NEW YORK, NY — August 1, 2011 — New e-reading technology being made available by the California State Library gives young children an exciting new way to experience books and learn to love reading. Library patrons across the state now have free access – at home or at their local libraries – to BookFlix, an online e-reading program from Scholastic that combines classic fictional video storybooks with similarly themed nonfiction ebooks to make reading exciting for children in grades Pre-K-3.

Available at http://bookflix.scholastic.com or through library websites across the state, BookFlix pairs award-winning video based on some of the best-selling children’s picture books of all time produced by Weston Woods with related nonfiction ebooks from the rich libraries of Scholastic. Children will delight in watching their favorite books come to life on screen, then turning the electronic pages of an ebook to discover real-world facts and satisfy their curiosity about the world around them. BookFlix will be available through public libraries across the state.

Developed for use in the classroom, school library or public library, Scholastic BookFlix offers 95 fiction-nonfiction pairs, of which 25+ are available in Spanish. Pairings include: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type with Let’s Visit a Dairy Farm; The Snowy Day with Snowy Weather Days; and Happy Birthday Moon with The Moon. With additional pairings set for release in the future, BookFlix will continue to provide fresh content to early readers.

"BookFlix connects the library to the home," said Hugh Roome, President of Scholastic Library Publishing. "In adopting BookFlix, California is making cutting-edge e-reading technology available to families anywhere they have an Internet connection, and providing a tool that introduces young readers to classic books and stories in new, 21st Century formats."

"The State Library is excited to support access to BookFlix, which is a great tool for learning and growing reading skills," said Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian for California.

Designed to provide a constant interactive experience for young users, the unique features of BookFlix include:

• A "read-along" option that provides word-by-word highlighting so children can follow along as the fiction video is narrated and the nonfiction ebook is read aloud.
• Narrated text and definitions of key vocabulary words to support beginning and reluctant readers, as well as English Language Learners;
• Educational games and activities that encourage children to show what they have learned and to reinforce early reading skills like fluency, vocabulary development and reading comprehension;
• Biographies and interviews that introduce young readers to their favorite authors; and
• Safe, age-appropriate web links to encourage children to further explore topics that pique their interest.

This service is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

For more information about Scholastic, visit our media room http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

Contact:

Katrina Picon
Scholastic
212.343.6635
kpicon@scholastic.com

Stacey Aldrich
California State Library
916.654.0188
saldrich@library.ca.gov