For my research on finding the best ingredients for a good interactive book, I interviewed Tom Huntington from Learning Goals Institute. He shares with us what he considers the most important positive aspects of interactive books from a (life) learning goals perspective. The interview is on my wallymeets website and can be found here. I was amazed by the revelations on the power of reading to kids at a very young age.
Interactive children book wally meets Mozart
I’m working to make my book Wally meets Mozart interactive for young children. With the help of very short, 10 second, animations I’m trying to share the beautiful sound of the violin. In this animation Wally follows the sound of music and meets Mozart.
I wonder how interactive books affect the reading experience when parents read to the child before sleeping. In an interview with a doctor at the USC children hospital in LA, I was told that regular books stimulate the child’s fantasy more than interactive books, which entertain the child more. Because, she continues, children have their own sounds for Mozart’s music and their own voice for Wally.
To me, stimulating the child’s fantasy is far more interesting than entertaining the child. It seems that the absence of information stimulates the child’s fantasy, probably just like Donovan shares with us in his interview, that reading stimulates the mind. I will continue with this project trying to find the thin line between entertaining and reading.
Merit of electronic children books, an interview
This is an interview with Donovan Oakleaf. Donovan is a school teacher at the LA school district in Venice for more than 10 years. He discusses some of the opportunities he sees in electronic books and the importance of reading. This interview is edited to 90 seconds and can be found here on my wallymeets website.