Picture Book Apps - Creating Good Screen Time

Today's welcome guest is Helen Dineen, a picture book author and mum of two living on the south coast of England. Helen signed with the Anne Clark Literary Agency last year and is hoping that 2014 is the year her stories might find a publisher. She also reviews book apps for young children at http://capptivatedkids.wordpress.com. Find her on Twitter @aitcheldee and @capptivatedkids

I've been blogging about kids' apps for nearly two years with my children (now aged 6 and 4) - as a parent rather than a writer. Back in 2011, I joined Twitter looking for publishers and authors to follow as I got more serious about writing my own stories. One of the first I followed was Kate Wilson, who was tweeting about Nosy Crow's very first app, The Three Little Pigs. As soon as I had an iPad I downloaded it and was instantly hooked. The Three Little Pigs showed me how good apps can be. Since then the explosion in story apps leading to the creation of the Interactive Stories section on the App Store shows there is a real market for them.

But books and apps are very different beasts. I couldn't find specific research on the use of book apps,  so I conducted a very unscientific Twitter survey.  11 out of 12 replies counted book apps as screen time, and at least 9 out of 12 restricted their use with their children. One replied, " Nice way for kids to "read" on own, but we do limit all screen time... Always make time to read real books!"  Only one did not distinguish between apps and books  and added "I don't restrict time on them as we do anything to encourage reading."

With this in mind, I hope there will be increasing opportunities for picture book writers to write apps, while being confident that "real" books will not be abandoned by young children or their parents and carers any time soon.

What Apps Do Well

28% of 3-4 year olds use a tablet computer at home[i] . Picture books are particularly well suited to reading on tablets due to their relatively short length, highly illustrated nature, interactivity (e.g. lift the flap) and the ease of use of tablets for young children. There are a number of benefits for storytellers:

·       Freedom from format constrictions such as number of pages and story structure. You can create a story with multiple pathways (Little Red Riding Hood, Sleepy Mole) or a circular life cycle story (Franklin Frog, Parker Penguin).

·       Have the reader change the story with their own suggestions (Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App uses the microphone for this).

·       Add atmosphere through narration, music and sound effects.

·       Add interactivity which draws the reader into the story e.g.  solve a puzzle to reach the next page (Bartleby's Buttons) or show the reader reflected in a mirror using the iPad camera (Nosy Crow's Cinderella).

Little Red Riding Hood

Sleepy Mole

There's so much possibility out there that the most important bit - the story - can be drowned out. In an early blog post I compared apps to Powerpoint - remember those presentations which used every kind of slide transition and silly bits of clip art, just because they were there? But even when all the bells and whistles are used appropriately, too often I find myself wishing the story itself was stronger. And when the story is strong (perhaps based on an existing picture book) often the technology very little, perhaps just sound effects or animations. Which is why I think that...

Apps Need Picture Book Authors!

I would love to see more established names producing original content with app developers (and I do think it is a shame Julia Donaldson could not be persuaded to take up the baton when Children's Laureate.) Original content produced specifically for the iPad is almost always better than transferring an existing picture book across. The interactivity can be developed alongside the story as one product rather than an add-on. Some aspects of existing books just don't work. To take one example, page turns often lose their impact when you have broken up the storytelling with interactivity. "And then he saw an ever so silly... [tap, tap, tap, make things move, after a few minutes turn the page] ...crocodile!" [wait, how did this sentence start again?]  

I also think quality story apps can compete with games.  Two parents responding to my Twitter survey said book apps count as "Good screen time".  Another said " ...count them as screen time as they're often so interactive -to the point where [she] refers to them as games."  Indeed the concern about apps replacing paper books is a distraction I think, from the wider issue of books losing out to TV, games and the internet as highlighted in BookTrust's latest reading habits survey.  The more that reading can sneakily join up with gameplay in apps like Nosy Crow's Jack and the Beanstalk and Alph and Betty's Topsy-Turvy World, the better.   I would also like to see more picture books connected to apps, providing extra content linking the two (see Moira's predictions in January).

