Rosemary Wells Taps Auryn and Fourth Story Media for Groundbreaking Kids' App

LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Auryn, Inc. and Fourth Story Media have teamed up with award-winning author and illustrator Rosemary Wells (Max & Ruby, Yoko) to co-produce an original digital literacy series of educational, entertaining apps for preschool children.  The groundbreaking series called Bunny Fun features a new character in Wells' signature style and is the first original work created by a major children's book author/illustrator in the emerging world of children's apps.

The first app in the original series, Bunny Fun: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Rosemary Wells, launched today. Celebrating the classic preschool song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in four languages (English, French, Japanese, and Spanish), Wells' irresistible bunny dons a new outfit, travels to a new land, and sings the song in the selected language while the words appear on the screen. Children can listen to the song, make their own recordings, or choose to explore each part of the bunny in all four languages.

"This is an exciting partnership and groundbreaking app for us," said Umesh Shukla, Founder and CCO of Auryn. "We're working with Rosemary Wells and Fourth Story Media to move storybook apps into the future by offering an original character, sing-along, reading and movement encouragement, and a multi-cultural, bilingual experience in one ultra-educational, fun app."

The collaboration unites Rosemary Wells' unparalleled talent, Auryn's interactive animated storytelling expertise, and Fourth Story Media's experience in cross-platform publishing. The venture will produce products for mobile and tablet devices (including the iPad and iPad2) that engage children through kinesthetic learning with stories designed for reading development.  News of Wells' next app in the Bunny Fun series will be released later this year.

"Bunny Fun: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Rosemary Wells is all about the magic of a small child singing, dancing, reading and creating," says Lisa Holton, CEO of Fourth Story Media. "Tablets and smart phones allow us to use touch, sound, and movement to marry language and open-ended play.  Rosemary has translated her storytelling abilities in this new medium with her usual brilliance."

"I wanted to make an app that could not be done as a book," says Rosemary Wells. "When I saw my twin granddaughters singing 'Heads, Shoulders' in Japanese I said, 'That should be an app!' And now it is.

Wells adds, "It's my belief that as a new generation of kids accesses the world of apps, they can connect to children's literature and characters from their favorite books in ways never imagined before."

Bunny Fun: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Rosemary Wells is available in the iTunes App store (http://bit.ly/esZwBP or search for Auryn) starting today for free through Thursday. Beginning Friday the app will resume its regular $3.99 price.

About Auryn, Inc.

Uniting leading technologists, noted storytellers and exceptional animation production, Auryn produces digital storybooks and other creative apps including the popular and critically acclaimed "Teddy's Day," "Teddy's Night," "Little Mermaid" and "Auryn Ink." Auryn's proprietary technology enables the company to produce motion media in any known style including those never before seen in animation such as oil paint, pastel and watercolor. For more on Auryn, visit www.auryn.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter at: www.facebook.com/appsbyauryn and www.twitter.com/AurynApps.

About Fourth Story Media

Fourth Story Media's goal is to empower kids through the transformative experience of reading. By combining great stories and top talent with innovative digital tools, the company is igniting a new generation of digital readers. Fourth Story Media develops compelling intellectual property and distributes it across traditional and nontraditional channels including print & digital books, apps, and the web.

About Rosemary Wells

Rosemary Wells' career as an author and illustrator spans more than forty years; her 120 books have combined sales of over six million copies. Wells is a national bestseller, she has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. Nick Jr.'s preschool television program, Max & Ruby, based on Rosemary Wells' characters, is the number 1 pre-school show for children 2 to 5 years-old on Nickelodeon, and has been on the air continuously since 2002. For more about Rosemary Wells, visit www.rosemarywells.com.

Media Contact:
Crystal Patriarche, SparksPR Agency
[email protected]
480-650-1688

SOURCE Auryn, Inc.