Way back in 1992, Broderbund Software launched Living Books, one of the first instances of PC-based, interactive storytelling. Two decades later, Wanderful is reassembling members of the original Living Books team, bringing the stories to iOS devices for a whole new generation of children.
Interactive books are a regular component in any parent's arsenal of apps to get the kids to sleep. Trust me, as a father of three, I use e-books on the iPad all the time. So, it's interesting to see a series of interactive stories originally released when I was just a kid getting an update to iOS.
Harry and the Haunted House was originally written for the Living Books series by Mark Schlichting. Wanderful has teamed up with the author to release this new version.
“When I first wrote Harry and the Haunted House, I wanted to allow kids to go inside the pages of the storybook and play along with Harry and his friends as they overcome their imaginations while exploring the old house," said Schlichting, via press release. "I couldn’t be more excited to work with the Wanderful team to bring my characters and this engaging story back to life on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch devices."
Like any good children's tale, Harry and the Haunted House tries to instill a message with its young readers: our imaginations can make a situation seem even scarier. Harry and his friends must overcome their fears, when a baseball goes over the fence into the yard of a spooky house.
The new iOS version includes a "read to me" mode -- so the kids can enjoy the highly interactive story alone -- and options for multiple languages. Harry and the Haunted House is available now in the App Store for $4.99. An in-app purchase unlocks a 42-page classroom guide for teachers.
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