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
The Making of Legend (Cerebral Network) by Richard Barrs (4 stars/5 reviews) Science fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
The First Kill by Darcia Helle (4 stars/4 reviews) Crime fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Witches 101: A Witches of East End Primer by Melissa De La Cruz (no ratings) Paranormal fiction.
Delightfully Twisted Tales: Fire, Fangs and Brimstone (Vol Two) by Nicky Drayden (2 stars/2 reviews) Fantasy short stories. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Lot’s Return to Sodom: A Liv Bergen Mystery by Sandra Brannan (4 1/2 stars/5 reviews) Mystery. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
Some Summonings are Suspect by Jeffrey Somogyi (no ratings) Short fantasy. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Make the Streets Run Vampire Red by Alex Severin (2 1/2 stars/3 reviews) Vampiric erotica. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
The Birth of Zakaria (Tales from the Middle Empires) by J. Patrick Sutton (no ratings) Science fiction. Also free at Kobo.
Blindsight: A Mirus Short Story by Kait Nolan (4 1/2 stars/2 reviews) Fantasy, romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
White Night by Ryan S. Fortney (no ratings) Short story.
They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti (4 1/2 stars/51 reviews) Contemporary fiction from a faith-based publisher. Also free at Barnes & Noble.
Life’s a Beach: Limited Edition by Claire Cook (no ratings) Contemporary fiction. Also free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
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The King of Lies by John Hart (4 stars/146 reviews) has been reduced to $2.99 at the Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble and Kobofor a limited time. This edition of the thriller also includes an excerpt from the author’s newest book, Iron House, which will be released on July 12.
Overview of The King of Lies:
John Hart creates a literary thriller that is as suspenseful as it is poignant, a riveting murder mystery layered beneath the southern drawl of a humble North Carolina lawyer. When Work Pickens finds his father murdered, the investigation pushes a repressed family history to the surface and he sees his own carefully constructed façade begin to crack.
Work’s troubled sister, her combative girlfriend, his gold digging socialite wife, and an unrequited lifelong love join a cast of small town characters that create no shortage of drama in this extraordinary, fast-paced suspense novel.
Hart’s mastery of prose and plot belie his newcomer status as he explores the true heart of a man. An illuminating anatomy of a murder and the ripple effect it produces within a family and a community, The King of Lies is a stunning debut.
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Amazon’s free Android app of the day is Ledgerist (4 stars/24 reviews). This is a checkbook register app that runs on Android 1.5 or above and has lots of features.
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In support of Gary James’ Apps for Children with Special Needs giveaway
party, app developer Tribal Nova is reducing the price of its two children’s iPad apps to $0.99 and giving away the iPhone version free for today only at iTunes. The apps affected by this one-day sale are i Learn With Poko: Seasons and Weather! and i Learn With the Mighty Jungle: Animals! (iPad only).
“Gary is doing a fabulous job to help the Special Needs community. We are very happy to support this initiative as much as we can. Since we had a limited amount of promo codes, we decided to make the app free to make sure that all the parents with special needs children could get it,” says Pierre Lelann, co-founder of Tribal Nova
For more info on Apps for Children with Special Needs visit a4cwsn.com.
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PBS launches its first children’s app for Android no comments
PBS has launched the first Android version of one of its children’s apps. 
Super Why! is based on the hit preschool series and is designed to help kids build literacy skills.
Super Why! for Android contains four interactive literacy games and a virtual sticker book. The four main characters from the PBS Kids series — Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, Wonder Red and Super Why — are all in the app.
The Super Why app is priced at $2.99, but for a limited time it is free at the Amazon Appstore for Android. Requires Android 2.1 or above.
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Oceanhouse Media releases first in series of Smithsonian multimedia books for young readers no comments
Oceanhouse media has launched It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! 
This is the first in a series of multimedia books licensed from Soundprints, publisher of Smithsonian Institution titles and other books for children. Oceanhouse plans to release a number of titles this year from Soundprints’ Prehistoric Pals, Oceanic and Backyard collections.
It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! has been approved by paleontologists at the Smithsonian and takes preschool through grade 2 readers on a journey through the Cretaceous period with T. Rex. Features include original artwork, professional audio narration and custom audio. Besides reading the book for themselves, young readers can choose to have the story narrated to them or use the Auto Play feature, which plays the story like a movie.