I do think the opportunity is there to create more "good screen time." But I also think there are many ways in which picture books still have the edge.

Alph and Betty's Topsy Turvy World

Where Picture Books Win

It is so easy to see a picture book on the shelf, pick it up and start reading! It is much easier to share a book at home, in preschool and with a class. If you spill juice on it, you've only lost one book. You can borrow piles of them from the library at a time for free. Let's face it, tablets are expensive and although many app developers provide video trailers so you can see what you are buying, you do still need to purchase every app you use. It's possible to gift an app, but not nearly as exciting for a small child with nothing to unwrap on their birthday.

When reading, the parent is better able to control the use of the book and pace of the story with a  -book. Narration is the norm on apps - "When I use the iPad I don't read with them, I let them use it on read-to-me mode." This means the experience of reading a book is usually more shared with parents who spend time talking around the story more, doing all the silly voices, and getting involved in their children's world.  You can touch and feel the pages, which can also be bigger - particularly good for large or detailed illustrations. You can't reproduce the impact of a huge, intricate double spread on an iPad!

And finally, using a book is easy. You turn the page, and read. When it comes to apps, there is no standard for activating page turns, turning narration on/off and so on. Every app is different, and children need to learn how they work. It isn't a big barrier for tech-savvy toddlers, but it is there.

The Future?

There are some great apps for this age group out there, and I hope more established picture book authors might get involved in writing original content and tapping in to the possibilities to merge storytelling and gameplay. But I don't believe technology will ever kill off picture books - books will wriggle up and make room for apps as they did for TV.  In fact it may well be TV which loses out in the battle for children's attention. For this age group in particular it will be for parents to find the balance,  and hopefully still choose to curl up with their child and a book or two.

Want to find out more? Here are three of my favourites -

·       Little Red Riding Hood

·       Dragon Brush

·       The Monster at the End of This Book

And see this great blog post by Kate Wilson on writing children's picture book apps.

Go on, I'd love to see more fantastic digital content to read and blog about!

Dragon Brush

---

[i] Ofcom Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes, October 2013

Kids have the Best Ideas by Jane Clarke

 Kids have the best ideas

I'm in the middle of three hectic weeks of World Book Day visits to infant schools and nurseries. I love school visits - they keep me in touch with the age groups I write for and fire me with enthusiasm.  And young children have such wonderful ideas…

Teddies are sliding down rainbows to swim with sharks, 

floating around on balloons

and a fairy teddy is living in the stars.

 Creatures of all shapes and sizes are hatching out of eggs

 and sometimes they make lovely pets

Gilbert (my great white shark) is starring in all sorts of new stories

Castles are being discovered - this one's made of wood and visted by cloud dragons

and this one's made of candy and populated with purple princess unicorns.

I'm having so much fun and I'm so impressed by the children's imaginations. Thanks to all the schools who have invited me to visit – and congratulations to all the young writers and illustrators out there!

Tweeting Traditional Tales

One of the three Billy Goats

I started to teach creative writing and writing picture books around three years ago. During that time I've experimented with different ways to encourage students to practice their writing skills. One of the methods I've successfully used is to encourage students to recreate old stories by using tweets. If you've never heard of Twitter (and tweets) the idea is to create a message using just 140 characters, including the spaces. 

So rather than cover a topic I've decided to set a challenge for the visitors to The Picture Book Den. 

Next time you have ten minutes free choose a fairy tale and become one of the characters. Create a series of tweets that tell that characters side of the story.

To demonstrate what I mean here is my retelling of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' from the point of view of the troll. If you've never read the story then follow this link.    

Woken this morning by a small goat trying to cross my bridge without paying a toll #angrytroll

This morning caught a second goat trying to sneak across my bridge without paying toll. Can't believe how rude goats can be. #angrytroll

Discovered a third goat attempting to cross bridge without paying toll. He even head butted me! #angrytroll

How do these goats expect me to stay in business? No toll, no bridge, no way to cross river to eat delicious grass! #angrytroll

Reluctant sale of bridge, been in family for generations. License to charge toll. High daily foot fall.  #businessforsale  

Note: Using a hash tag before a term allows other Twitter users to find your tweets by using the same term.

