Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2012 Cybils Book Apps Finalists - a fantastic group of apps to explore!

I am so excited to announce the finalists for the 2012 Cybils Book Apps Award. The Cybils Award recognizes books for children and young adults that combine both excellent literary quality and high kid appeal. I am honored to serve as the category organizer for the Book Apps category.

Here are this year's finalists for the 2012 Cybils Book Apps Award! Here is our full list of finalists, with links to the apps. This week I will share more about each of these apps. For a full description today, head over to the Cybils website.

Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night
written by Mary Kay Carson
developed by Bookerella and StoryWorldwide, 2012
nominated by Cathy Potter

Dragon Brush
created by John Solimine and Andy Hullinger
developed by Small Planet Digital
nominated by Aurora Celeste

Rounds: Franklin Frog
written by Emma Tranter
illustrated by Barry Tranter
developed by Nosy Crow
nominated by Danielle Smith

The Voyage of Ulysses
based on the epic by Homer
developed by Elastic Srl
nominated by Viktor Sjöberg

Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Story
written by Jamie Lee Curtis
illustrated by Laura Cornell
developed by Auryn, Inc.
nominated by Teresa Garcia

Our fantastic team of judges debated long and thoughtfully to come up with this list of finalists. We evaluated over 80 book apps, ranging from picture books for the very youngest readers to nonfiction apps developed for young adults. We sought to highlight the full range of apps that are being produced, recognizing those that integrate text, illustrations, narration, animation and interactive features to produce an engaging reading experience.

I want to thank all of the round one Book App judges: Cathy Potter, Paula Willey, Carisa Kluver and Lalitha Nataraj. They all contributed so much, bringing different perspectives and experiences to our deliberations. I am so grateful for their time and thoughtful conversations about these apps. I am also so very grateful to the whole Cybils team for their support and exploration of this new way of sharing books with children. I hope you all enjoy these book apps with your children!

Head over to the Cybils website to learn more about these five fantastic book apps for children. This week, I will share more about each one of them. Over the next six weeks, the fabulous round two judges will select one winner from these apps - to be announced on February 14th.

©2013 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

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