Moving Picture Books Review *Giveaway Closed*

I came across Moving Picture Books completely by accident. I found out about them through a blogger forum and was intrigued with the concept of a story being shown on DVD, so I headed to their website. As I browsed and watched sample videos, I found myself getting more and more excited about their DVDs (they also have single story downloads available). I knew it would be something my daughter would enjoy - and I loved the idea of giving her something fun and educational as a television option. I mean, if my toddler must be watching TV (yes, she must), then it may as well be something like this!

I decided to contact them about doing a review and giveaway and when they responded enthusiastically, I was beyond thrilled!
Why Moving Picture Books is So Cool:

Are you ready for some major coolness? Moving Picture Books literally brings storybooks to life for children - many of them popular and well-loved like Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar and Eight Silly Monkeys.

Check out the preview video below of one of my favorite stories, "No More Pacifiers":


I told you it was cool! What child wouldn't be delighted?

My Review:

Moving Picture Books sent me a selection of their great DVDs to review. When I popped the first DVD in, I noted with satisfaction that there are plenty of different viewing options: Stories can be watched in English or Spanish, and you can choose to view them with or without the text on the bottom of the screen (child can read along). I like to include the words - I think it's a great way to promote reading, even if you are doing it on the television. ;-) You can also choose "continuous play", an option I like to have available in children's DVDs in case I'm trying to get something done around the house and don't want to have to bother with restarting the DVD.

Each story has its own special way of being told. Some books have one narrator, some two, and sometimes different voices for each character. It depends on whether the story is being told or characters are telling the story.

Illustrations are original - isn't that cool? They animate them, bringing the book to life. Moving Picture Books describes it like this: "We enhance the reading experience with the surprise of animation, narration, music and sound effects..."

You can send storybook suggestions to them, and there are new releases all the time so this is a good website to watch.

For the mom on the run - Moving Picture Books has you covered! You can buy stories for your Apple iPhone! There are also digital downloads of each story available for 99 cents each.
Final impressions:

Emma and I loved these DVDs. It truly is like having your storybook animated. The only con I can think of is that the stories are short. Still, there are seven stories on each DVD which comes to about 30 minutes on each DVD. And for little ones with short attention spans, it will actually be a pro! Each story is filled with different styles of illustration and animation, fun sound effects and narrators, and there is a story for everyone - even teaching bible stories and ABC's!

I think these DVDs are well worth their price of $12.99 per DVD (seven stories on each). There are six volumes available.

We give these two lil' thumbs up!

Buy it!

Before you buy, see a full-size demo here!

• You can find all six volumes on DVD at Amazon.com for $12.99 each.
• Buy them on iTunes for 99 cents each (iPhone or iPod, etc).
  
• Download digital copies in English, Spanish, or Read-Along for 99 cents each.

Giveaway!

Moving Picture Books is offering a dynamite giveaway! Five (yes, you read that right - five!) of my readers are going to get their own storybook DVD! That's one DVD each for five different winners!
US Only, please.

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Moving Picture Books, browse around, watch some sample videos, and tell me which DVD you would like the most! Please either leave your email address in one of your entry comments or make sure it's in your Blogger profile!

Extra Entries (Optional) (Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry)

• Tell me in a comment which new storybook you would like to see added to their collection (+1 extra entry)
• Follow Moving Picture Books on Twitter (@mpbmagic) (+1 extra entry)
• Become a fan of Moving Picture Books on Facebook! (+1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to the Moving Picture Books YouTube page (+1 extra entry)
• Add my blog to your Technorati Favorites/stumble this post (+1 extra entry each)
• Follow/Subscribe to this blog (+1 extra entry each)
• Add my button to your sidebar (+1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway (+3 extra entries)
• Follow me on Twitter (@kindred_spirit) (+1 extra entry)
• Tweet this giveaway/share on Facebook (+1 extra entry each and daily tweet extra entries for this giveaway only!)
  

Winner will be drawn on August 19 and notified by email - good luck, everyone!

Disclosure: Although Moving Picture Books sent me sample DVDs to review, it does not affect the honesty of this review. I do not review products if I feel pressured to write a positive review in spite of what I think - I always write honestly.

See complete rules and disclaimers regarding giveaways here.

And now, go find more giveaways to enter in this week's MckLinky Friday Giveaway Blog Hop!

Thank you sooo much for sharing this post! :-)