It’s been a big week here in Magic Town. First we won a Parents’ Choice Silver Award. And now, comes news that Magic Town is a Silver Winner from the National Parenting Publications Awards.
Two hundred years ago Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm published “Children’s and Household Tales.” Now called Grimms’ Fairy Tales, the stories have stood the test of time. In Magic Town, we have our very own version of the Grimm classic, “Rumplestiltskin.” So to celebrate this 200th anniversary, we have a post from James Peak, our Publishing Director. James runs the editorial team for Magic Town. James writes:
Turning Grimm Tales into animated, interactive Livebooks for Magic Town was a privilege. There is a reason that these stories have lasted through countless generations of oral storytelling and the 200-odd years since Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrote them down. The stories are totally absorbing, and feature strong, believable characters. This may be a strange thing to say about stories featuring ogres, witches, enchanters and talking animals. But there is a kernel of wisdom in every Grimm Tale. So it is important that the old folk wisdom in these stories is kept alive for our children.
Jacob Grimm explained that many of the tales contain “fragments of belief dating back to the most ancient times” (Grimm: Complete Fairy Tales, by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group). This richness and depth meant that we could make very modern interpretations of these tales without losing their meaning. The stories give both children and adults plenty to think about: Was it wrong for Gretel to push the witch into the fire? Where does Rumplestiltskin disappear to?
While creating Magic Town, we were surprised to discover so many fantastic Grimm Tales that are not widely-known classics. We found a story called ‘Old Rink-Rank’, which we turned into a Livebook called ‘The Glass Mountain.” It’s about a princess who gets fed up waiting for her handsome prince, and instead decides to rescue herself. Can you think of a story more in tune with today?
So it is really exciting to be able to give the Grimm Tales a new lease on life in Magic Town. Our children may no longer gather around the village fire to listen to their elders tell stories. But today, the iPad and Internet can keep these amazing stories alive!
Stay tuned for “Hansel and Gretel,” coming soon to Magic Town.
We’re very excited to announce that Magic Town has won a Parents’ Choice Silver Award! Here’s an excerpt from the review:
In our review of the website, we were charmed and intrigued by the illustration style, the navigation design, the intelligent interactivity, the narration, and the ability to customize each child’s visits. Putting the child in control of which stories to read and activities to explore is a very compelling feature. It encourages young learners to sculpt their experience, broaden their learning opportunities, and get a real sense of the magic that reading has to offer. What does the character do when not in the story? What games does he like to play? What colors does he like? These are just some of the questions children are invited to answer.
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