Ruckus Media Group has announced its Mobile Media unit has released its first classic animated children’s story applications for Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, digitally re-mastered and optimized by Boston-based FableVision. “We’re thrilled to be able to deliver wholesome, family-friendly entertainment to the global mobile market at a price-point that delivers an incredible amount of value,” said Jim Young, Ruckus Media Group’s COO.
The company’s first apps draw from the award-winning Rabbit Ears Library and feature well-known classic children’s stories told by Hollywood celebrities. Each Play-Read-and-Record-Along application is available for $3.99 through Apple’s iTunes App Store in 76 countries and includes a classic video, readable text story and the ability to record voices for personalized storytelling:
- Pecos Bill -“ Told by Robin Williams, illustrated by Tim Raglin with music by Ry Cooder. Pecos Bill is the bravest, orneriest cowboy in the Wild West, and the tall tales of his adventures are full of fun. The tale is one of courage, strength and humor.
- John Henry -“ Told by Denzel Washington, illustrated by Barry Jackson with music by B.B. King. The tale of Big John Henry and his hammer, faster than any machine, belongs in every child’s memory and has been a staple of American mythology for well over a hundred years.
- Johnny Appleseed -“ Told by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Stan Olson with music by Mark O’Connor. The true story of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, who roamed the frontier planting apple trees and spreading goodwill is intimately tied to the domestication of America. Parents’ Choice Gold Award for audio.
“We create stories for mobile devices that entertain toddlers to teens from their fingers to their minds, at home or on the road-”and invite their imaginations to grow,” said founder and CEO Robert Richter. “Our applications are ideal for today’s families who are perpetually -˜on the go.’ It’s our goal to immerse children in a world of imagination.”
Upcoming Releases
Next on the publishing schedule and due to release are “The Velveteen Rabbit” -“ told by Meryl Streep, illustrated by Dave Jorgenson with music by George Winston, and “Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Tabl”-“ told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor with music by Elvis Costello.
Ruckus Mobile Media is currently developing original apps with bestselling and award-winning authors and illustrators including Jon Scieszka, Rosemary Wells, Andrew Clements, Patricia MacLachlan and David Carter, among others, to create interactive works not possible within the pages of a printed book. The first two of these original applications, due next month, will be “Andrew Answers” by Alan Katz, author of “Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs” and “A Present for Milo” by Mike Austin
