Giveaway: EggMania (iPad interactive book)

In EggMania: Where’s the Egg in Exactly? a boy begins his quest to find the "egg" in the word he keeps hearing as eggzactly. On the way, he meets unusual creatures who help him discover the importance of speaking correctly while underscoring a significant life lesson: even if he makes mistakes, he can still be extraordinary.

It's a highly interactive iPad book, and I had a chance to interview the author.

 

Where did you get the idea for the book?

The idea for EggMania was “pure inspiration.” I often noticed people pronouncing exactly as “eggzactly,” particularly when they wanted to exaggerate their point. Having minored in linguistics in college, I remain intrigued with the nuances of enunciation. Somewhere in my mind I must have been cogitating on this particular one, toying with images of eggs. Then one day when on a flight to Hawaii for some much needed rest and relaxation, inspiration invaded me.

My husband had talked me into not taking my computer on this trip, convincing me to have a real vacation. And, lo and behold, inspiration struck. I wrote on every scrap of paper I could lay my hands upon, including the edges of crossword puzzles and a Sudoku book. I completed the writing of EggMania: Where’s the Egg in Exactly? on the beaches of Lanai and Maui. That’s also when we hatched the concept for a second book and then other books, essentially giving birth to our ManiaTales series. I must say, this inspiration has brought tremendous joy.

Why an eBook?

After watching my grandchildren, even two-year olds, easily navigate iPads while also being enamored with smart phones, it became clear that today’s kids are readily engaged when using digital devices. With this in mind, my husband and I wanted to utilize the new-generation eBook technology that offers enhanced interactive features that are not possible in traditional paper books, nor even possible with first-generation eBooks. We became captivated with the interactive features, which when coupled with vibrant visuals and enhanced sound support high-level engagement.We focused on designing EggMania to be an eBook that pushed the boundaries of blending education and entertainment, while also stimulating imagination and creativity. I still love paper books, and always will; yet, the next generation lives in a digital world. Many schools across the nation are converting to electronic text books. It was the perfect time to create a new category of children’s books: EggMania and the many upcoming ManiaTales books.

Are there plans to make it available for other platforms as well?

When we started development of EggMania, no other tablet offered such high-level interactivity and rich functionality as the Apple iPad, as well as the iPhone, and iTouch. Most importantly, for now, the Apple iPad is the most commonly used tablet in educational institutions and home environments. Our goal with EggMania and the impending books in our ManiaTales series is to reach and empower as many children as possible, whatever the platform.

How did you draw on your experience as an educator when writing this book?

The principles of teaching, speaking, gaining and holding people’s attention all still hinge on one major factor: engagement of the audience. That was my first priority in the writing of Eggmania.

As an elementary teacher, I believed in hands-on, multi-dimensional lessons and activities. My big take away from those years is two-fold: children learn from purposeful play and they learn best when having fun.

With EggMania, I wanted to accomplish a similar multi-dimensional experience and to come in the back door, so to speak, with the learning. When writing, I purposefully wove into the narrative—the zany, playful quest of a young boy named Gregg Kregg—advanced vocabulary, lexical humor, rhyming, and other language development features. To further create a multi-sensory learning experience, it became clear that vibrant illustrations, sound effects, music, interactive features, and narration that executed with perfect enunciation were essential elements to include.

The importance of kids’ emotional health was also evident to me from my years as an educator. I often observed how some kids internalize their mistakes, often negatively affecting their self esteem. Yet, mistakes are human and more importantly, often a key element in learning. I felt compelled to write into the story a particular and significant life lesson: you can make mistakes and still be extraordinary.

It was my husband’s idea to incorporate fun facts in the back section of the book, “Explore the Art with Fun Facts,” where the art pages are duplicated without story text. The artwork in EggMania is stunning and we had such a response to it in our early test groups, especially from art teachers wanting to use it, that we decided to expand the book with this unique section. To add more playful learning, we created a hunt-and-find game with 171 fun facts that kids can access by tapping varying art images. For example, when you tap a particular chicken, the narrator says, “chickens have more bones in their necks than giraffes do.” Imagine that, considering the giraffe’s long neck!

The illustrator, Denise Caliva, is a fine-art artist, and her illustrations show it. I am delighted that design and art-appreciation curriculums are additional dynamic learning tools inherent in EggMania and will be in all of our ManiaTales books.

You can find more at Mania Tales. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment with your funniest story of a mispronounced word. Deadline is April 30th. One winner will receive a free code for the book on iPad.