Montreal, Canada - Tribal Nova, a Houghton Mifflin Harcourt company, and the developer of the award winning PBS KIDS PLAY! learning program and the i Learn With educational kids’ apps, launches “iRead With”, a groundbreaking shared-reading program designed to foster language development for children aged two to five.
iRead With interactive eBooks encourage a participative reading experience engaging both child and parent. Parents read a story and start a dialogue using suggestions from the app. Prompted to interact, the child is enabled to play an active role in the narrative. Their active participation helps children develop their vocabulary, literacy skills, phonological awareness, narrative skills and comprehension strategies.
This method is the result of two years of formative research and collaboration between Tribal Nova and world-renowned McGill University and is based on the research of language development expert Dr. Susan Rvachew, head of the University’s Child Phonology Lab. The McGill team has been conducting ongoing formative research with parents and children to test the effectiveness of the method. “Shared-reading is an ideal context for learning especially when parent and child talk together about the story. We see that parents and children take their time with iRead With books – enjoying the animations and engaging in rich conversations that support language and literacy learning” explains Dr. Rvachew.
“The launch of iRead With demonstrates why Tribal Nova's core mission fits so well with HMH. We share a belief that technology can only transform the learning experience if quality educational content is at its core,” said Mary Cullinane, Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. “Together our goal is to create engaging early learning experiences which positively leverage the power of technology to improve learning outcomes.”
The first two books in the iRead With series feature Caillou, the well-known character from the PBS Kids television series. Based on a best-selling series of books, first published in 1990 by Chouette Publishing, Caillou is a unique preschool show that presents everyday situations and settings that resonate with children. The stories are age appropriate and help children grow with self-esteem, confidence and independence.
“Caillou: What’s That Funny Noise?” and “Caillou: Show and Tell” offer interactive features that foster parent-child conversation and keep the child’s attention through engaging animations, “living words” and fun questions. A professional narration feature for parents also allows children to discover and learn on their own after a shared reading experience.
The apps are available exclusively for iPad in English and French. As a launch special for a limited time, “Caillou: What’s That Funny Noise?” can be downloaded at no cost, while “Caillou: Show and Tell” is available at a reduced price of $0.99. Both apps are available from the App Store at:
Caillou: What’s That Funny Noise?
Caillou: Show and Tell
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About Tribal Nova, Inc.
Tribal Nova, a Houghton Mifflin Harcourt company, is a leading developer and publisher of educational programs, games and apps for young children. Tribal Nova products feature many favorite children’s TV characters and can be accessed across several platforms, including online and on tablet and mobile devices. The company publishes the i Learn With educational program for tablets and touch devices played by millions of children across the globe. Tribal Nova also operates the PBS KIDS PLAY! online service in partnership with PBS, and Bayam in partnership with Bayard.
For more information visit http://www.tribalnova.com
About DHX Media
DHX Media (http://www.dhxmedia.com) is a leader in the creation, production and licensing of family entertainment rights. DHX Media owns, markets and distributes 9,500 half hours of children's entertainment content, and exploits owned properties through its consumer products licensing business. DHX Media is recognized for brands such as Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Super WHY!. DHX Media's full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, (CPLG), represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. DHX Media has offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Halifax, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Amsterdam and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
About Chouette Publishing
Chouette Publishing (http://www.chouette-publishing.com) was founded in 1987 in Montreal by Christine L’Heureux. Inspired by the work of French psychoanalyst Dr. Françoise Dolto, Christine wanted to offer books that would help children to grow in harmony with the world around them. Her project gave life to Caillou in 1990. He immediately became a loyal friend to children 0 to 6. Caillou is published in more than 40 countries in 20 languages, and has sold over 15 million books worldwide. Caillou TV series is available in more than 50 countries.