Children's books for mobile devices: PicPocket Books

BlueBeary

Manuel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:40:55 +0000

OverviewBlueBeary is a book about belonging. Everyone needs a primary place of belonging from which to grow. We all need someone who loves us best of all and cleans us up when we fall down. From that place of belonging we wander out and forage through life, discovering the world around us. Join Samantha and Beary on their first colorful adventure in the Open Eyes series as they grow, learn and explore the world.

About this AppPicPocket Books brings quality children’s picture book literature to digital media. Now, children can enjoy their favorites stories on-the-go, even when they do not have a physical book to read.

PicPocket Books offer a unique and new experience, combining the beauty of quality picture books with audio recordings and interactive visual text. This combination enables independent enjoyment for children regardless of reading level, subtle support for early readers, and nostalgic fun for adults.

Whether standing in a grocery line, taking a car trip, or waiting in a doctor’s office, PicPocket Books provide personal, interactive story experiences. The books can be downloaded with one click or tap, and provide educational and entertainment value to children and adults alike.

Your PicPocket Book is a perfect complement to regular story time with parents or grandparents, and a gentle alternative to flashy, fast-paced digital media time.

Features:
- High fidelity, full-color illustrations that stay true to the original print book.
- High quality audio recording.
- Play-pause to start and stop the story at any time.
- Fast-forward and fast-back to replay images and audio.
- Stories downloadable directly to your device, anytime, anywhere, on-the-go.
- Buy it once, play it as many times as you want.
- Patent-pending technology.

Languages: English

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch

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The Crystal Mountain

Manuel — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:49:13 +0000

OverviewWhen the Fairies of the Crystal Mountain steal Anna’s tapestry, she sends her three sons to get it back. With the help of three magic horses, her youngest son, Perrin, goes through fiery plains and icy seas and at last reaches the Crystal Mountain. Will he succeed in his task?
Review“Sanderson’s lush, detailed oil paintings are perfectly suited to the theater of fairy tale, where blood red bays may be summoned by a whistle’s trill, and heroes climb mountains of crystal to reach palaces inhabited by velvet-clothed princesses.” – Kirkus

Your PicPocket Book is a perfect complement to regular story time with parents or grandparents, and a gentle alternative to flashy, fast-paced digital media time.

Languages: English

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch

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Tools that build – not sever – connections

Lynette — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:24:27 +0000

With a lineup of over 100,000 apps, Apple has an app for most needs among its iPhone-carrying customers – that is, the adults. As it turns out, app developers are creating more and more apps for children, which raises a number of interesting questions. Is even more screen time good for kids? What are apps offering to kids? How much learning and growth can be triggered by the use of iPhone apps? Is it all about video games in the end?

Playing video games

As an iPhone app developer, mom of three growing kids, and a member of MomsWithApps, I deal with this question every day, professionally and personally. In my mind, the child/iPhone combo often conjures images of images of kids playing video games for hours on end, and that’s often the case. At the same time, there are also some fantastic educational apps and benefits that come from mobile devices. So what might be some characteristics of apps for kids that make them worth downloading?

What limits do you set before you hand your iPhone over?

As a parent, I am looking for apps that start with the iPhone but encourage engagement with the world beyond the device, like sparking conversations with family and friends, exploring “real world” sites and phenomena through maps and geocaching. I applaud apps that truly require strategic and creative thinking, not just mindless repetition. The latest hot app is not necessarily good for kids just because they like it. In selecting apps, parents should look carefully for ones which are gateways back into the “real” world, not just a highway to the couch.

“Educational” means not just math facts, drills, and phonics, but also activities and content that encourage and develop social and communication skills: like PicPocket Books’ picture books, Tales2Go’s audio library or the conversation starters from the Family Matters App. By expanding horizons, these apps become tools for engagement rather than a drug for tuning out.

A pause in the play to check the storyline of Sleeping Beauty

As responsible parents, we must look closely not only at the content we allow our children to experience on the screen, but also how, when, how often, and where they are plugged in to mobile devices or other screens. One of the best ways to practice moderation and to set enforceable limits is to model the right example for your kids. Recognize that technology can be addictive – not only for kids but for adults too. If you don’t want your kids to zone out in front of the screen, then stop constantly checking your own devices. Set boundaries and limits that work for your family, and enforce the rules.

In our household, computers and mobile devices are kept on the main living level so parents can monitor online behavior in terms of content and time spent on-line. We have the kids tell us which games they are playing, what they like about them, and have them show us how they play as well – maybe even play with them, all to ensure that communication and engagement come with the virtual fun. We also make an effort to stay current with new communication platforms and technological developments.

Down the road, knowing how to navigate that world – and engaging in it creatively and actively - will keep doors open longer for communicating with kids.

Thanks to MomsWithApps’ Lorraine Akemann and Jill Seman for collaborating and contributing to this post.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year!

Lynette — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:07:45 +0000

Chinese New Year is celebrated in late January or February, usually on the second full moon after the winter solstice. This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 14, 2010. The tradition has its roots in the story of the mythological beast Nien, which came on the first day of the New Year to devour crops, livestock and even villagers, especially children. One time, people noticed that the Nien was sacred away by a child wearing red. By this, they understood that the Nien was afraid of the color red. From then on, the people would hang red lanterns and scrolls in the streets and shoot off firecrackers to scare the Nien away. Eventually, the Nien was captured by a monk and became his mount.

