"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore"

 I bet you have heard the modern day saying "There's an app for that."  Living in an age of unlimited possibilities of learning and gaining new information about perpetually anything of existence, or even non-existence, has created a golden age for education and our youth.  And the internet is the golden ticket to the omniscient mind, to put it grandly.  "Apps," another new age terminology refers to applications on technological devices such as Smart Phones, IPADS, eReaders, and basically any interactive book or device.  Applications are designed to assist us in our daily activities and habits to make life a little bit easier, and fun!  The potential here is how it enhances learning.  An app I recently discovered for the IPAD is a Pixar Co. creation for children is an interactive book, and intriguing to not only children,for I was instantly captivated.  But this  video will show you the story "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" better than I could describe it.

Prepare yourself!

Imagine having a book as innovative and engaging as this bedtime tale.  Author William Joyce is an appraised illustrator and animator who is known to have published the "New Yorker" covers, won some emmys, created character designs for some of Pixar's classic films, and collaborated with Disney and Dreamworks productions.  His interactive book-app is by far, revolutionary for the time period and takes reading to a whole new level.  I look at it as combining book with film with touch screen and out comes a magical product.  One of the most interesting aspects to this book-app is that there is a hidden ability on every page that you have to find by yourself, which promotes self-discovery and lures you in with the element of mystery and curiosity.

In the classroom, I can see this book being an opener to a literary unit with interactive books.  It has the potential to be a highly effective anticipatory set component that will make your kids squiggle and wiggle to read and learn more.  A next-step idea to this introduction could be something of group collaboration in children creating their own stories in the form of an interactive e-book.  And yes, there is an app for that too.  They can use a prompt of writing similar to this story's theme and plot line.  Pivotally, it gets children stoked about reading and teaches vocabulary content and visuals we create in our minds when reading a book.

Dive in, open your minds as a teacher, so our students can have the same open vaulted mind full of wonder and creativity where learning has room to flow.