Kickstarter

The Pitch

Help me to re-energize children’s interest in picture books by introducing this new interactive innovation!  This book is designed to engage the reader by providing a format that is exciting and adventurous!  Read aloud activities will take on a whole new level of participation!  Children will be encouraged to read along and discuss a story, as it is being read to them, instead of just passively listening!

The Inspiration

Many of us grew up enjoying choose your own adventure style books, where the reader is presented with alternative storyline options and upon turning to a selected page, the story continued.  This format was only applied to text based books and was never suitable for fully illustrated children's picture books.  My inspiration was a functional design that facilitated a simpler method of selecting an alternate storyline that provided a path for turning the book's pages to the next encounter.  The solution is so simple that even the youngest children can now enjoy the world of choosing your own path adventure books!

The Innovation

By cutting notches in the page edges, it became possible to easily turn single or multiple pages to arrive at the next selected storyline sequence.  The pages have clearly labeled notches defining the choices for each given situation.  The illustrations are drawn to coordinate the location of the cutouts and the labeled choices with the details of the scene.  Thus, if the reader were offered the option of exiting through a door, then the notch would be placed next the door.  If the labeled notch were to connect to a landing page a few pages ahead, or behind, then the subsequent pages would also have aligned notches to provide the "path" for the reader to follow.

The Interaction

This newly patented innovation is intended to be a game changer in the children's picture book market.  Imagine the joy facilitated by the reading interaction as the child is engaged on each page to choose the next path!  Reading aloud to a group will encourage attention and involvement in the developing story as the listeners are enticed to participate in the story.  Reading to a group would involve quoting the text, showing the page's illustration and then presenting a question such as "who thinks we should climb the stairs and who would dare to enter the secret passage?".  Even children reading alone will enjoy the challenge of trying different pathways to discover new ways of reaching the final goal.

The Story

Your adventure begins when a band of pirates raid your village and loot your people’s precious treasures, taking the gold and jewels, and then sail away on the big blue ocean. Armed with your courage and determination, you set out to track down the thieving pirates.  After traveling for days you finally catch up with the pirates as you discover their ship anchored in a bay.  And so your epic journey begins!

The Illustrations

The artwork was sketched based on a collaborative storyboard layout approach which facilitated the coordination between the storyline pathways and inclusion of illustration details to depict the alternative choices presented.  The cutout notch pathways were strategically placed to minimize the loss of any illustration’s brilliance.  The finished pages depict each scene with depth and realism to make you feel as though you are there.  Each page has just enough detail to allow the reader to relax and enjoy the presented environment, but never as much to make a page appear overwhelming.

The Specifications

• Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 10 x 0.5 inches
• Binding: Smythe sewn perfect

The Project

As shown in the video, the book has been written and illustrated.  Review copies have been printed to confirm the printed colors, logistics of the cutout pathways and visual presentation of the entire book.  The next step is introducing the book to the children's picture book market.  That is the focus of this project, to generate the funds needed to print a production run of the first issue and then deliver to eagerly awaiting customers!

The Rewards

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Click HERE for a Direct Link to view all of the Illustrations

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