Creature comforts: Interactive iPad novel for kids

Helsinki – Kids may be glued to their iPads, but they still want artfully illustrated stories that stir the imagination. Enter The Jörgits & the End of Winter, an interactive novel app for children written by Anders Sandell and created by toy company Tank & Bear.

The novel follows the journey of the Jörgits, a species who have left their chilly home planet for warmer climes. They head for the Hawaiian islands on Earth, but accidentally land in the freezing seas around Helsinki, Finland. The modern-day eco-parable is brought to life by interactive soundscapes and environments, including a gorgeously hued map of Helsinki.

Funded via Kickstarter , the iPad app caters for Generation I’s desire for interactive, immersive and intuitive play experiences. It doesn’t neglect colour or character, however – each Jörgit has an extended back story, as well as its own Twitter feed. The app’s collage-like illustrations give it an appealing, hand-made quality that will appeal to Rurbanite and ThirtyfiveUp parents.

For more on how to capture the imagination of digital natives, read our Generation I tribe report.