Dr. Seuss Goes Digital

By Karen Raugust -- Publishers Weekly, 2/27/2008 7:30:00 AM

The Cat in the Cat, Horton Hears a Who!, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop and other Dr. Seuss classics are going digital, thanks to a partnership between Dr. Seuss Enterprises and kidthing, a new content distribution platform. Digital versions of the books—with extras such as voiceovers, sound effects and music—will roll out on kidthing.com starting in March, along with digital games based on the characters.

“We’re honored to be able to work with Dr. Seuss Enterprises,” says Larry Hitchcock, kidthing’s CEO. “We all have our favorite Dr. Seuss properties or books that we read as a child and are reading to our own kids now.”

Content is downloaded on an à la carte basis, with fees ranging from $.99 to $10.00; content owners determine the prices. It is then played offline on kidthing’s free digital media player. Hitchcock says the service was designed to provide a safe environment where children can use digital content at home and in school, and to provide publishers and other content owners with a secure way to distribute and monetize their content.

In March, the National Education Association will partner with kidthing to distribute a free digital read-along version of Horton Hears a Who! to classrooms in conjunction with the Read Across America initiative. That will be followed by a classroom version of The Lorax in celebration of Earth Day in April. Both titles will be available for purchase online as well.

The Seuss partnership comes on the heels of kidthing’s announcement on February 14 that it would distribute enhanced, animated titles from Charlesbridge Publishing, starting with First Day Jitters, The Icky Bug Alphabet Book and Bugs for Lunch, along with Spanish-language versions of those titles. Other publisher deals are expected in the coming weeks.

In addition to enhanced digital books, the open publishing platform offers content such as casual games and audiobooks.