Red lanterns help scare away the mythological beast Nien

New release from PicPocket Books, now available on iTunes

Round is A Mooncake, A Book of Shapes, by Roseanne Thong and illustrated by Grace Lin, is a delightful journey through the neighborhood of a young Chinese American girl. A mixture of traditional Chinese and universal objects define her environment.

What better way to welcome the New Year than by honoring the traditional while embracing the new? What traditional cultures and objects have a place in your life?

¡Ay, Caramba!

Eva — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:17:17 +0000

Download this PicPocket book from iTunes now!

Overview¡Ay, Caramba!: Las desverturas de un granjero soñoliento que se preocupa pensando en los labores que debe hacer al día siguiente. ¿Cómo ordeñará la cerca, reparará la vaca, segará el silo y subirá al heno antes de que la mañana llegue?

Your PicPocket Book is a perfect complement to regular story time with parents or grandparents, and a gentle alternative to flashy, fast-paced digital media time.

Features

High fidelity, full-color illustrations that stay true to the original print book.
High quality audio recording.
Play-pause to start and stop the story at any time.
Fast-forward and fast-back to replay images and audio.
Stories downloadable directly to your device, anytime, anywhere, on-the-go.
Buy it once, play it as many times as you want.
Patent-pending technology.

LanguagesEnglish

RequirementsRequires iPhone or iPod Touch OS 3.0

Back to Browse All Books

Oh, Crumps!

Eva — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:34:37 +0000

Download this PicPocket book from iTunes now!

OverviewOh, Crumps!: Farmer Felandro just has to get some sleep. He has many chores to do come morning. But,Oh, crumps! First the goats need his attention, then it’s the dogs, next the cows are mooing, and on and on. With all this commotion, the tired farmer gets his list of the coming day’s chores confused as he becomes sleepier and sleepier.

Your PicPocket Book is a perfect complement to regular story time with parents or grandparents, and a gentle alternative to flashy, fast-paced digital media time.

Features

High fidelity, full-color illustrations that stay true to the original print book.
High quality audio recording.
Play-pause to start and stop the story at any time.
Fast-forward and fast-back to replay images and audio.
Stories downloadable directly to your device, anytime, anywhere, on-the-go.
Buy it once, play it as many times as you want.
Patent-pending technology.

LanguagesEnglish

RequirementsRequires iPhone or iPod Touch OS 3.0

Back to Browse All Books

Have you seen the list of 2010 Newbery Award Winners?

Lynette — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:02:41 +0000

Where The Mountain Meets the Moon

Grace Lin (photo by Alexandre Ferron)

We’re thrilled that Grace Lin, the illustrator of PicPocket Books’ most recent release, “Round Is A Mooncake,” just won the 2010 Newbery Honor Award last week for her Young Adult novel “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Check out her beautiful work on her website.

Watch as author Grace Lin discusses her award winning book with a group of young readers in this video from The Today Show: Grace Lin on the Today Show

Are our kids spending too much time consuming digital media?

Lynette — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:26:02 +0000

Are you concerned about kids spending too much time “plugged in” and not getting enough good old-fashioned unstructured, creative playtime? As a mom who works in the field of digital media for kids publishing children’s picture books to the iPhone and iPod touch, I have thought a lot about balance in my kids’ media diet. One of the reasons I developed PicPocket Books for the iPhone was to give parents and their kids an educational, kid friendly alternative to video games and movies on the mobile devices. Reading a story book on a screen is a very different experience from playing a repetitive video game on the same screen. It has the same educational, mind-opening benefits as reading a traditional print book: it increases vocabulary, improves concentration and focus, and expands horizons.

Creative play

Everyone loves a snow day!

Unstructured outdoor playtime

I also encourage year ’round outdoor play time for my kids.

They ride bikes, start pick-up soccer games, make forts in the neighborhood and engage in elaborate make-believe games with their neighborhood friends.

We do not allow them to watch TV or movies during the school week. That is just a hard and fast family rule and the kids don’t even ask for media time during the week – although election night is an exception – and maybe the upcoming winter Olympics, too!

Wordless Wednesday: What’s on your bookshelf?

Lynette — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:11:28 +0000

Photo courtesy of my daughter, who filled up my camera chip with pictures of her bookshelf

Age Appropriate and Educational Screen Time for Kids

Lynette — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:34:42 +0000

Some people complain that their kids already get lots of screen time. What is PicPocket Books’ stand on this issue?

Why do kids get a lot of screen time? Because they are really drawn to this kind of media. The technologies that are new to us are very intuitive to them and will be a significant part of their lives for years to come. I don’t see PicPocket Books as replacements for print books or the valuable time parents can spend reading to their children, but as educational and culturally valuable alternatives to video games or movies, especially for families on-the-go.

Many families are short on time and e-books can be read any time, any place. I believe that if reading picture books on the iPhone means that more families are reading together and more kids have more exposure to storybooks, then they are a great option for tech-savvy families of today.