2014 Children's Digital Book Awards with Mary A Livingston

The 2014 Digital Book Award winners are in. As a small press publisher, author-illustrator, and a mom/grandma of a techno savvy family, I’ve enthusiastically explored the world of digital picture books. Just like their physical counterparts, presentation matters. Digital picture books come in a variety of platforms and each platform has a wide depth of execution. The basic form, known as a fixed ebook, is typically screen shots of the physical book with no bells or whistles. The other extreme of the digital picture book is the interactive, animated, game loaded, book app. One is underwhelming, the other overwhelming. Somewhere in between is the enhanced digital book.

I reviewed the 2014 Digital Book Award Finalist in Children’s categories prior to the winners’ announcement. I find it interesting that while I appreciate the story content of the winners, I’m not as pleased with the digital interpretation.

Since the children’s categories combine picture books and chapter books, Good Night Moon and The Adventures of Captain Underpants were in head-to-head competition. This is just more evidence of the digital market finding its way.

Most of the finalist titles are available on a variety of platforms. I’ve noted the platform I used while reviewing the digital editions. The experience may be different on another device.

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COWZAT!, Colour Me Play

Category description from 2014 Digital Book Awards:
App—If the title must be downloaded from an App Store, and/or the ebook title can only be read on an app platform, it’s an app. It can be a native app or a web-based app. Files formatted using ePub and KF8 specifications are not considered apps.
App – Children
Winner: COWZAT!, Colour Me Play
Picture Book, My device experience:  iPad App also available Android App

This digital book app is full of animation gyrations, text undulations, and cacophonous sensations, all of which are a bit overwhelming and in my opinion interfere with the story. It’s hard to know where to look without an anti-emetic on board and I’m not prone to motion sickness. Too bad, because it’s a fun story with lyrical rhyme and lots of action. Sometimes, just because the technology can make it wiggle, squeak, and squirm, doesn’t mean it should be included.

The read to myself option is missing from this title. The user can only choose between between play and autoplay. While this award winning title is a great story and the digital designers know all the bells and whistles, it’s more like a cartoon video than a book. Great story with an overdone app.

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2014 Digital Book App Finalists

App Finalists:
The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Scholastic
Chapter Book,  My device experience:  iPad App

This book app is a basic digital ebook with the option of accessing interactive material. Fortunately, the interactive material isn’t intermixed with the story text. Kids have the option of hearing the story or reading it themselves. They can even turn the narration on and off at any time during the story.

Good execution of the page swipes in this edition. The next page spread flows into place without jarring the visual cortex. The privacy policy and information is clearly stated.

Axel’s Chain Reaction, Allison Pomenta
Picture Book,   My device experience:  iPad App

I was able to download a lite version at no cost to sample the book app. Wise move on the part of the publisher. I purchased the full version because I invested in the story and wanted to know the outcome. I wasn’t disappointed.

The interactivity of this picture book includes precisely timed tapping of characters. The execution of animations are controlled and add to the story. Separate from the story, educational applications expand on the subject of kinetic art with hands on activities. The privacy policy is clearly stated and easy for parents or teachers to find. I thoroughly enjoyed this story app. I plan to purchase it for my grandchildren.   

Goodnight Moon Storybook App, Loud Crow Interactive
Picture Book,  My device experience:  iPad App

I was eager to view this bedtime classic. I appreciate the parental link to privacy policy. Read options include read to me, autoplay and read myself. At any time during the read myself option, the user can activate audio. Note on text highlighting, dark red and black are difficult for some viewers with color acuity issues. On a positive note, the background music has volume control.

The interactive illustration jiggles don't auto-load, so the user may enjoy a straight book experience. The interactive animations distract from the bedtime feel so these options are best for a non-bedtime experience.

For the most part, it's pleasantly paced and calming for young children. My two year-old nephew comes to mind as a good recipient.

Little Red Riding Hood, Nosy Crow
Picture Book,  My device experience:  iPad App

This story app has offers different routes to Grandma’s house. Along each route, Little Red adds to her already heavy basket. The items she collects come into play during the finale. Users must tap blue dots to experience the full story. Without tapping in the correct order or at the correct time the story may not make sense.

