We are very excited to be kicking off Thanksgiving week by announcing one of our new projects … finding the right partner for helping Honorees transform their print picture books into interactive BookApps.
Our very first project – more timely than we could have imagined – is Deirdre McLaughlin-Mercier’s bilingual picture book about hurricanes. Earlier this fall, we began working with Customizabooks to create a Book App for this informational picture book.
Deirdre, a Mom’s Choice Awards® Honoree, wrote Yesterday We Had a Hurricane / Ayer Tuvimos un Huracon (Bumblebee Productions, 2006) to help her preschool class understand hurricanes as science and personal perspectives after Hurricane Charley in 2004. The book has gone on to earn many awards and has received recognition in educational and parenting circles alike.
“A hurricane is scary,” says Deidre. “I wanted to give adults a way to help children discuss their
feelings about these oftentimes frightening events.”
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the need for just that kind of book is now. This is a book to share with all children, not just those who have been affected directly by the storm. With Sandy cutting such a wide swath up the Eastern seaboard, odds are pretty good that kids in other states have friends or relatives who have lost everything. Helping kids understand the phenomenon and also find a way to find comfort is important.
So is giving back! Today the Yesterday We Had a Hurricane Book App created in partnership with Customizabooks is available for free in the iTunes store. Tomorrow, when we start selling the App for $1.99, half of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
The Bumble Bee Productions and the Mom’s Choice Awards® marketing teams are excited about the opportunity to work with Customizabooks to bring the best in family-friendly picture books to a new medium and new audiences. Look for additional announcements in the coming weeks.
About Deirdre Mercier
Deirdre Mercier has been an elementary school teacher and counselor for the past 20 years. She wrote Yesterday We had a Hurricane for her preschool students after experiencing Hurricane Charley in 2004. She also works as a parenting educator, facilitating parenting groups on topics such as power struggles, discipline, communication, sibling rivalry, and adoption.
About Yesterday We Had a Hurricane
In addition to earning a Mom’s Choice Award®, Hurricane has won a Teacher’s Choice Award, and it has been featured on C-SPAN and The Discovery Channel. School Library Journal, Children’s Book Watch and About.com each strongly recommend this book for parents and educatiors. Nielsen NetRatings also rates it a Top 10 Children’s Book Web Resource.
About Customizabooks
Customizabooks is a pioneer of customizable books and games. Customizabooks can take your book and turn it into an interactive digital app. Our technology also can be used to create interactive electronic books and games with broad customization features. Please visit www.customizabooks.com for more information.
About Bumble Bee Productions
Bumble Bee Productions is a boutique press specializing in high end, timeless children’s picture books. Its titles are quality productions which have garnered several national and international awards. Learn more at BumbleBeeProductions.com.