Timbuktu: First iPad Magazine for Kids

An Italian publisher has introduced what it’s calling the first iPad magazine for kids: Timbuktu.

The publisher believes that kids want to read the news, especially when it’s presented as entertainment. A glance at the first issue, available now free via iTunes [iTunes link], shows that the magazine combines bold, colorful graphics (see gallery below) with simple language. For instance, a piece on India’s Census notes that “some people live in big beautiful palaces. Once upon a time, the grandmas and grandpas of the people who live there now were kings and queens.” Another article, “Into the Wild: Conversations with Odd Animals Living in Extremely Cold Environments,” also exploits the iPad’s ability to play sound.

The navigation of the magazine is also interesting: Instead of flipping pages from left to right as you would with a print magazine, you navigate down when a new section starts. One qualm: There’s no way to get back to the table of contents easily from any given page. Instead, you have to flip back pages to get there.

Of course, Timbuktu isn’t the first app aimed at kids. Several children’s books have been adapted for the format, including a few Dr. Seuss titles.

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Source: http://mashable.com

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