Silver Dolphins Books Launches LITE Version of "The Trip -- Little Critter Reading Adventure" App on iTunes

SAN DIEGO, April 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Silver Dolphin Books has launched on iTunes a LITE version of its critically-acclaimed app The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure, now providing consumers the opportunity to download a free, trial version of the title across the iOS, Android, Nook and Kindle platforms. The debut of the LITE version coincides with the Company's decision to offer consumers the opportunity to download The Trip – Little Critter GamePak – an extension to the Reading Adventure – for FREE on Sunday, April 21, 2013, to celebrate National Kindergarten Day, and the birthday of Friedrich Froebel, the world-renowned educator who established the first kindergarten in 1837.

"The iTunes store has now joined Google Play, Amazon and Barnes & Noble in offering consumers the valuable option to download the free, LITE version of The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure app, based on the works of beloved author and illustrator Mercer Mayer," said Jon I. Rosenberg, VP and Publisher of Silver Dolphin Books. "The incredibly positive feedback that we continue to receive from respected media outlets such as Parenting.com and children's educational app review sites are a testament to Mercer Mayer and the popularity of his Little Critter character, and the development and production of the apps by producer and developer, Appy award-winner John Sansevere."

"Following in the footsteps of educator and author Friedrich Froebel, who believed that the primary focus for teaching young children should be through play, 'Play to Learn' is the ethos of Silver Dolphin's new The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure and GamePak apps," added John R. Sansevere. "The two new apps are designed for fun and imaginative play, while fostering critical-thinking skills, visual literacy, alphabet recognition, pattern building, shape matching, logic, sequencing and number fluency.

Silver Dolphin Books invites consumers to enjoy over 50 engaging and educational activities featured in The Trip – Little Critter GamePak for FREE on National Kindergarten Day, the anniversary of Froebel's birth on Sunday, April 21 to honor and recognize his work as a true pioneer in early childhood education.

The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure app, based on Mercer Mayer's classic book: Little Critter's The Trip, and which features his incredible original artwork, continues to receive top reviews from respected media sites. Most recently, The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure was selected by Parenting.com's respected tech blogger Jeana Lee Tahnk as "App of the Week" in her SCREENplay blog.

Over the past few weeks, Silver Dolphin's first two fun-filled interactive apps for young children The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure and The Trip – Little Critter GamePak have received top accolades from respected children's educational app review sites, with FunEducationalApps.com naming both apps as a "Top Pick." 

Additional accolades for The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure include its selection, upon release, as one of the "30 Best iPhone and iPad Apps This Week" by TheGuardian.co.uk; BestAppsForKids.com awarded it a "Five Gold Star Review"; AppMyWorld.com, an aggregator of professional app review scores from around the web, listed it as a "Top 5 iPhone and iPad App of the week (4/11/13)," ranking it in the #2 position with an aggregate AppScore of 92 out of 100; DigitalStorytime.com declared: "The educational (and wholesome) focus makes it a reassuring choice for many parents"; BestAppsForKids.org wrote that the app is "…a fun-filled educational experience in letters, numbers, shapes, colors, map reading and more"; and iMums.com wrote: "The reading adventure is a really fun version with lots of additional dialog, animations, interactivity and learning games." 

The Trip – Little Critter GamePak was also selected by FunEducationalApps.com as one of"15 Highly Recommended Apps Designed to Enhance and Improve Communication and Social Interaction." And Kindertown.com stated: "Free play sticker areas are very well designed with a blend of discovery as the stickers you choose come to life in different areas of each scene… Overall a fun app filled with a variety of learning games."

In addition, there is still an opportunity to win FREE books and apps, including The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure and GamePak apps in Silver Dolphin Books' Year of Fun contest, which is ongoing until April 28! 

The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure invites children to travel along with Little Critter and his family on an action-packed road trip. Kids can help Little Critter choose the route the family will take to explore the countryside, the city, the beach and more; fix the car when it breaks down; move a horse stuck in the middle of the road; feed the seagulls; and even find time to grab a hot dog. All this while playing lots of games with Little Sister along the way to pass the time!   

Recommended for ages three to seven, the app emphasizes basic pre-school and early elementary curriculum and incorporates an inventory collection and selection feature designed to build critical problem-solving skills; alphabet flashcards hidden on every screen teach and reinforce letter recognition; and successful completion of six puzzles — including sequence and matching games — unlock six collectible gems used to play an arcade-style game. Other features include text highlighting, visual interactive item clues and professional audio narration and dramatization, all of which helps to keep non-readers engaged with the story. 

Available as an extension to the Reading Adventure app is The Trip – Little Critter GamePak that includes over 50 fun and engaging activities featuring Little Critter, and introduces the Company's new Digistix™ —interactive, animated stickers with fun sound effects. Divided into two sections, the GamePak includes five game themes including Dot-to-Dot, Mazes, Matching Pictures and Words and How Many? In the Digistix section, over 175 digital stickers are available across the five game themes, inspiring the imagination and fostering creativity. In two special beach and camp activities, Digistix stickers that are tapped, dragged and dropped into the scenes react differently depending on where they are placed, enabling kids to create a new adventure every time.  

Pricing and Availability:
The Trip – Little Critter Reading Adventure 1.0.1 and The Trip – Little Critter GamePak 1.0.0 are both priced at $3.99 USD (or equivalent in other currencies) and are available worldwide through the iTunes store in the Books category. They are also available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Google Play.

About Silver Dolphin Books
Silver Dolphin Books, an imprint of Baker & Taylor Publishing Group, publishes activity, novelty, and educational nonfiction books for preschoolers to 12-year-olds. Silver Dolphin Books has acquired non-exclusive app publishing rights for iconic children's brands Little Critter and Richard Scarry's Busytown. The company plans to release a total of six new innovative apps this year for Little Critter, Richard Scarry and an all-new IP, Astro B-1.

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®Mercer Mayer's Little Critter and Mercer Mayer's Little Critter logo are registered trademarks of Orchard House Licensing Company

Digistix is a trademark of Dancing Penguins LLC.

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SOURCE Silver Dolphin Books