The YouTube Kids’ reading initiative for children, the #ReadAlong month in partnership with major book publishers launched its second edition in June. This year, the campaign has a wider global focus. To this end, it will run longer than the month of June, and will include many non-Western countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, such as Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Among partnering publishers, HarperCollins’ #KidCritic features book reviews by kids, for kids. Penguin Random House’s Brightly Kids channel already has numerous storybook read-along videos, and more are on their way. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has offered narrated fairytales daily throughout the month of June, and National Geographic Kids introduced children to the world of nonfiction.
The first #ReadAlong campaign launched in June 2016, less than two years after YouTube Kids made its app store debut. #ReadAlong 2016 featured content from children’s publishers and the School of Rock Broadway showrunners.
Agatha Christie “teaches” again through AI
There has been a mixed reaction to BBC Maestro’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agatha Christie which sees the world’s most famous crime novelist ‘teaching’ the tricks of her trade to would-be crime writers. Some have hailed it as wonderfully creative, others as “a bit Frankenstein”. According to the Bookseller, an actor, whose face and voice have […]
