Thursday, November 17, 2011

Looking for a children's Christmas present idea?

In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Random House Children's Books has launched an app sale!
 
All RHCB apps including The Poky Little Puppy, Barbie Princess Charm School, and Pat the Bunny (in addition to others) will be listed at 99 cents. The sale kicks off today and goes through Tuesday, November 22nd.
 
These critically acclaimed apps are a great way to engage children of all ages and keep them entertained on those planes, trains and automobiles!
 
 
The Poky Little Puppy (regular price $3.99)
This engaging app has been specifically designed to encourage reading and listening comprehension skills, and to reinforce core preschool-level concepts. With the swipe of a finger, users can crack open the cover—complete with the distinctive Little Golden Books gold spine—to reveal the entire text of this timeless story, beautifully rendered with interactive illustrations on every page. Users are given a choice of three ways to read the story. The first option enables users to watch and listen as words are highlighted while the text is read aloud. The second option allows users to turn off the narration and read at their own pace (with individual words spoken with the tap of a finger), and the third option allows readers to record their own voice to play on each page. Children can further hone their reading comprehension skills with the Little Golden Books Hide-and-Seek Challenge that can be played at the end of each page to unlock bonus stickers. When the story has been read, users can use the stickers they collected to create their very own storybook scene and save their masterpiece to the device’s photo album. Making this app experience even more unique, users can personalize their app with their name and photograph on the inside cover. This beautifully crafted app makes storytime a special time that parents and children will cherish together.
 
Barbie Princess Charm School (regular price $4.99)
Readers can join their favorite fashionista, Barbie on her royal adventure with just the swipe of a finger, prompting animated illustrations and activities that bring storytime to life. This engaging app allows readers to experience the story in three different ways. The first option enables users to watch and listen as words are highlighted while the text is read aloud. The second option allows users to turn off the narration and read at their own pace (with individual words spoken with the tap of a finger), and the third option allows readers to record their own voice to play on each page. Supplemental activities featured in the app include the Little Golden Book Hide & Seek Challenge at the end of each page where readers can unlock bonus Barbie stickers. After reading the story, users can collect the stickers they earned to create their very own stylish storybook scene and save it in the device’s photo album. The app can be personalized with a name and photograph on the inside cover. As an additional bonus, Barbie Princess Charm School for iPhone®, iPad®, and iPod touch® features the hit song from the DVD, “You Can Tell She’s a Princess.”
 
Pat the Bunny (regular price $3.99)
Designed for the youngest user, children can easily bring bunny to life and interact in new ways. They can pop bubbles with bunny, help bunny catch butterflies, tuck bunny into bed, and more. On devices with front-facing cameras, including the new iPad 2, children will be delighted by a “look in the mirror” feature that allows them to see their reflection. With 14 stunningly animated scenes in all, there are plenty of surprises to see and discover. There are three different ways to read through the app: users can watch illuminated text while hearing the words read aloud, turn off the narration and read at their own pace, or record their own voice to be played back. The pat the bunny app promotes the development of fine motor skills with a paint mode that magically transforms each page into a colorable activity. This paint feature is made for the youngest users as children can simply swipe a black-and-white scene to make the colors appear. Children will delight in dragging their fingers across an image of bunny’s birthday party and watching the picture come to life in vibrant colors. Sparkles jump across the page as little fingers brush yellow and pink onto the flowers in bunny’s garden. The app extends the legacy of pat the bunny to the digital world, promoting children’s mastery of their world through simple, interactive play.
 
Wild About Books (regular price $4.99)
The award-winning picture book now roars to life in 16 animated and interactive scenes where kids can tilt, swipe, and tap their way through Judy Sierra’s rollicking rhymed story. Readers can choose to listen or turn off the narration and read at their own pace. Whether they’re making monkeys flip, beach balls bounce, animals stampede, or bears burp, parents and kids are sure to laugh, learn, and get wild about books together.
 
How Rocket Learned to Read (regular price $4.99)
With the swipe of a finger or tilt of the iPad, Hills’s bestselling and award-winning picture book bursts to life, making learning to read fun. Children have two options for reading this story that boasts over 40 pages of interactive text and lively illustrations with a realistic page-turning feature. The first option, “Read to Me,” allows kids to simultaneously watch highlighted words and listen to the story read aloud by Tony- and Emmy-nominated actress Hope Davis. The second option, “Read It Myself,” enables readers to silence the narration and read the story at their own pace. With the tap of a finger, readers can hear any word on the page read aloud, giving them extra guidance when they feel challenged. In one spread that displays the entire alphabet, kids can tap their way through every letter to hear it and see a corresponding illustration created exclusively by Tad Hills for the iPad app.
 
Princess Baby (regular price $1.99)
With the swipe of a finger or tilt of the device, Katz’s vibrant artwork bursts to life. After choosing a playmate from four adorable princess babies, users step into Princess Baby’s bedroom kingdom and discover an assortment of toys fit for a princess. Children can wave their royal wands, pet a kitty, knock down colorful building blocks, and much more. The app features original collage-style artwork by the creator, Karen Katz.
 
Bot Garage (regular price $0.99)
The Bot Garage app gives fans of David Carter’s LOTS OF BOTS! A Counting Pop-Up Book, a chance to build their own collections of wonderfully wacky robot friends. From a wide selection of colorful bot heads, bodies, arms, legs, and silly accessories, kids can design and name a multitude of bots that come to life with animation and sound effects. Once the bots have been placed in one of ten cool places to play, they can be saved and emailed to friends directly from the app. 
 
Here's a great opportunity to pick up apps inexpensively and give your child some great interactive play to go with their story.

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