Children | Children's books for mobile devices: PicPocket Books

January 25th, 2012 | posted by: Lynette

A Little Book About Feelings

Overview: A beautiful picture book app with enchanting images and empowering messages from the experts on social and emotional learning for young children. Colorful photos of handmade felt creatures engage young children as they learn about the origins, universality and variety of feelings. Based on the “A Little Lesson On Feelings” segment in the award-winning children’s show, ”Ruby’s Studio: The Feelings Show.” (Narrated by Ruby, too!)

“What a helpful book coming out of a timely and entertaining new series for children. We love Ruby’s Studio!” — Jennifer Garner, actress & mother
“Take a look at Ruby’s Studio! It’s fun and important. Kids who are good at expressing feelings grow up more confident, smarter, healthier …and happier!” – Dr. Harvey Karp, MD, creator of the DVD/book “The Happiest Toddler On The Block”

ABOUT RUBY’S STUDIO
“Edutainment at its best” – Daily Candy

Ruby’s Studio is a series of helpful shows, books, products and apps designed to assist young kids in developing character, a stronger sense of self-worth, and solid problem-solving skills. Brought to you by The Mother Company: mamas on a mission to “Help Parents Raise Good People” by nurturing social and emotional literacy in the next generation.

As mothers of preschoolers, we know first-hand that the most important lessons we can teach our young children are based in social and emotional learning: how to be a good friend, how to share, how to be nice to your sibling, how to move past bedtime struggles, how to appropriately express your feelings, etc. The ABC’s and 123’s will come; the main challenge in raising a young child is how to best lay the foundation to become a good person.
Dubbed “The Whole Foods of children’s entertainment,” our award-winning Ruby’s Studio products are stylish and gently paced, with a homegrown organic appeal and old-school aesthetic. For parents, we also offer TheMotherCo.com, a beautiful, easy to navigate website with world-renowned expert advice around the same social and emotional issues we all face as we strive to raise good people.
Discover more at www.TheMotherCo.com

ABOUT THIS APP:
Features:
-Narration by the beloved Ruby, from “Ruby’s Studio”
-Original music
-High fidelity, full-color illustrations of adorable felt creatures
-Learn-to-read highlighting feature
-Animated details and tappable audio “hot spots” emphasize the storyline
-Turn pages with an easy swipe

Language: English

ABOUT PICPOCKET BOOKS
PicPocket 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.

PicPocket Books is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.

Recommended Ages: 0-3, 3-6, parents
Subject: BOOK, READING, PRESCHOOL, KINDERGARTEN, EDUCATIONAL

November 20th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

Wild Things: a Children’s Movie but Not Just for Kids

Have you seen “Where The Wild Things Are”? What did you think?

The film (released October 16th in the U.S.) tells the tale of Max’s visit to “where the wild things are,” and is based on Maurice Sendak’s classic picture book by the same title.

I love the book, I enjoyed the movie, too. It’s understandably different from the book (to make a long-enough movie), but I thought it worked. The Wild Things looked just like I remember! I was also impressed with Max Records’ performance as Max in the movie. His acting was natural and didn’t seem artificial or forced.

For a movie based on a children’s book, the film seemed surprisingly geared towards an older audience. Perhaps it is intended for adults who read the book as children as much as it is intended for children today. I think a child would enjoy the movie a lot, but an adult could appreciate it on a deeper level. Themes around change and family dynamics would probably go over most children’s heads.

Thoughts? What other favorite picture books from your childhood would you like to see turned into a full-length movie?

October 23rd, 2009 | posted by: Eva

Ten Tips for Meaningful Reading with Kids

Reading with friends is fun, too!

1) Read aloud to your children every day.

2) Introduce children to books that are a bit above their reading level.

Challenge your children with bigger themes and topics. Introduce them to educational books like Wordly Wise 3000 that contain riddles, crossword puzzles, etc. to enhance their vocabulary skills.

3) Encourage your children to read – to you, a sibling, the family pet, even a stuffed animal!

It is great practice for children learning to read. Often they feel more comfortable reading a story they’ve heard a few times before. Help them with difficult words if they ask, or just let them puzzle it out! It is also great practice for children who can’t read yet. Making up their own stories to go along with pictures is a fun and imaginative exercise.

4) Allow your children to interrupt the story.

If they question or comment, that’s great! Children make connections constantly. Defining new words and explaining illustrations helps children make sense of the word around them. However, constant interruptions can upset the flow of the story. Maybe ask your child save all questions for the end of each page.

5) Give children time to look at the pictures.

