Monday 7 May 2012

Perky Pranksters: Have Fun in the Country for iPad-Interactive Kids Book


Sandgerdi,  IS   May 07, 2012

[prMac.com] Sandgerdi, Iceland - Tonaflod today is pleased to introduce Perky Pranksters: Have Fun in the Country 1.0 for iPad, their new interactive book for kids. Based on her own pets, Selma Hronn Mariudottir has written five Perky Prankster books featuring Genie the grey cat, Dapper the rust cat, and Rex the collie dog. This first book for iPad follows the trio as they visit the countryside of their native Iceland. The eBook includes professional narration and rhyming dialogue, interactive elements on every page, games, and surprises.

Genie is the principal prankster and a very fun-loving young cat. She is always getting into some mischief or other, and usually ends up learning a hard lesson at the end of her escapades. Dapper is an extremely well mannered cat, although he is not above taking part in some tricks too. He is also very wise and knowledgeable and teaches Genie many good habits. Rex, the dog, is what could called "a big softie," but he can be a little absent-minded at times. He loves to read and is interested in everything and anything.

At present, there are five books in the Perky Pranksters series and the first one is now available in English on iPad. More are scheduled to appear later. The stories are both funny and educational, and the style used is simple and entertaining. Each portrait orientation illustration is full-screen and beautifully executed. There are two verses, character dialogue, embedded in each picture with a running narrative text at the bottom. These verses are of four lines each, rhyming abab — a simple rhyme scheme, which makes them easy for a child to memorize. Now, through iPad, this process becomes even more enjoyable. When Mom and Dad have things to do, the Perky Pranksters can keep the children entertained and then, work done, they can all sit down at last and take part in the fun and games together.

Perky Pranksters: Have Fun in the Country 1.0 for iPad has received numerous glowing reviews, including 4.5 stars from AppBite. "Perky Pranksters is a both fun, and educational e-book for children. It's all about these three spirited characters and the crazy things they do. I don't want to spoil any surprises, so all I'm saying is that in this edition, Genie, Dapper and Rex will find out that life in the country is not exactly what they imagined it to be. From bulls and horses, to lambs and hens, our three characters find out what life at the country is all about, and make new friends. But, of course, not without getting into some trouble first. Every experience they have is a fun story, and every story is worth reading, as Genie, Dapper and Rex explore the countryside."

Feature Highlights:
* Follow the adventures of Genie, Dapper, and Rex
* Touch the light bulb on each page to see all the hidden interactive elements
* Use the camera to take a photo of drawings or dress up
* Read to Me or Read Myself options
* More Perky Pranksters books for iPad soon to come

Children are given the options, Read It Myself, Read to Me, and Fun and Games. For the Read to Me section, Selma enlisted the help of the internationally renowned voiceover artist, Debbie Irwin. Her brilliant interpretation of the stories brings the characters to life and makes the funny episodes even funnier. As Debbie reads, the text is highlighted so that children learning to read can easily follow the story. Educational features of this title include: sentence highlighting, images that are named when tapped, pop-up descriptions of actions performed, e.g., "shove" when Dapper pushes the bale of hay, and sounds relevant to the story, e.g., laughter. Every page contains these Learn and Explore hidden features, animations, and quality sounds. In the Fun and Games section there are six games: Meet the Pranksters, Coloring Book, Dress Up Games, Musical Games, Rhyming Games, and Record Your Voice. In the Rhyming Game the child is asked to find words that rhyme, for example, "Can you find the word that rhymes with 'milk'?" Three options are given.

"The purpose of the books is to offer entertaining and high-quality material for children, which is not only fun to read but also develops their vocabulary and widens their horizons," stated Selma Mariudottir of Tonaflod. "The material contains an introduction to verse and rhyming, and in some stories the Pranksters take the children to visit places with a geographical or historical interest."

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPad
* Requires iOS 4.3 or later (iOS 5 tested)
* 57.3 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Perky Pranksters: Have Fun in the Country 1.0 is $3.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Books category.


Based in Sandgerdi, Iceland, Tonaflod was founded by Selma Hronn Mariudottir in 1989. Tonaflod is focused on web design, is the publisher of Children's Books and has recently expanded into the field of interactive apps. Besides composing material for children, Selma has turned her hand to the composition of texts and music/songs all of which have been well received. She is a member of The Writers' Union of Iceland and STEF (The Performing Rights Society of Iceland). The Perky Pranksters project has been awarded grants from such recognized sources as The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture’s Fund for the Development of Educational Material. Brynhildur Jenny Bjarnadottir, the series illustrator, is an artist and animator by profession. Frances Jane Milne McQueen works as a professional English translator in the UK. Copyright (C) 2012 Tonaflod. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.
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Selma Mariudottir
Web designer / Children's Books Author
Iceland
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