I'm hoping if you give this a go you can see how you can have fun with a well-known story, make it your own and practice your craft. This process may not lead to a published book but it does give you the opportunity to exercise your writing muscle in a fun way.

If anyone does give it a go please do share your results here. 

Regards

Lynne

P.S. Follow me on Twitter and I promise to follow back @lynnegarner

P.P.S. The goat used to illustrate this piece is a free download (which I've rendered) from my website Anansi Spider Stories - if you have kids then please visit there are loads of free colouring pages you can download.    

Introducing... Michelle Robinson

Hello, I'm children's author Michelle Robinson. Thank you for welcoming me into the Picture Book Den! I've been reading the blog for a long time, so I feel very honoured to find myself ‘on the inside’. I thought my first post ought to be an introduction - after all, contrary to the belief of anyone who asks me what I do for a living, there’s absolutely no evidence that I am indeed  ‘the next JK Rowling’, so you probably won’t have heard of me. Yet. 

My first picture book came out in 2012, I’ve now got ten on the shelves, another ten in production, many more doing the rounds and a squillion duff ones cluttering up my desktop. Maybe I’m not the next JKR, but I'll happily settle for The First Me.

FACTS: I love picture books and am woefully short on shelf space.

I used to be an advertising concept bod and copywriter. I wrote radio ads for a long time, so setting up ideas and resolving them quickly - as well as reading them aloud - set me up well for writing picture books. 

I met fellow Picture Book Denner, Malachy Doyle on an Arvon course that he tutored some years ago. It was through his help and guidance that I found my agent and got published. Malachy will be on my Christmas list forever.

When writing, I try to choose the simplest words and use as few as possible. I chuck in the odd big word as I don’t believe in talking down to children. Books are a great place to learn new words. (As a child, I adored reading the dictionary. Still do.)

I got majorly into reading when I moved schools aged five, spotted a girl with her head in a Famous Five book and thought 'That looks fun'. She became my best friend and I spent all my pocket money on second hand Blytons.

I always dreamed of becoming a children’s author. My dad told me it didn’t matter that we weren’t rich; I could achieve anything I wanted if I worked hard enough. I believed him; I believed in myself. I worked hard and my dream came true. I can’t tell you how incredible that feels. Now I give my own children the same advice my dad gave me - and I have my very own books to back it up.

I have two children, Arthur (four) and Heidi (two). They take up most of my time, which is magic - but I do appreciate the two mornings a week when they're at nursery and I can write (and iron, vacuum, bake, eat all the baking, etc.).

I'm Patron Of Reading for my local first school. It's brilliant. I get to spend time with wonderful kids and introduce them to brilliant books they might not otherwise encounter. 

My pet publishing hate is people being secretive about the road to publishing. There's always space on the shelves for more great books, and children deserve quality. I'm always happy to share any 'wisdom', hence my website features a regular-ish advice section called Pencil Tips.

I like cake a little bit too much.

Finally - violins at the ready - I'm writing this from a hospital bed. I'm currently getting hardcore drugs and custard free on the NHS, and attempting to write a first draft of a children's novel while I'm bed bound. It's not going terribly well. I blame the high temperature.

I'm really looking forward to contributing to the Den and getting to know you all a little better. 

With warmest wishes (currently about 38°), 

Michelle Robinson

For more on Michelle Robinson, including writing advice, colouring sheets and free audio games to accompany her picture books, visit her website. 

The SAS Conference 2014 by Abie Longstaff

This weekend I met up with forty-one other children’s authors in a secret location (ok it was Peterborough) to talk about all aspects of writing children’s books, from the initial spark of an idea, all the way through to marketing and sharing the published work.

The snowdrops were out in Peterborough! (Thanks Liz Kessler for this lovely pic)

We are all part of the Scattered Authors Society, the other SAS, which brings together published children’s authors to share information and to support one another. Writing can feel like a lonely job sometimes, scribbling away on our separate computers or bits of paper. It’s easy to forget there are others out there struggling with the same issues of plot, character and resolution.

