As a mom, I am always on the lookout for travel entertainment for our 8-year old daughter. She LOVES her itouch - for books, music, games, and art. It's extremely handy in the car, on the airplane, and while we're waiting in lines. So we were happy to receive a review copy of The Penguins of Madagascar: The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel from iStoryTime, for her itouch. The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel is a music-filled, narrated children's picture book for ipod/itouch/ipad. The pages are turned by the user, and as the narrator reads, the words are highlighted. It's a fun story, based on one of the Penguins of Madagascar tv episodes.
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GIVEAWAY!
Wandering Educators and istorytime are giving away three! copies of The Penguins of Madagascar - The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel. Please see the end of this article for details.
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iStoryTime is a platform for children's books, from FrogDogMedia. Several of their books come in multiple languages. Offerings include traditional children's books, as well as books from movies and tv shows that your kids love (Kung Fu Panda, Megamind, Ben 10, Penguins of Madagascar, Shrek, and How to Train Your Dragon). There are a plethora of books to choose from - they all look wonderful.
Our 8-year old daughter has this to say:
It is hilarious! I like that you can choose to read it to yourself, or be read to. There's a game where you spot the ducky in each page of the book. It is fun to click the duckies, because they make noise. I can't wait to show this book to my 3-year old cousin - I think she will love it even more than I do.
We caught up with Woody Sears, one of the founders of iStoryTime, to learn the history of their company, creating apps for children's books, and more. Here's what he had to say...
WE: Please tell us about iStoryTime...
WS: iStoryTime is a library of narrated children's books that are available on your mobile device, like iphone or ipad.
WE: What was the genesis of iStoryTime?
WS: Me and the other founders started to satisfy our own children's appetite for books. They want to enjoy books in all different kinds of places but we needed something more convenient than weighing down mom's diaper bag even more.
WE: What led you to creating apps for children's books?
WS: Our kids loved our iphones and books, so we really have them to thank for inspiring us.
WE: How can parents best utilize these apps for reading and learning?
WS: First off, there isn't any replacement for reading to your child but you can use these books in that way or to supplement that in times when you are making dinner or driving in the car and physically can't read a book to them. Many of our apps come with highlighted text which helps readers associate what they are hearing with the words on the page.
WE: What books do you have available?
WS: We have over 100 titles and there is something for every kid aged 2-7, to view the whole library, you can go to istorytimeapp.com/appstore
WE: What's up next for iStoryTime?
WS: iStoryTime will continue to be a leader in delivering quality content and pushing the envelope of what you can do with a digital book. Be on the lookout for Kung Fu Panda 2 Storybook before it hits the theaters at the end of this month.
WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
WS: Reading is fun and enriching, its an honor to make it more accessible and convenient!
WE: Thanks so very much, Woody, for sharing this glimpse into iStoryTime! We highly recommend iStoryTime to our Wandering Educators!
Details:
Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPhone/iPad
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* 19.6 MB
Pricing and Availability:
The Penguins of Madagascar 1.0 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Books category.
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Penguins of Madagascar iStoryTime app Giveaway
iStoryTime has generously donated three download codes for The Penguins of Madagascar - The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel to be awarded to randomly chosen commenters on this article - lucky readers!
To comment, you must be a member of Wandering Educators (free). Please fill out the membership application form - don't forget to share about yourself! Drawing is world-wide, no restrictions on location.
The contest will run from May 6, 2011, until 11:59pm, May 25, 2011. Any comments left on this article within that time are eligible for the drawing.
Note: We received a review copy of The Penguins of Madagascar: The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel from iStoryTime - thank you!