Meet Leo The Lightning Bug Thanks To Kidwick Books And Oceanhouse Media
July 13, 2011
Partnering with Kidwick Books, Oceanhouse Media is able to bring Leo the Lightning Bug to the iOS App Store through an enjoyable interactive digital children's book.
“Leo the Lightning Bug is a perfect example of how a picture book can be transformed into a fun, interactive app,” said Michel Kripalani, founder and president of Oceanhouse Media. “Colorful illustrations, a beautiful narrative and a main character that kids can identify with are the essence of good storytelling. We welcome Kidwick Books onboard as our newest partner and are honored to be the digital publisher of their heart-warming books.”"Leo was a lightning bug. He was a little lightning bug." And that was certainly some concern, but Leo's size wasn't his only challenge. Jump into story time where you and your children take flight with Leo as he overcomes his fears and realizes that a little self-esteem can go a long way. Watch as he finds courage and confidence in ways he never imagined. This delightful tale is written and narrated by the acclaimed children's book author Eric Drachman, who is accompanied by Benjamin and Julia Drachman, plus Kati Garcia-Renart to bring all of the marvelous characters to life.
“I’m proud of the awards Leo has garnered, not to mention the emails I get from my little readers,” said Drachman, who also narrates the story and plays the role of the lightning bug, Lester. “My books all come with a fully produced audio CD with children playing the kids’ roles and sound effects. For my audience to be able to enjoy this audio at the touch of a button along with the visual in the omBook version really adds to the experience. I’ve been looking for a developer to make my books into apps for quite a while, but I held out for a really elegant solution, which I found in the Oceanhouse Media apps. You might view Leo on the small screen of a mobile device, but with the omBook treatment, the “pages” come to life and the fun and lessons that are to be found are as big as ever!”The app has three ways to experience the story: "Read it Myself" allows reading and viewing the material in the same manner that traditional books would offer, "Read to Me" highlights each word as it is professionally narrated, and "Auto Play" adds narration but also automatically turns the page when it is completed. This is a nice feature for very young children, or to just make the experience a little more like a movie. Some additional features to help promote reading and provide even more enjoyment include words that are spoken and highlighted when tapped, noises and narrations when pictures are touched, plus fun animations and sounds to help pages come alive. A wonderful combination of capabilities to complement the beautiful artwork of James Muscarello. Leo the Lightning Bug is a universal app compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch running iOS 3.2 or later, and available in the App Store at the introductory price of $2.99.
