4.5.11

The Future of Children's Books?

Very interesting article with a collection of short looks at interactive children's books.



See the article and the rest of the samples here. 
As with everything else what it means to be an illustrator, particularly for children's books, is changing. But I can totally see spacegirl Zita in an app like this.
Ben? Are you listening?

4 comments:

Matthew Green said...

Neat! Thanks for sharing the link. It's amazing how new technology keeps opening new avenues for creative expression, and just plain fun...

Vicki said...

Whoa. As someone who is just beginning the old fashioned sort of illustrating, this is quite intimidating. However, I notice that the actual moving parts are all superimposed on the old Tenniel illustrations. That means there is still a place for regular pictures. Whew! I'll do the pictures; someone else will have to do the technology parts.
It is nice to see that we humans impart our creativity on the modes at hand.

Anonymous said...

It might be me... or it might be Alice in wonderland, but that was just creepy!

And i dread what effect that will have on the actual reading.

But I'm just a 21 year old crank.

Ben Hatke said...

I'm listening! I'm listening!

Yes this would be a pretty cool way to present Zita. The reader could push the red button! You could zoom through the portal first person! hmm...

I'm still trying to formulate my ideas about these interactive apps. Do I love them? Do they distract from the text? I'm not sure yet.

The problem is that I don't have a pad, or phone of my own -so I have very little experience in this stuff.

But during our last trip to Chicago we brought along my dad's iPhone and now Anna is clamoring for one of her own. So maybe I'll know a little more soon...?