Green Eggs and URLs: Some Children’s Author Sites Have Character
Which children’s book sites are the hit of the virtual playground, and which need a time out? A quick look at the sites featuring the works of three beloved children’s characters – all magical in their own way – found interactivity, and a bit of monkey business.
Note that I studiously avoided author sites or sites tieing into movies, television shows or other media featuring these characters. These pages are what the publishers of the original source material are offering up online.
Random House’s Dr. Seuss site (http://www.seussville.com) is for the most part devoted to “The Cat in the Hat” and the 50th anniversary celebrations for that book. As happy music plays in the background, visitors can color and send a birthday greeting to the Cat, or play a number of other games, such as Sam-I-Am Says, One Fish, Two Fish Concentration or Fox in Sox Matching.
The site also features information about the National Read Aloud America events on March 2, and Project 236, a national literacy project. (Theodor Geisel only used 236 words when he wrote “The Cat in the Hat.”)
A bit less interactive was Houghton Mifflin’s Curious George page (http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/cgsite/). The site was yellow and friendly, befitting the happy little monkey, but….curiously static. There was lots to do—coloring pages, mazes, all the trappings for a Curious George themed party–but most of it was in the form of pdfs parents could download and print.
Finally, we have a site for a character you probably haven’t heard much about. It’s a shame there hasn’t been more hoopla surrounding this series, as it is quite charming. I’m referring to Harry Potter (http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter).
I’m sure I’ll be one of the few at the bookstore July 21 when the next installment comes out—I mean, its not like anyone is preordering this in record numbers on Amazon or anything.
But if you are one of the few familiar with the young wizard, the site is worth checking out. Geared toward a preteen audience, there are message boards (or rather “Discussion Chambers), a glossary of magical terms and pronunciations, and other fun stuff, such as a video of author J.K. Rowling reading. Maybe someone will post it on YouTube and get her a little publicity or something.
