New reading apps from actors Curtis, Burton

— -- Hollywood actors Jamie Lee Curtis and LeVar Burton have each independently decided that the iPad is the next hot platform for storytelling.

Jamie Lee Curtis, says she was "blown away" by the process of turning her print book Where Do Balloons Go into an interactive book app. "This is the most cutting edge and creative venture I have ever been involved with and I'm so pleased that it captures the inherent poignancy of the story of losing a balloon and all the emotions that it brings," says Curtis.

For LeVar Burton, who hosted the popular PBS television series Reading Rainbow , his new Reading Rainbow app is a "reimagining of that series built from the ground up." As he did in the TV show, he is still "encouraging adventure, exploration, and tying the real world into the literary experience." While Reading Rainbow is now on the iPad, Burton notes that "books are at the heart and soul of what we are doing."

Book authors have different responses to the addition of interactivity and animation in their book apps. Some of the most popular book apps, like The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore and The Monster at the End of This Book….starring Grover!, feature a tremendous amount of interactivity and animation. Curtis says interactivity is something she is "proud to use." She sees it as something that "doesn't disturb the preciousness of literature but enhances it if you want it." LeVar Burton decided to go with only light interactivity in the digital books presented in his Reading Rainbow app. Says Burton, "We know kids want bells and whistles; we give them some bells and whistles." But for him, staying true to the books as published is important.

Here is a closer look at these actors' two apps.

Auryn HD - Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery

From Auryn, best for ages 4-8, $5.99, iPad

Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)

Jamie Lee Curtis talks directly to you in a video introduction to this app. She also narrates this charming rhyming story where kids follow the imaginings of what happens to a helium balloon once it has been accidentally let go. The musings are both fanciful and poignant. Curtis wonders if plain balloons can read the words on printed balloons; or if the balloons ever dance with airplanes or birds. She ponders if balloons ever catch a cold and what happens if they reach the stars.

The bright watercolor illustrations are filled with balloons doing all sorts of interesting things. When you tap on them, they respond by moving, talking, inflating, deflating, or zipping around the scene. Even more interesting is the use of an interactive fan that is found in the upper left corner of some pages. By placing your finger on the fan, it attaches to your finger and you can move it around the scene to blow balloons in every direction.

Also fun is a balloon dance party that challenges you to find all 213 dancing balloons. And when balloons are shown up in space, the app provides you with a connect-the-stars game which results in artwork in the sky.

When you are finished reading this fun story, the app provides you with a balloon theater where you can create your own balloon characters and make a video of them moving on stage as you narrate your play. Creating a play is simple and it allows kids to be imaginative. It's rewarding to watch and share a movie of a play you just created.

Reading Rainbow