You may be impatient to get on with the story, but your child isn’t! Let them take as long as they want to look at pictures and figure them out. Visuals play a huge role in helping children learn and understand. Pictures will also show your children different life styles and cultures that s/he may be unfamiliar with.

6) Take children to the library!

As a child, I loved going to the library. I always bee-lined for the children’s corner and chose new books based on pretty pictures and colors. Set up library trips where a few hours can be spent browsing the shelves or just sitting on cushions, looking at new stories.

7) Choose books that you want to read.

Often children want to hear the same stories over and over, or are hooked on one series in particular (I always loved The Magic Schoolbus). Don’t feel bad suggesting different titles or picking out books you like at the library and bookstore. It’s great to let children choose, but it’s good to take turns too.

8 ) Choose books that are meaningful.

Let your child know when books are special to you. Your five-year old may not care today, but when s/he is older, remembering that “The Crystal Mountain” was Mom’s favorite book and “Horton Hears a Who” was Uncle’s will mean a lot.

9) Read with your children together, and separately.

It’s great to read to your children together, and to make family time out of reading. It’s also important to read to children separately. Make time for your three year-old, and six year-old. Different books are suitable for different ages, and each child will love to have special time with just you.

10) Take children to reading nights.

If your local library or community center has reading nights for children, try to go! Group reading gives children ground for starting friendships, sharing fun stories, and learning patience and tolerance. Besides, what fun memories!

October 15th, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

PicPocket Books releases a fun new title: What A Pest!

Maryann Cocca-Leffler Author & Illustrator of WHAT A PEST! shares some thoughts on the new release of her work as a digital picture book for kids on the iPhone:

Now in the iTunes App Store!

“I’m very excited that my book WHAT A PEST! will be reaching and teaching the iPhone generation! Who would have thought when I entered the children’s book industry 25 years ago that my books would make their way into the pocket of readers? Sharing books on the iPhone is another way to expose children to books and as an author-illustrator that is my goal! I am thrilled to be part of a very new industry and hope some of my other books are offered in this format.

Maryann Cocca-Leffler

My book WHAT A PEST! is an early reader about two sisters. The older one thinks the younger one is a pest but in the end they realize how important they are to each other. The story itself is loosely based on personal experiences on many levels. I have a younger sister…and I also have two daughters. Growing up, my sister, Diane, was a pest! She was always hanging around with me and my friends and getting in the way. We also sang together and one time she got the chicken pox before a performance. By blending many ideas and watching my own daughters struggle with sisterhood, I came up with the story WHAT A PEST! I hope you enjoy it!

PS: I knew then, as I know now, that sisters have a special bond. I’m happy to say, my sister and I are best friends!”

What about you? Do you have a sister who is a pest, or your best friend, or both? We’d love to hear your stories!

You can find Maryann at www.maryanncoccaleffler.com.

September 23rd, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Wordless Wednesday

September 23rd, 2009 | posted by: ela

The Pigeon and the Gang

Have you read any books by Mo Willems? With over twenty children’s published books, Willems’ illustrations cannot be overlooked in any bookstore or library. Like many children’s book illustrators, Willems draws simple characters that are easy for children to identify. Dark black lines outline each character, such as one of Willems’ most popular creations, The Pigeon (NY Times Best Selling titles include The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive A Bus, and others).

What is unique about Willems’ illustrations is both their variation and recognizable similarities in each of his books. For example, in his book Knuffle Bunny Too, Willems uses photographs for the background and draws the characters interacting in this true-to-life scenery. Adults and children enjoy looking at the photographs and examining the superimposed drawings. Although the characters in Knuffle Bunny Too are unique to the book, his drawing style can be easily picked out in his other children’s books, such as Time to Say “Please”! and Leonardo the Terrible Monster.

You know how kids can fall in love with a character and want to gobble up all the stories about that character? Well, that’s how it is with Willems’ books. Luckily there are a lot from which to choose.

Willems’ simple but recognizable illustrations not only complement the surrounding text, but add something more. For adults, the basic illustrations can stir up feelings of their youth, when drawing pictures with thick crayons was the only way to color. And for young children, Willems’ illustrations take the place of words, allowing even the youngest child to look at the story without being read to.

Children aged 2-6 years can really identify with the humor and themes in Willems’ books. Give them a try!

August 10th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

Learning in disguise…

I like when education sneaks up on me.

Concepts are often hidden. We don’t learn most of what we know via rote memorization, or by being hit over the head with dry “facts.” Much of the time, we learn by experiencing and taking in knowledge in our own time.

