Take a drive around town with the Bus Puzzle Book app for iPhone, iPad and computer

May 2, 2010 - PRLog -- Award winning MobiStories Digital Books for Kids has added another iPhone app to its high quality interactive ebook line up. “Bus Puzzle Book,”  by Chris L. Demarest which describes in simple words for early readers, the journey a bus takes through the city and is read by a child in English and Spanish.  The story is accompanied by sound effects that enhance the imagination. A download version for computers is also available from the MobiStories website for those who prefer that format.

Bus is an interactive book that can either be played in ‘read to me’ mode, or a child can choose to take control and swipe the pages back and forth whenever desired. One of the great features of MobiStories interactive books is that the story can be followed with the text and narration in either Spanish or English, or if the users so choose, they can mix and match and learn a few words of a new language.

The interactivity and reading experience is further enhanced by shaking, tapping or clicking the illustrations on each page. This instantly shuffles a page into a puzzle with varying degrees of difficulty: 6, 12, 25 or 36 pieces. The player can choose to get a little help from either the Shape Hint or Picture Hint functions, or both. As a child drags the pieces back into their correct place a virtual audience cheers for correct positioning or encourages him or her to try again. Kids can time one another to see who can finish each level the fastest. The puzzles are a great way for children and adults to interact with the iPhone, iPad and computer, enhancing both spatial and motor skills.

Every MobiStory is individually transformed into the digital space with the expertise of Hollywood professionals.  “Our intention is to revitalize the word ‘reading’ by making the form a more enjoyable pastime for 21st century children, and by doing so encourage them to spend more time with books at an early age,” commented Rick Toone, Cofounder and Creative Director of Still Motion Media.  “To do this, we must look at each individual book to best determine what enhancements should be added to further immerse a child in the experience,” he continued.   “The puzzles are perfect for that, and we added the picture and shape hints in the hopes that even our youngest readers will be able to figure out where each piece goes.”

The company already has many apps available for the iPhone, with many more in production. Their first iPad release was, “Spring Puzzle Book HD,” from the Seasons series.  “Eventually the entire library will be re-purposed specifically for the iPad, with better quality graphics and more interactivity,” commented Toone. “The iPad is a fantastic device that will allow us to convey the actual look and feel of a book, while at the same time provide additional ‘enhancements’ to further indulge digital natives and stimulate creativity to the nth degree,” he added.  A larger form factor and added technical abilities make creating books like the soon to be released MobiStories version of Tom Paxtons’s song, “The Marvelous Toy” a natural extension of the printed book. Christopher Kennedy, Still Motion Media’s audio producer says, “I hear sounds everywhere on the page and love to improvise.  Our intentions are to give the books as much of a movie like soundtrack as possible to draw the kids into their imaginations.”

About Still Motion Media
Still Motion Media, creator of MobiStories, is the leading producer of downloadable digital books, apps and e-books bringing children’s picture books, to iPhones, iPads and computers.  To download this book to an iPhone, please visit
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/train-puzzle-book/id361986...
To download this book to computer, please visit
http://stillmotionmedia.com/ages-2-6/bus/
For more information about Still Motion Media and MobiStories, please visit www.stillmotionmedia.com

Still Motion Media and MobiStories are registered trademarks or trademarks of Still Motion Media in the United States and/or other countries.  The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

# # #

Still Motion Media is the creator and producer of MobiStories, digital books and interactive books for children. By taking originally published books, images are digitized, the story is narrated, music and sound effects are added and the resulting product, MobiStories, can be enjoyed on virtually any digital device with a screen, including a computer (PC or Mac), iPhone, iTouch, iPod or iPad. Stories can be downloaded from the MobiStories website. Stories available as iPhone and iPad apps can be purchased from the iTunes store.