Look!
In your lap! Is it an ebook? Is it a talking book? Is it a movie? No,
it really isn’t any of those. You poke it! You shake it! You tilt it!
What could this be? Ohhhhh, you say, this is a BOOK APP!
Book
apps are stand-alone applications on a touchscreen device like the iPad
that combine features of books, audiobooks, ebooks, animation and video
creating a unique experience for readers of all ages. Book apps have
been developed for the youngest children – transposing Sandra Boynton’s
classic board books into a book app; but they have also been developed
for advanced YA readers, integrating text, video and images into an
interactive experience.
The
best book apps engage readers as they enter a story world or explore a
nonfiction topic. The reader plays an active part in the experience,
turning pages, triggering animation, tapping characters, solving
puzzles. The interactive features must build on the overall reading
experience and not distract readers from the main flow. Each element of
the app must draw the reader into the story world or nonfiction topic.
Once
again, we will be evaluating book apps on iPads from the iTunes App
Store, so all nominations must be available for the iPad, even if they
are also available on other platforms. This is because we cannot ask
judges to have access to a multitude of devices, and the iPad is still
the most prevalent device. Please note that iBooks at
this time are not considered Book Apps. While this may change going
forward, we are striving to keep the category divisions clear.
As with all Cybils nominations, the book apps must be published between October 16, 2012 and October 15, 2013. That means, the app must be originally released on or after October 16, 2012 -
we aren’t looking at when updates occurred, only the original release.
If you aren’t sure of the initial release date, you can check http://appshopper.com.
-MaryAnn