Autographed Imag.N.O.Tron app

Author William Joyce and his creative partner, Brandon Oldenburg, aren’t exactly the kind of guys who play it by the book. Their wildly successful,  Oscar-winning The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore was first a film (“We wanted a calling card to prove we could animate at Moonbot Studios”), then an app, next a print title (Atheneum, 2012), and now, in its “Imag.N.O.Tron” incarnation, an opportunity to experience some “augmented reality.”

While it sounds like an experience that requires ingesting something, it’s a technology. (Pressed to explain it, Oldenburg calls it “alchemy.”) The actual mechanics may be beyond me, but this is how it works.

Start with the print book, an iPad, and the Imag.N.O.Tron app. Turn the app on and position the tablet squarely over an illustrated page. When the app recognizes the image, the magic begins. Characters move; books flutter, fly, and whisper their lines aloud; shadows shift; and two-dimensional images become three-dimensional. Prompted to “look around,” pick up the iPad and watch the animation move into your space (here’s where the camera feature comes into play). Seeing is believing with this one, so take a look at the video demo below.

SLJ editor Daryl Grabarek walks through some of the amazing augmented reality “pages” in this companion app to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce

After Morris Lessmore the film premiered, Joyce began working on the app. Encouraged to drop that project and write the book, the author noted, “We thought that there shouldn’t be a set of rules…. We feel like we were born in the Middle Ages and woke up in the Renaissance.”

On a recent Saturday morning in New York City, Joyce and Oldenburg demonstrated the Imag.N.O.Tron technology and signed apps. When asked what they had in the works, the duo laughed and talked about a ghost story they’re working on. “We’re trying to make the most terrifying reading experience we can think of.”

Title: Otter on His Own
Subtitle: The Story of a Sea Otter
Author: Doe Boyle
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Series: Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
Published by: Soundprints, 2002
Developed by: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Platform: iOS, requires 3.0 or later
Version: 1.09
Price: $1.99 (introductory price)

PreS-Gr 1-Boyle’s lyrical text, combined with Lawson’s expressive illustrations (Soundprints, 2002) and a few multimedia enhancements, deliver an informative, visually appealing title. It’s summer, and a newborn otter and his mother gently sway amid the kelp by the rocky California shore. She has much to teach him, including how to dive, and how to gather and consume such delicacies as sea urchins, clams, and abalone. As he matures, the marine mammal’s mother leaves him as she searches for food. On one such mission, the curious pup follows her; panic ensues when a great white shark is spotted. All ends well, though, and readers will be rooting for the pup when it’s time for him to venture out on his own.

A comforting piano melody plays upon opening the app and users can choose to listen to or read the story. Words are highlighted along with narration, making it easy to follow along. To pause in the “Read to Me” mode, users must return to the main menu by tapping an arrow on the bottom of the screen. However, in “Auto Play,” users must stop the story, and then restart, a clunky process. Instructions on how to operate the app may be accessed from the main menu.

The soothing sounds of lapping waves and seagull calls and the zooming and gliding back and forth between illustrations enhance this visual and aural experience. The opportunity for emergent readers to learn new vocabulary (by tapping the pictures), and read other otter facts (appended at the end of the story) nicely round out this offering.—Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, Escondido, CA

In this video, the author talks about her inspiration for the story. If you would like a preview of what our reviewer Elisabeth LeBris refers to as the app’s “high production values” take a peek at Curtis’s short tutorial on how to operate Balloons. You’ll get a glimpse at some of those features.

Title: Where Do Balloons Go?
Subtitle: An Uplifting Mystery
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustrated by: Laura Cornell
Developed by: Auryn, Inc.
Platform: iOS, 4.3 or later
Version: 1.0.1
Price: $5.99

PreS-Gr 3-Curtis’s charming picture book (HarperCollins, 2000) about the fate of lost balloons gets the royal treatment from Auryn, Inc. High production values permeate this engaging app, which encourages children to explore and create.

On the home page, viewers are greeted with a melodic tune and several options; they can watch the author’s animated video explanation of how she came to write the story and/or her quick overview of its features, or start the story. Curtis’s tale and Cornell’s whimsical watercolor illustrations are enhanced by tapping, pinching, and swiping, and tilting the screen; these movements activate hidden actions, musical interludes, background voices, sounds, amusing animated vignettes, and interactive objects.

Some of the more spectacular features include the opportunity for users to record their voices (as though affected by helium), to make balloon animals, to write and email postcards, to create characters and produce animated movies in the Balloon Theatre, and to snap and insert a photo of themselves on a balloon. Flexible navigation allows viewers to move easily between the story and the activities.

Additional features include a settings panel, hints, bookmarks, and a highlighted text read by the author with the option to repeat words or lines. The depth and the variety of the activities embedded in the app ensure that viewers have a different experience each time they return. A visual and interactive treat.—Elisabeth LeBris, Sears LTC, Kenilworth, IL