I love meeting up with everyone, seeing old friends and hearing about all the gossip. I find it really uplifting to share my past year, the ups and the downs of writing, and to hear how other, more experienced authors have coped with similar problems or successes. 

It’s also useful to remind ourselves that it’s a bit of a crazy rollercoaster, this business of ours; and authors who last time were having a rubbish year might suddenly have been given an award, or had a fantastic new book deal. We’re all in it for the long-haul and it’s easy to lose sight of that when you’re stuck in your study on your own.

Abie Longstaff, Jane Clarke and Paeony Lewis at the SAS Conference 2014

This year the sessions included: the fabulous Malorie Blackman kindly answering all our questions, Tim Collins and Jackie Merchant talking about using humour, Nicola Morgan giving advice on writing synopses, and a panel discussion on writing about dark subject matter. At the end we all (anonymously) shared information: how much we earned, what we think of our agents and other top secret stuff!

Here are some of the best tips from the weekend:

1. Naps are allowed - 'creative naps' that is. When you are stuck for an idea or a route, the lovely Lucy Coats recommends lying down and meditating to help find your way.

2. A lot can be solved by a nice swim and a long walk with a good friend.

3. Ideas for books can come from unlikely places eg this spoof story in The Onion about a dolphin going on holiday to swim with stockbrokers.

4. When you get stuck with your writing, read a genre you don't normally read.

5. If you are having trouble developing a character, try making an 'emotional synopsis' for your book. What does the character want? What obstacles are in his/her way? What is the end of the story? How does the character change in the course of the journey?

6. 'Manuscript friends' are invaluable - find another author who understands your style and is willing to give you honest feedback.

7. Give your work space - put it aside for weeks and work on something else. 

8. If you are doing research for a picture book, never look up 'beaver' on the internet.

9. When you send a piece of work out to an agent or publisher, don't sit around moping while you wait for feedback, start working on your next new idea straight away.

10. If you have a good idea, don't tell Liz Kessler your plan ;) - see her sister post on the ABBA blog today.

The Wonderful Rule of 3 by Natascha Biebow

All good things come in threes (and bad things, too). Why? It seems that three is the smallest number needed to create a pattern; it makes stories more satisfying and funnier. Plus everyone knows that stories must have three elements: a beginning middle and end.

From early on, children are preconditioned to expect this pattern:

The rhythm of the day has three parts – morning, noon and night –
and three meals too – breakfast, lunch and tea.

The rhythm of growing has three stages: baby, child and teen.

Most of the lullabies, songs and nursery rhymes told and sung from babyhood are built upon the rhythm of the magical number 3:

Baa, baa black sheep – three baa’s and then wool for the master, the dame and little boy in the lane 

Three little bears – with three sizes: big, middle-sized and small

© www.peoniesandpoppyseeds.com

Three little pigs, three billy goats gruff, and so on.

From Pat-a-Cake Nursery Rhymes by Annie Kubler

Even in the tiny story of the nursery rhyme, the rhythm of three sets up the pattern of storytelling, in which the story is set up, there are three examples and then a turning point/conclusion:

Set up the story: Pat a cake, Pat a cake, baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can; 

Now, build up the story with three elements:

1. Pat it,
2. and prick it
3. and mark it with a ‘B’, 

Give it an outcome: And put it in the oven for baby and me. 

When writing picture books, it is often handy to keep in mind how using the rule of three helps to deliver an exciting, page-turning plot and keep the narrative moving swiftly forward.

1.  Sometimes, the whole plot is built upon the rule of three. For example, in Duck in a Truck, when Duck’s truck gets stuck in the muck, Jez Alborough uses three instances to resolve the main problem: 

1.   Frog hops down to help.
2.    Sheep tries to push.
3.   Then Goat, passing by in his motor boat, comes up with the clever plan that solves Duck’s problem:
   
   
   

   

   From Duck In a Truck by Jez Alborough

   
   

   
   

2.    The rule of three is also a great tool for advancing the plot.  

Once the author has set-up the story and its central problem, it can help to build-up suspense and work towards a clear turning point in the plot.

