Pat the Bunny is now available as an app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS RELEASES INTERACTIVE CHILDREN’S APP BASED ON CLASSIC BESTSELLER PAT THE BUNNY

 

One of the Most Beloved Children’s Books of All Time, Now Available as an App in the iTunes® Store

Random House Children’s Books (www.randomhouse.com/kids), announced today that the Pat the bunny (www.rhkidsapps.com/patthebunny) interactive app is now available in the iTunes® store. Developed in collaboration with leading digital media agency Smashing Ideas, the universal app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch is based on Dorothy Kunhardt’s touch-and-feel children’s book classic. When Pat the bunny was originally published in 1940, it was groundbreaking in its use of touch-and-feel elements (such as daddy’s scratchy face) and interactive features (“Now YOU play peek-a-boo with Paul.”) The app extends the legacy of Pat the bunny to the digital world, promoting children’s mastery of their world through simple, interactive play.

Designed for the youngest user, children can easily bring bunny to life and interact in new ways. They can pop bubbles with bunny, help bunny catch butterflies, tuck bunny into bed, and more. On devices with front-facing cameras, including the new iPad 2, children will be delighted by a “look in the mirror” feature that allows them to see their reflection. With 14 stunningly animated scenes in all, there are plenty of surprises to see and discover. There are three different ways to read through the app: users can watch illuminated text while hearing the words read aloud, turn off the narration and read at their own pace, or record their own voice to be played back.

The pat the bunny app promotes the development of fine motor skills with a paint mode that magically transforms each page into a colorable activity. This paint feature is made for the youngest users as children can simply swipe a black-and-white scene to make the colors appear. Children will delight in dragging their fingers across an image of bunny’s birthday party and watching the picture come to life in vibrant colors. Sparkles jump across the page as little fingers brush yellow and pink onto the flowers in bunny’s garden.

With a click of the “Buy App” arrow in the iTunes® App Store, the pat the bunny app makes the perfect gift for new parents. The app retails for $4.99, but will be available at the special introductory price of $2.99. It can be purchased once and used on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

Pat the bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt has sold more than 9 million copies since its original publication in 1940. It was first created as a gift from Dorothy Kunhardt to her daughter, Edith. Since then, Edith Kunhardt has expanded the pat the bunny series to include many successful titles including Pat the Cat and Pat the Christmas Bunny. With the release of the app, the iconic characters and stories of pat the bunny are sure to entertain children for generations to come.

Also available from Random House Children’s Books is How Rocket Learned to Read for iPad created in partnership with Domani Studios, and Wild About Books for iPad, developed in partnership with Smashing Ideas.

Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, ebooks, and apps, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. The company’s website, Kids @ Random (www.randomhouse.com/kids) offers an array of activities, games, and resources for children, teens, parents, and educators. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company.

Smashing Ideas, founded in 1996, has become one of the leading digital media agencies for the youth market by creating immersive, interactive content that transforms consumer-driven brand experiences in a digital world. Cartoon Network, Disney, GE, Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Verizon Wireless, and more have called upon the company to develop engaging, online, ITV, and mobile experiences for their audiences. Smashing Ideas is based in Seattle, with offices in Portland and in the U.K.