NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that produces Sesame Street, and Impelsys today announced the launch of the Sesame Street Elmo Story Collection App for iPad. The newly released app includes six popular Elmo titles, including three audio ebooks, two of which are exclusive to the app.
The Elmo Story Collection consists of the following titles:
- Tickle Me, My Name Is Elmo (audio ebook)
- Elmo and His Friends (audio ebook) - exclusive
- Monsters Can Share (audio ebook) - exclusive
- Elmo's ABC Book
- Counting with Elmo
- Mommy Loves Elmo
The Elmo Story Collection App also includes a number of features that make reading fun and support beginning reader skills. The app includes text highlighting, which visually reinforces the narration in the audio ebooks. The auto play feature automatically turns book pages for young readers so they can more easily follow along. In addition, each title includes book-specific helpful reading tips, which help extend the learning with fun activities and critical thinking skill building.
The new Elmo Story Collection app for the iPad is an extension of the Sesame Street eBookstore, a website and app offering unlimited access to a library of more than 160 Sesame Street ebooks with the purchase of a monthly or yearly subscription. The Elmo Story Collection app features four titles from the Sesame Street eBookstore along with two brand-new exclusive titles. The Elmo Story Collection does not require a Sesame Street eBookstore subscription and once downloaded is accessible without an Internet connection.
"Reading on tablets has opened up exciting new ways for preschoolers and their parents to learn and enjoy reading together," said Jennifer A. Perry, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing for Sesame Workshop. "This new and exclusive collection of Elmo ebooks offers digital-savvy families an easy way to encourage early literacy anywhere and at any time."
The Sesame Street eBookstore is powered by iPublishCentral, an award-winning digital publishing platform developed by Impelsys, a fast-growing company that enables book publishers to deliver their content online with a cost-effective turnkey solution.
"Sesame Workshop has now partnered with us to convert hundreds of published Sesame Street books into ebooks, delivering a whole new reading experience to their customers who can access those eBooks from any location and at any time," said Sameer Shariff, founder and CEO of Impelsys. "The launch of this Elmo Story Collection for iPad is further illustration that iPad apps are a crucial way of distributing valuable digital content to readers on the devices they love to use every day."
The Elmo Story Collection App is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the non-profit educational organization that revolutionized children's television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
About Impelsys
Impelsys, a leader in providing electronic content delivery solutions to the global publishing market, helps its clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace. Impelsys-powered technologies such as iPublishCentral™ (www.iPublishCentral.com) help publishers increase their revenues by delivering content online quickly and cost effectively. Impelsys' passion for client success has helped it build long-term partnerships with its customers becoming critical in the client's electronic delivery strategy. Leading clients include McGraw-Hill, Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer, Benchmark Education, Marshall Cavendish and Houghton Mifflin. Headquartered in New York, Impelsys operates across North America, Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.impelsys.com.