It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! is available for iOS for $2.99 at the App Store and for Android at the Amazon Appstore for Android and the Android Market. Oceanhouse Media has about 20 other children’s reading apps (Dr. Seuss and Berenstain Bears) available for Android.
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New children’s edutainment apps no comments
There are several new children’s reading apps that have been announced recently:
Scout’s ABC Garden from Leapfrog
Designed to help young children learn letter names and sounds. 
Scout’s ABC Garden personalizes the experience for each child based on his or her name, favorite food, favorite color and favorite animal.
With the ‘Scout’s ABC Garden’ app kids can explore Scout’s garden by touching and triggering fun and delightful sounds and animations like interactive clouds, bubbles, ticklish gophers, and Scout and Violet’s virtual radio that plays traditional kid-favorite songs. Kids can even rub Scout’s or Violet’s belly to hear a song with their name, or grow their own letter garden.
Other key aspects of the app include:
- A is for Achievement. The app is customized to each child’s level of learning, helping every child learn about letters and sounds at his or her own pace.
- B is for Bragging. Alerted when learning happens, proud parents can also share in their child’s learning achievements. With each accomplished goal, not only does the child receive a badge or trophy, but parents are alerted to their child’s achievement which they can then celebrate and share via social channels, including Facebook.
- C is for Customization. A main ingredient of the app’s appeal is its deep level of personalization. With the capacity to hold up to three profiles, a parent can customize the app for different children, including their favorite foods, colors and animals, so each can experience unique gameplay.
Available at the Apple App Store for $3.99.
GoodieWords
GoodieWords focuses on teaching preschoolers about important words that can
be difficult to define and describe in a kid-friendly way while engaging them with interactive activities and characters.
GoodieWords was one of the Top 10 Educational Apps on iTunes while in beta. The app was developed with input from leading educational experts from Stanford University and New York City’s The Dalton School. Available at iTunes for $4.99. There is also a free lite version.
Kids ABC Phonics
Kids ABC Phonics is a new children’s Android app from the makers of Kids ABC Letters — one of the most popular apps in the Education section of the Android Market.
Kids ABC Phonics has four child-friendly sections.
- Learn Letter Sounds. Kids hold and turn a picture-filled letter block and hear the ABC phonics being pronounced.
- Build Letter Blocks. Children have fun building phonics recognition skills by making their own ABC blocks.
- Pop Letter Bubbles. Kids love to pop bubbles. But don’t be fooled. By the time children are done with this game, they will know what letter goes with which sound by heart.
- Make words. While putting puzzles together, kids learn the basics of phonics blending.
Each section is designed so that children enjoy success time after time and receive positive reinforcement from the likable teacher.
Available for $3.99 at the Android Market.
Super Why Paint!
PBS Kids has announced the new Super Why Paint! app for iPad, iPhone and
iPod touch. This is a digital coloring book featuring characters from the hit preschool TV series.
Super Why Paint! offers young artists a painting palette of 20 colors and a set of 19 virtual Super Why-themed stickers. The app features 48 coloring pages that, when colored in, can be saved, emailed or uploaded to Facebook.
Available for $2.99 at iTunes.
Update (4/29/2011): The Super Why! children’s reading app is currently free (for a limited time) for Android devices at the Amazon Appstore for Android.
Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Apps
Zaner-Bloser has introduced a set of apps to help children aged 3 and over to learn handwriting. The apps are priced at $1.99 each at iTunes and are available in English or Spanish versions.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
Amazon has a boxed set of the first 12 books in the Boxcar Children Mysteries
for $9.99. This is a Kindle book enhanced with audio visual content and is meant to be used on an iDevice, computer or Android device.
The multimedia content includes an illustrated biography of the author, Gertrude Chandler Warner, and four videos about her and her works.
The regular unenhanced Kindle version of this set is $28.99, so this is a good deal.
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Hasbro to release interactive storybook apps no comments
Hasbro has partnered with Ruckus Mobile Media to release a series of interactive storybook apps based on Hasbro characters. The first three titles — Tonka Chuck and Friends, My Little Pony and Transformers Prime — are scheduled to launch in May 2011 on “all digital platforms.”
Hasbro currently has a number of games available at the Apple App Store, but these appear to be the first children’s reading apps from the company. Presumably the new titles will also be available at the Android Market and Amazon’s Appstore for Android to cover those other digital platforms mentioned in the press release.