For instance, in That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, the Queen wants Emily Brown’s much-loved rabbit Stanley in exchange for a golden teddy bear. Feisty Emily Brown tells the Chief Footman firmly that the rabbit is not for sale. So, the Queen sends: 


 1. The Army

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton

2. The Navy

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton

3. The Air Force

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton

Each time, they try to exchange ‘Bunnywunny’ for an even greater number of outlandish gifts. And, with each spread, Emily Brown’s consistent refusal builds until she is “FED UP!”

Then something must change in the pattern of the plot. So when the Queen has Stanley stolen, Emily Brown has no choice but to confront the Queen herself so she can tell her how to make the golden teddy as loveable as Stanley.

In another example, when Max is crowned King of the Wild Things in Sendak’s classic, three wordless spreads follow, adding drama and indicating the passage of time. These illustrate the wild things’ antics, building up to the turning point when Max orders the them to stop and sends them to bed. Then, realizing he’s lonely, he goes home to his supper and those who love him "best of all".

From Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

From Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

From Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Often, three consecutive examples can also help to advance a sub-section of the plot.

In the classic, Harry the Dirty Dog, when Harry comes home after having played by the railway, played tag with the other dogs and slid down the coal chute (three things!), he is no longer a white dog. His family are sure that this can't be Harry, so he:

1.  “flip-flipped and flop-flipped”
2. “rolled over and played dead”
3.  “danced and sang
   

   

    From Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion & Margaret Bloy Graham

But, his family still don't recognize him . . . What follows is a moment of pause, before the story picks up again and Harry remembers to dig up the scrubbing brush he's hidden in the garden and ‘beg’ for a bath!

3.   Sometimes, the rule of threes is even used like a mini-plot within the story, as in Olivia:

1. Olivia admires modern art at the museum
2. She tries it herself at home . . .

   

    From Olivia by Ian Falconer

 

3. Then, “Time to think!“ 

Or as a way to introduce some information about the characters (especially useful as an illustrative device across a page or a spread).

As in Quentin Blake’s Angelica Sprocket’s Pockets:

1.       “There’s a pocket for mice,”
2.       “and a pocket for cheese”
3.       “and a pocket for hankies in case anyone feels that they’re going to sneeze”
   
   

   

   From Angelica Sprocket's Pockets by Quentin Blake

In Olivia, her morning routine includes three elements:

 From Olivia by Ian Falconer

1. “In the morning, after she gets up and moves the cat,”
2. “and brushes her teeth and combs her ears,”
3. “and moves the cat”

4. Finally, the rule of three is a really useful way to give the writing a satisfying rhythm.
Here are just two examples:

In Jane Clarke’s Knight School, Little Knight and Little Dragon discover that  school is fun:

From Knight School by Jane Clarke & Jane Massey

1.   “Little Knight and Little Dragon sang funny songs.
2. “painted fabulous pictures,”
3. “and listened to fantastic stories.”
   

In Mo Willems’ Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, by virtue of it being a spoof of Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears, practically the whole book follows the rule of three. Here is an example of how Willems uses it at the climax of the story, giving the page a great read-aloud rhythm: 

“Just then a loud plane flew by, which sounded pretty much like a trio of Dinosaurs yelling 

1.   “NOW”
2. or “CHARGE!” 
3. or the Norwegian expression for “CHEWY-BONBON-TIME!"

From Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Mo Willems

The rhythm of three is everywhere in picture books! If you look for it, you will start to see how it can work wonderfully to create predictable and unpredictable rhythms in your work, too.

Natascha Biebow

Author, Editor and Mentor

BlueElephant Storyshaping is an editing, coaching and mentoring service aimed at empowering writers and illustrators to fine-tune their work pre-submission. Natascha is also the author of Elephants Never Forget and Is This My Nose?, editor of numerous award-winning children’s books, and Regional Advisor (Chair) of SCBWI British Isles. www.blueelephantstoryshaping.com