For me and for many, a lot of learning comes with reading. This kind of learning is critical for young children. Reading picture books is so important! An article on one of our new books, “Cucumber Soup,” emphasizes that “Meaningful learning takes place when children experience math and science [and other subjects] in ways that relate to their own day-to-day lives.”

The cute story of various insects that come together to move a big cucumber, subtly instructs. It explores counting, weight, balance, cooperation, and teamwork. With the recipe for “Cucumber Soup” in the back, it also introduces children to cooking in the kitchen (safely – there is no fire involved in this recipe!). Cucumber soup seems like a delicious summer snack to me!

July 19th, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Bedtime, Storytime

Like many kids, my son has always loved books. Not only does he love to get lost in a story, who can deny that it is appealing to postpone the moment of bedtime and turning off the light with a story read by mom or dad?

Tonight’s chosen story was The Three Spinning Fairies, A Tale from the Brothers Grimm, retold by Lisa Campbell Ernst. The editorial review from Publishers Weekly on Amazon claims that the “wry text and busy pictures contribute equally to the humor of this rollicking retelling.” And rollicking it was. My son’s favorite part was that there is actually a fairy named Bob, and that at one point the princess-to-be exclaims “Hot diggety dog!”. He liked the pictures and he liked the fact that it was a story that he hadn’t heard before – at least not that version of the classic story.

That was about all the feedback I could wrangle out of him tonight. At nine years old, he prefers to drink the story in, but critique it afterwards? Not so much.

What are you reading at bedtime at your house?

July 14th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

The B-more Examiner makes a "best" list

There are numerous lists out there, all claiming to include the “Best” of something – “top 100 books” lists and “top music” lists are the most familiar to me. I am always a little skeptical – who makes the decisions of what qualifies as best? What are the criteria? How thorough is the research?

You would have to read or listen to a LOT in order to create such a list. And even then, other people will have different ideas. I wonder if it’s possible to create a definitive “best” list of anything (maybe with divine criteria?) or if such things will always be subjective….

The Baltimore Examiner has given the “Best list” idea a try, with children’s picture books (in English). Their criteria are that the books must:

1. Never tire us. We are willing to read it again and again to our children and they want to hear it over and over.
2. Stay in our hearts and minds, even after the pages are closed, because they tell us something about life.
3. Have a seamless marriage of text and illustration
4. Use language well.

They seem like good criteria to me. Yet I’m sure that what we are “willing to read again and again,” and what “stays in our hearts and minds,” are as many and diverse as the people who read. I am curious to know what kind of board or panel made these decisions, and what its diversity was like.

I recognized 10 of the 25 titles, three of which I consider personal favorites: “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” “Make Way for Ducklings,” and “Where The Wild Things Are.” Other favorites, like “Goodnight Moon” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” were not on the list.

Either way, the books on this list will certainly be wonderful to read.

July 10th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

The Big Bad Media?

I suppose there is always something to worry about when it comes to “our (collective) children.” Now that we are officially in the 21st century, the Big Bad Media is worrisome. Is media hurting children developmentally? Is it replacing reading?

An article (2003) from the Kaiser Family Foundation addresses these concerns. The study focused on 0-6 year-olds and their media use. According to the many statistics that spatter the article, young children are spending a sizable amount of their time with media, whether it be videogames, computers, or TVs.

The overall tone of the article is surprise. The study asserts that children, on average, spend as much time with media as they do playing outdoors, and far more time with media than they do reading. “These are astonishing data. Today’s preschoolers are starting to use media much younger than we thought,” stated study co-author Ellen Wartella. According to article, maybe we should be a little worried about media.

Yet is media for young children wholly bad? Of course not. Nor, frankly, can it be entirely avoided. Whether it’s comfortable for us or not, digital media is here to stay. Short of keeping children in wooden cabins in the forest, exposure to media is unavoidable. So what can we do?

As the article states, quality is as great a consideration as quantity. Balance is important as well. The article notes that children of parents who set boundaries on media time spend an average of 1/2 hour less per day plugged in.

We can’t fully “protect” our children from digital media exposure. We may not even want to – we would like our children to grow up with many of the skills and understandings that come with media exposure. We don’t want to raise children more suited for the 1900s than 2000s. And is media harming our children developmentally? It can, of course, but so can many things. Blaming the Big Bad Media is hopeless; it’s stronger than we are.

But we can be choosy about the (Big? Bad? maybe not always) media exposure we do allow. Quality and quantity are negotiable.

Are you an author or a publisher?