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Nickelodeon characters come to Nookbooks for Kids no comments
Barnes & Noble now has Nickelodeon stars SpongeBob SquarePants 
and Dora the Explorer Nookbooks for Kids. Most seem to be priced at $3.99. The Nook Color ereader works very well for reading children’s picture books — but the Nook Kids app for iPad, which is free at the App Store, can also be used for reading Nookbooks for kids on your iPad.
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iPad gets Better Homes & Gardens, Disney Magazine and some free children’s books 1 comment
Some new content now available on the iPad and iPhone:
Meredith Corp. has announced the launch of its three most popular titles, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Fitness, on the iPad. These new digital magazines are only available to purchase as single issues (maybe Meredith doesn’t like the Apple App Store subscriptions model) — Parents and Fitness are $2.99 per issue, while Better Homes & Gardens is $3.99 — and are now available in the App Store. Meredith apparently also plans in the future to offer its digital magazines on a subscription basis for Android tablets.
From the press release:
From delicious recipes and innovative decorating applications – to workout videos and co-play opportunities – every feature delivers helpful, valuable and entertaining content. The tablet editions stretch each user experience, providing fresh, rich digital content that deepens and expands the consumers’ experiences with the brands they love and trust.
“Our goal is to provide content that matters to her across all of her passion points, delivered in an immersive and interactive digital experience,” says Liz Schimel, EVP, Consumer Relationship Management and Digital Media for Meredith’s National Media Group. “Our consumer insights were incredibly valuable during every step of planning and creation.”
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Disney FamilyFun, which is a family magazine with 5.5 million readers, 
is also now available in the App Store. The March and April 2011 issues are free; beginning in May new issues will be available at a price TBA.
The iOS version of the Disney FamilyFun magazine contains interactive slideshows, videos of recipes and family activities, 360-degree views of craft projects and social media sharing tools.
"Disney FamilyFun has always been a magazine about doing things and taking action, and the iPad is the perfect springboard for bringing these activities and ideas to life for families," said Aparna Pande, general manager of Disney FamilyFun. "Through a collaboration with industry leaders Texterity and The Wonderfactory, we’re rolling out an innovative digital publication that has all the mom-friendly tools and engaging multimedia features one needs to make their way through a busy day."
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iStoryTime and Yoplait Kids are offering six free children’s books on the iPad and iPhone for a limited time. The six titles that are supposed to be free are listed below — but when I checked just now they were all still priced at $0.99 each at iTunes. No dates were given in the press release, but it did sound like the offer would start today.
- “My First Day of School” – Follow along as Charlie gets ready for his first day of school. While he is really excited, he’s also a bit scared. After asking some questions and attending his first day, Charlie can’t wait for his second day of school. Written by Ricki Booker and illustrated by Selena Kassab. Narrated by PanRight Productions.
- “Invisible Alligators” – A young monkey named Sari suddenly awakes to one of her toys in disrepair and all of her other toys covering the stairs. One night she stays up very late to find invisible alligators all over her room. Written and illustrated by Hayes Roberts. Narrated by Dominic Byrne.
- “Peanut Butter Bob” – Swim alongside Jellyfish Jay who can’t help stinging all of his friends, including turtles, dolphins, whales, sea urchins and many more. One day, Jellyfish Jay sees that Peanut Butter Bob has caught a wave and can’t swim. Check this book out to see if Jellyfish Jay saves the day. Written by Duke Christoffersen. Illustrated by Tricia Tharp. Adult narration by Tom Stevens and kid narration by Quinn Stewart.
- “Wiener Dog” – Join Kiki Marie, a crazy monkey, in her zany adventures with a magnetic wiener dog. Good thing she’s quick on her feet because she’ll need to think creatively to save the day. Written and illustrated by Hayes Roberts and narrated by Jen Muench and Laci Kay.
- “Nate’s Big Hair” – Read along with Nate and his big hair as he doesn’t like eating new foods and his mom is troubled and doesn’t know what to do. Explore how Nate’s mom gets him to try new foods and enjoy them. Written by Duke Christoffersen. Illustrated by Dick Truxaw. Adult narration by Tom & Yvana Stevens. Child narration by Quinn and Oliver Stewart.
- “Binky the Pink Elephant” – The story of an elephant whose journey teaches her that being different can also be admirable. Written by Sonowa Jackson. Illustrated by Jaclyn Mednicov. Narrated by Jen Muench and Laci Kay.
