PicPocket Books

AND THE WINNERS ARE!

#13 - rainmommy & #48 - Patty
CONGRATULATIONS!!

Do you have small children? Do they love to read? Growing up I never really liked to read - may be because the books that you had to read in school were boring :) So when our boys were young we read to them quite a bit and had lots of books at home and also visited the library on a regular basis. We all know ho important learning to read is. Son 2 wasn't very keen on reading, but I bet if we had an iPod or an iPhone when he was young and access to a place like PicPocket Books - he would have read more! Here is what Lynette has to say about PicPocket books:

PicPocket Books allow children to enjoy picture books as downloadable iPhone/iPod touch apps. Children ages 2 - 8 can enjoy their favorite stories on the go—at the doctor’s office, at the store, on the airplane; any situation where it's impractical to bring physical books along. PicPocket Books offer a new and unique experience, combining the beauty and distinctive quality of picture books with professionally produced audio narrations and interactive visual text.
PicPocket Books has the largest and most “literary” selection of picture books available on the iPhone. We offer a wide range of classic content from established publishers, including previously published "board books", concept books, easy readers, fairy tales, and other culturally diverse picture books. We produce our titles through an artistic process and our apps remain faithful in content to the original books. The full color illustrations are detailed and clear. The text is easily readable and we offer a "learn-to-read" feature where the text is highlighted as the word is spoken, encouraging the connection between the written and spoken word for emergent readers.

Our apps aid and encourage kids in learning to read and promote literacy by offering positive exposure to books and stories. First of all, most kids are very curious about electronic gadgets. Why not capitalize on that fascination to grab their initial interest? Whether we're talking print or digital books, reading is an active mental process: something to encourage at every opportunity. Our apps offer a "learn-to-read" feature where the text is highlighted as the word is spoken, encouraging the connection between the written and spoken word for emergent readers.

Here at PicPocket Books, we are iPhone app developers, but we’re parents of young kids first. And as parents, we are mindful of the content kids are experiencing on mobile devices and amount of exposure they are getting to the screen. Why do kids get a lot of screen time? One reason is 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. We think it's important to introduce our children to quality and age-appropriate content on the screen, whether we're talking mobile digital technology, desktop computers or other media. We 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.

Reading a story book on a screen is also 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: increases vocabulary, improves concentration and focus, and expands horizons.

PicPocket Books has added some interactive audio hot spots to selected PicPocket Book titles like Oh, Crumps, Peterkin Meets a Star, Monster Trucks, Tractors, Rescue Vehicles, and Round Is A Mooncake. We are adding additional animations to some titles that are currently in production. The animations are subtle, like snow falling or stars twinkling, because we publish previously published books rather than made-for-iPhone stories - so the artwork is already drawn, and we strive to remain faithful to the original book. Our intent is to encourage curiosity by adding elements of interactive discovery to each title which the hot spots and subtle animations provide. We are consciously NOT creating video games, but hope that PicPocket Books can offer a gentle alternative to games for parents who want to offer their children mobile digital books.

NOW FOR THE GIVE AWAY!
PicPocket Books is offering two lucky winners a chance to choose three titles each from their selection of picture books.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!!