Will You Show Me a Bedtime Story?
I remember the days when bedtime stories were personal. The
visual you would imagine while listening to Mom or Dad's voice was
a direct reflection on the tone in which your parents read you the
story. The part where the cooky mouse gets the elusive cheese was
either comical or terrifying depending on which of my parents was
reading to me.
When the Alice and Wonderland app for the iPad crossed my path,
it instantly made me realize how far we have come with
story-telling. The new app tells Lewis Carroll's famous story,
through interactivity. The interface is intuitive and beautiful and
the story is beautifully illustrated. You can make Alice grow by
rotating the screen. Your actions now advance the story. You are
now immersed within it. Kids don't have to close their eyes to
imagine the story anymore. They can now help to shape and create
it. I'm not sure if, "creation" applies to Alice, but I can
see how it could to other stories in the future.
Apple announced the iPad to a mix of excited fanboys and major
skeptics who claimed that it was just a glorified iPhone (myself
included.) Now that apps are starting to pop up and we are able to
get a better idea of what is possible, you can call me a convert.
Now I want one... bad, and I wouldn't mind if it had this app on it
either.
(By the way, It's my birthday tomorrow in case you were
wondering what to get me.)