A while back, I was contacted by a company that makes iPad apps to teach kids to read and also teaches them about science. They were interested in doing a picture book about the solar system and wanted me to write the minimal text. I agreed and we wrangled with conveying some key information about the solar system using only a few hundred words. It’s surprisingly hard, but I think we managed to do pretty well.

After a long wait while the programmers put together the app itself, the Booksy learn-to-read app was released recently, and my solar system book is one of the first titles that goes with the app. I don’t have an iPad or Pod, so I haven’t tried it, but as I understand it, kids can tap on each word and it will be read aloud, and there are ways to keep track of what your kid has been reading, what words they struggle with, etc. If you’re interested, I think the way it works is you download the app, and then you can choose which books to download for $0.99 apiece. (Full disclosure: I get about 11 cents per sale)

Check it out, and I hope you and your kids like it! I’m starting work on a new picture book for the same “My First Science” series about space exploration, so stay tuned!