JUST THE FACTS Kids (cartoon ebooks)

One of the primary ways kids learn is through example, and what is more attractive to a young person then a cartoon? A story that is paneled and illustrated is an immediate way for little people to access information as they are pulled in through colorful characters, the obvious interchange of dialogue and simple plot techniques to keep them engaged. Through the innovative and economical technology of ebooks, children are now able to have access to children’s ebooks that are not only fun to read, but can be educational too.

Professor Beetoven is not only a knowledgeable cartoon bee who “knows everything”, but a friendly, unassuming and humble bee as well. When it comes to both being entertained and learning about the world through ebooks, children respond positively to Professor Beetoven, who is a cartoon character with a straightforward, friendly manner. In “Professor Beetoven’s First Adventure: The Pacific Ocean”, he joins the loveable comic character, Barnacle Bill, in communicating several key and basic facts throughout the plotline of the story. A lot is communicated in a fun context.

What has been acquired is summed up easily so at the end of the ebook, children are able to process all the information that has been communicated in the storyline. “Professor Beetoven’s Magic Book of Knowledge” contains an outline of everything that the learned Bee and his friends have discovered in the course of their sea adventure. It contains just the facts, each one stated simply and objectively, that have already been conveyed, from data about the length, width and depth of the ocean to information about the International Date Line and the various explorers that have mapped the sea. This is a powerful way of driving home the educational value of the cartoon, and reinforcing what has been learned.

Eric Simpson