Read and create storybooks on the Internet<\/p>\n
By Hanny Agustine<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Reading is very important not only for adults,
\nbut also for children. Through reading, children learn people's
\ncharacters, broaden their imagination, stimulate their creativity
\nand expand their vocabulary. Many books, from traditional
\nIndonesian legends like Sangkuriang and Jaka Tingkir to Snow
\nWhite and Beauty and The Beast of the West, are our children's
\ncompanions every night before falling asleep.<\/p>\n
Now, the importance of reading is magnified through the
\npresence of the Internet, which has thousands of stories ready to
\nread and be bought on the Web.<\/p>\n
Local stories are, unfortunately, not available on the
\nInternet but many other children stories can be found there. In
\nDisney's Amazing Site --
\nhttp:\/\/www.disney.com\/DisneyBooks\/Readastory\/index.html -- you
\nwill find plenty of famous everlasting stories to buy beautifully
\ndesigned and illustrated.<\/p>\n
Books can be selected according to particular ages. There are
\ninteractive books for children under 4, with cute cards that can
\nbe pushed and pulled and adorable pocket books or fun-to-carry
\nbooks in the shape of a key chain. Before you place an order, you
\ncan click the demo button to see the book. If you like it, you
\ncan buy the book by clicking an order at Barnes and Noble.com
\navailable on the same web page.<\/p>\n
If you look for famous Disney stories such as Snow White,
\nAladdin, Lion King, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, Mickey Mouse or
\n101 Dalmatians, go to the For Kids section and find Disney
\nTrivia2 in the Fun Activities section. Test your memory with the
\nHow Disney literate are you? game. Here, Disney trivia experts
\noffers 999 questions to test your Disney knowledge and delight
\nyou with new information; if you choose Snow White, you will be
\nasked: Who is the only dwarf with blue eyes ?<\/p>\n
Another site to investigate is Cyberkids --
\nhttp:\/\/www.cyberkids.com\/ -- that claims to be a site for
\ncreative children. As you see the picture of a futuristic vehicle
\nin the purple Modern City, you will smell the futuristic elements
\nof this site. In the Reading Room section, you can choose from
\nPoem, Book and Novel, and Kidzeen.<\/p>\n
In Book and Novel, all the books are sorted based on titles
\nand authors. Choose a title and every chapter will be shown on
\nscreen, complete with beautiful color pictures. Unlike in Disney,
\nhere you get longer pages. You can move to another chapter merely
\nby clicking the chapter number. In Poem, you can read poetry
\nwritten by children aged between 8 and 12, and in Kidzeen, there
\nare announcements for international contests for art, writing or
\nmultimedia for cyberkids or cyberteenagers, sponsored by Compaq.<\/p>\n
If you are bored with children's static storybooks, you will
\nget a nice surprise in the Theater section of this site, which
\nprovides animated and lively storybooks. In this section, you can
\nwatch the stories like a film. There is a beautiful short story
\nby Wulia Beakoi, a nine year-old-girl, titled My Computerized
\nHouse. You will see a colorful house with smoke coming from its
\nchimney and bubble lights; Wulia is standing inside reading "I
\nlive in a computerized house. When I come home from school I
\npress a button on my watch and the front door opens. When I put
\nmy books on the table in the living room, the table goes into my
\nroom and puts my books on my bed. When I want the TV on I just
\npress a button on the chair. The TV comes on just to the right
\nchannel ..." Each sentence is visualized with Wulia's hand
\ndrawing pictures that you can maximize if you want to see more
\ndetail. The story is complete with the author's background, which
\ntells us that she has four brothers, she likes math and wants to
\nbe a teacher when she grows up.<\/p>\n
Do you want to make a new, lively version of a single picture
\ninto a film? Keep going by following the instruction. Choose: Get
\nshocked! I am ready to play!<\/p>\n
To play, your computer must be equipped with Netscape
\nNavigator 2.0, Macromedia Shockwave for Director and Macintosh or
\nMicrosoft Windows 3.1 or Windows 95. If your computer does not
\nhave these, don't worry, you can download them by following the
\ninstructions. Once you are ready, you will be surprised to see
\nWulia's hand drawing, moving like a real film.<\/p>\n
Creation<\/p>\n
If you want to give your children another surprise, create
\nyour own storybooks. Imagine how happy they would be to become
\nthe star of their very own personalized storybook. Visit the My
\nBook site -- http:\/\/members.aol.com\/mybook629\/cateng.htm -- to
\nmake your creation. Each book is lavishly illustrated in color
\nand contains an imaginative 24-page story. What a great way to
\nmake reading fun. You can put your child's name on every page and
\neven mention three of his or her best friends and hometown in the
\ntext.<\/p>\n
The book is offered in long-lasting hardcover that is also
\nwashable. A standard book costs US$9.95, plus shipping charges to
\nIndonesia at $8.95.<\/p>\n
Titles available include Beauty and the Beast, Baby Jesus,
\nDinosaur Land and Teddy Bear Land.<\/p>\n
On the order form, you will be asked to fill in your child's
\nnickname, age, sex and the names of three friends or relatives,
\nwhich will then be printed throughout the book.<\/p>\n
Another attractive site available to create your own storybook
\nis the Billy Bear Playground http:\/\/www.billybear4kids.com\/ site.
\nIn the Read a Story section, you can learn to make your own
\nstorybook with: How to create your own storybooks. In this part,
\nStoryMaker+ software will help you to create your own colorful
\ndrawings and text. It is a wonderful program and user-friendly.
\nIt has Scenery Editor, Shape Editor and Book Editor, where your
\nchild can set the scene of the story page. You can draw trees,
\ngrass, the sky or anything you want before writing the text. You
\ncan also add sound, music (including MIDI music) and even your
\nvoice to your animated storybook. The voices are created with a
\nprogram called Goldwave. If your computer has not been installed
\nwith the software, this site will let you download it.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/read-and-create-storybooks-on-the-internet-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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