Privacy warning. Typically, apps or ebooks will ask to use the camera or microphone on your device, or at least issue a privacy statement. No such option offered for this ebook, imagine my surprise when the app accessed my camera and I viewed my own reflection in the pool in the woods. I’m particularly concerned for the privacy of children. A privacy policy should clearly state any device interaction. This ebook edition doesn’t include a privacy policy.

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The Man with the Violin, Annick Press Ltd.

Category description from 2014 Digital Book Awards:
Ebook Fixed format/Enhanced—These files utilize any of the enhanced ePub specifications and/or any (or all) of the full range of KF8 specifications, such as audio, video, HTML5, Javascript, fixed layout, pop-outs, etc.
Ebook Fixed Format/Enhanced – Children
Winner: The Man with the Violin, Annick Press Ltd.
Picture Book, My device experience:  Kindle

Great story, beautiful art, but enhancements are underdone. This is a classic fixed edition. The only digital attribute enlarges the text when tapped. I really like the story, but feel the book falls shy of using digital to enhance the elegance of the story. It’s a story about a boy falling in love with music, so where’s the sound? Disappointment aside, there are no distractions to take the child away from the delightful story as the book is served straight up without digital embellishments. My music-loving grandson turns five the end of this month. The Man with the Violin will be one of his gifts.

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Ebook fixed format/Enhanced Finalists:
Seahorses & Pipefish, Dive in Your Imagination
Enhanced Photo Picture Book, My device experience:  iBook

Lovely underwater photography with exquisite use of limited pallet and composition elevating this to an art-photo ebook. The imagery expertly educates about seahorses and pipefish in an elegant way. Speaker button reads on command. The user may activate videos showing how each subject moves. I’m really looking forward to sharing this with my grandkids.

Alicewinks: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Walrus & Carpenter Productions LLC
Chapter Book,  My device experience: iBook also available on Kindle

I like the presentation of different artists’ depictions of Alice over the years. The mild animation complements the text and moves in a non-overwhelming fashion. However, during play of the book the characters morph from one artist rendering to the next. The reader will benefit by viewing the artist archive before reading or experiencing the story.

First Time on a Plane, Parragon
Picture Book,  My device experience:  iBook

No read aloud option. Activities are age appropriate. I might be picky here, but when Dan’s dad makes a beep at the metal detector, we never find out why or what happened. On a positive note, the text is clear to read.

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Category description from 2014 Digital Book Awards:
Ebook Flowable—These files are made in ePub and/or KF8 without utilizing features such as audio, video, HTML5, Javascript, fixed layout, pop-outs, etc., in order to work on a wide variety of e-reading devices.
Ebook Flowable – Children
Winner: Can You Survive the Titanic?: An Interactive Survival Adventure, Capstone Press
Chapter Book, My device experience:  Kindle

The reader has the option of choosing a role or actions in the story to experience the Titanic’s sinking. Period art and photos are interspersed throughout the text. Includes some bios of real survivors. The story adapts its flow to the content selected by the user. This is a classic example of how the digital experience may interfere with the brain’s natural mapping of text in a traditional book. A menu tree showing the various story branches would help the user navigate to a previous section. That aside, it is an excellent way for kids to enjoy historical fiction from a variety of perspectives.

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Finalists:
Cinderella Spinderella, Light Publications
Chapter Book,  My device experience: iBook

I put away my personal disdain of prince rescuing damsel stories and read the book anyway. The “Spinderella” in the title comes from Cinderella’s wheelchair. In this chapter book, the user chooses a black, white, Asian, Hispanic or Subcontinent Indian for Eleanor, aka Cinderella, and/or her Prince.

The digital execution of the story is well done, but I personally have an issue with the overall message of prince rescuing stories. While it includes contemporary twists, wheelchair bound Cinderella lives in the inner city, why not take it all the way? Must it take a prince to rescue her?

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