Disney Teams Up With Scholastic

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

I love headlines like this. Scholastic books are a very firm part of my daughter's childhood, as they were a part of mine. Scholastic is one of the major contributors to school book fairs and more. Disney, of course, is Disney. So what are they teaming up on?

E Books

Book-Flix, yes it sounds like Netflix and that's the idea. It's an educational website that will pair non-fiction e-books with short films that are based on popular picture books. You will be able to go to People and Places and you'll find offerings on Abraham Lincoln. There is an animated storybook called Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln by Jean Fritz. It is paired with Will Mara's Abraham Lincoln. Kids will be able to turn pages by clicking the mouse on the right or left hand side.

Features Include:

o 80 fiction and nonfiction pairs, each featuring an animated fictional video storybook and an online nonfiction book o Spanish language versions of 20 pairs o Read-Along options for both fiction and nonfiction o Interactive educational games o Definitions and text-to-speech support o Author biographies and selected interviews o Safe, age-appropriate Web links

So what does this have to do with Disney? Apparently, they are on the same page so to speak. They are going to make many of their popular titles available online. Scholastic is focusing on the literary, school and library market - Disney will target consumers. They've already done a good job of penetrating the online market with their television and feature film offerings on iTunes.

E-books may appeal to children more because many kids are more computer savvy these days. E-books targeting younger readers have been on the rise, but they are only a small fraction of the overall market.

Many parents (myself included) still prefer traditional books - with the texture of the covers and the physical act of turning the pages. But if Scholastic and Disney are successful, they will be offering children and their parents, a new medium to enjoy the written word in.

In my world, that can't be a bad thing, but we'll have to see how it goes after it launches. Would you be interested in e-books for your kids whether they are from Scholastic or Disney?

Related Articles:

Books for Beginning School

Marvelous News for Disney?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger