Oceanhouse Media and Random House have released the eighth book application in The Cat in the Hat?s Learning Library series to help parents and teachers educate children.

The newest book app, There?s a Map on My Lap!: All About Maps, teaches kids about maps while at the same time helping them learn to read. The app is now available in Apple?s App Store for the introductory price of $3.99.

"Each title from The Cat in the Hat?s Learning Library explores a different topic including dinosaurs, pets, marine life, and nature subjects such as trees and outer space," said Michel Kripalani, CEO/president of Oceanhouse Media, Encinitas, CA.

"Teachers can use these apps alongside a lesson plan in one of these areas of study," he said. "Parents can use these apps at home to help children learn more about their favorite animals or subjects."

All about maps
The new Cat in the Hat book app offers two different modes for interacting with the book.

The first option is to have the book read aloud to them by a professional narrator. As each word is read, it is highlighted in red to help the child follow along.

Kids can also choose to read it on their own with the option of getting help along the way. For example, if they stumble on a specific word, they can click on it, and the word will be read aloud.

Whether the child reads the book or listens to the book, the experience is interactive, with moving images and background music and sounds. Users can interact with the animated objects on each page.

They can also click on certain words to see an expanded definition.

While the children are enjoying the reading experience, they will also be introduced to new information about maps, the various formats such as flat, globe, atlas and puzzle as well as tools to read them such as symbols, scales, grids and compasses.

A new feature in There?s a Map on My Lap lets users record themselves reading the book. Children can then choose to use that recording instead of the professional narrator?s version.

Users can also share their own voice track with others that own the app.

Additionally, there is a page selector to help users find specific pages.

Mobile education
A number of companies have been experimenting with mobile to further educational efforts.

For example, Hasbro?s PlayDate Digital launched a Play-Doh educational app to help teach children pre-reading skills in a fun way (see story).

According to a study by Interactive Educational Systems Design, Inc. and STEM Market Impact, LLC, mobile technology is increasingly playing a large role in K-12 education (see story).

The medium allows education to happen in an almost invisible way through fun and interactive apps.

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York