Montclair dad Joel Carino wanted to write a children’s book, but he had an even better idea. He thought he’d create an iPad/iPhone app for that.
A longtime education writer and editor, Joel always thought that the iPad could offer a great non-traditional way of publishing. So he decided to write, illustrate and code his idea digitally. His son, 4-year-old Harry, inspired the story; Joel drew the pictures; the two of them narrated the project; and he wrote the code himself (with the help of a template).
His application, My Daddy eBook, was born. It’s available on iTunes for 99 cents and was recently featured as “New and Noteworthy.” Parents can read the book themselves or click to have Joel and Harry read it.
“So far, it has sold in 12 different countries, which I find amazing,” Joel says. “In the past, it would have been very difficult and expensive to reach an audience like that.”
Joel has lived in Montclair for three years with his wife, Emily, daughter Lilly and, of course, Harry. When not creating eBooks, the family–especially Harry–like to play Angry Birds.
There is something so great about reading real books with my son, but it would be handy to have something on my ipad for when we are out and about and I’ve forgotten the books in the car or at home.
Love the style of illustration – very cute. Will get for our iPad as it will be useful for traveling. I somehow feel better about letting my kids read e-books rather than play computer games.