Midlandia Press Goes Digital With Release of First iPad App

BEAVER, Pa., Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Midlandia Press, a growing publishing company specializing in juvenile fiction, announced Tuesday the release of its first storybook app for the iPad.

"Midlandia Press is thrilled to announce the release of our first app. While we firmly believe that the print market for children's books has a strong future, we are excited about exploring the new options available for interactive stories on devices like the iPad," said Midlandia Press managing editor, Kellie Hamilton. "Our primary goal is to get children excited about reading and we hope to do so by offering creative and innovative products in both markets that have high standards of quality for the stories and the illustrations."

The Pirate Koostoe app for the iPad is a digital storybook featuring custom music, audio and special effects designed to give children a reading experience they will want to relive again and again. Designed by a team of writers, artists and developers with a background in children's education, The Pirate Koostoe for iPad app combines rich, detailed illustrations, thoughtful storytelling and immersive activity to engage readers of all ages.

Click here to watch the trailer for The Pirate Koostoe app

"At Midlandia Press, we're not just looking to entertain our young readers. We want to educate and engage—and this app allows us to do just that," said Hamilton. "To help develop early reading skills, each word of the story in The Pirate Koostoe app is highlighted as it is read. The digital storybook can be enjoyed three ways—read-to-me, read-to-myself, and auto-play, making it ideal for all reading levels. Additionally, the app features interactive touch-and teach elements and end-of-story discussion questions that encourage the reader to reflect on the story and its lesson."

Other features of the app include:
-Animation and highlighted interactive touch elements
-Pan and zoom effects on the page to guide the eye and accentuate the story
-Story narration by the author
-Nearly a dozen original music themes

The Pirate Koostoe is part of the "Tales of Midlandia" children's book series, a wonderful collection of humorous, enriching and thought-provoking stories available through Midlandia Press. Each story features gorgeous, colorful artwork and deals with universal concepts and social situations that are relatable to any young child. The first five books in the "Tales of Midlandia" Series, including The Pirate Koostoe, will be available in bookstores beginning January 31, 2012.

Now on sale in the Apple App Store, The Pirate Koostoe for the iPad is available for the next two weeks at the introductory price of $.99. Afterwards, it will be available for $2.99.

Josh Perry, director of app development for Midlandia Press, said the company is currently adapting other stories in the "Tales of Midlandia" series for the iPad and hopes to release more offerings from the series in the coming months. "With 'Tales of Midlandia' on the iPad, we can offer an extra dimension of liveliness to the series, while still staying true to its storybook roots. The sights, sounds, and interactive elements of the apps allow parents and children to experience 'Tales of Midlandia' in a more direct and personal manner, while facilitating teachable moments in the stories with much more immediacy."

Visit us online at www.midlandiapress.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MidlandiaPress
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MidlandiaPress
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/MidlandiaPress

For more information and official photos and screen shots, please contact Toni Craig, Press & Publicity, at [email protected]  // 724-544-3744.

Embedded Links:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id486980788?mt=8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqmmpnmu0EI

About Midlandia Press:  Founded in 2011, Midlandia Press is a publishing company specializing in juvenile fiction. In November 2011, the company released its first book, middle grade fiction novel Latasha and the Little Red Tornado, written by author Michael Scotto, to extraordinary reviews. On January 31, 2012 Midlandia Press will release "Tales of Midlandia," a collection of five storybooks for children. Scotto's second novel, Postcards from Pismo, will be released in May 2012. Midlandia Press is a proud partner of the Lincoln Interactive online curriculum, which currently features the Midlandia Press line of books as part of their elementary curriculum's supplemental reading list. Midlandia Press is based in Beaver, Pennsylvania.

SOURCE Midlandia Press