Library of Congress. (2017). Aesop for children (Version 1.0.1) [Mobile App]. Apple App Store. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/aesop-for-children/id538815234

The Fox and the Grapes is a traditional Aesop fable in the form of an interactive eBook adapted from “The Aesop for Children: with Pictures by Milo Winter” which was published by Rand, McNally and Co in 1919 (Library of Congress, 2017). This fable along with a wide range of others have been adapted into digital form with simple digitally enhanced illustrations presented in the Aesop for Children application (app) produced by the Library of Congress. This eBook form of ‘The Fox and the Grapes’ is a great example of the simple beginnings of enhanced eBooks available to readers of all ages. The app presents a number of fables each with different elements of digital enhancement to their images by Milo Winter. The digital aspect of the eBook other than the text being presented through a digital platform include simple animations to images. For the fable in questions the enhancements to the illustrations go a little deeper with the images being presented in a short video clip depiction of the key aspects of the story.

As stated by Hicks (2014), the inclusion of video, audio, animation or simple interactivity that are commonly seen in an enhanced eBook do not necessarily increase the meaning making of the literature. This is particularly the case for this style of digital literature as the images provide an interesting and engaging aspect to the story, particularly for young children but the animations do not drastically change the way the story is read and interpreted, how readers utilise digital reading practices or the engagements with multiliteracies such as decoding or inferring meaning from forms other than text (Erstad et al, 2019). It can also be argued that the images provided in the print version of the fable support and engage the reader as much as the simple animations. Although yes, this fable in its current form is digital literature presented on a digital platform it is a very basic form digital literature. Although a basic from of digital literature this text provided many opportunities in a primary school library to be valuable to the reading and learning needs of students. Such forms of digital literature can be used in conjunction with more detailed and interactive forms of digital literature for students to compare and contrast the wide range of differences. It is also important to note that particularly in my experience as an educator many students do have access and would not have seen any form of true digital literature before. When introducing students to digital literature this resource can be used as a starting point and great demonstrations of the kinds of digital literature of enhanced eBooks, they could create for themselves.

Some of the obvious benefits of ‘The Fox and the Grapes’ in enhanced eBook form is the ease of access. As this resource like many eBooks have a physical print copy it is important to consider which form is most accessible and engaging for readers. For this resource in particular access is simple and intuitive through the Aesop Fables app from the AppStore. Once this free app is downloaded the reader has access to a number of fables all with some element of enhancement. A simple contents page lets the reader choose the fable and play the animation with the simple touch of a button. Another consideration to make when looking at ease of access is that an even more basic form of the fable without enhancement can be found in other even more simple digital forms of just text and images from a number of locations on the internet. This is where this particular form of the book moves from eBook to enhanced eBook with its animations helping to further engage the reader (Hicks, 2014) and taking into consideration the benefit of different forms of the text for different situations and locations (Manresa, 2015). This form of eBook does not hold the same value and longevity as some of the more intuitive and clearly designed game based forms of digital literature as it doesn’t use the transmedia storytelling features across multiple platforms that so intuitively engage wider audiences and expand on the narrative itself more widely (Manresa, 2015).

References

Erstad, O., Flewitt, R., Kümmerling-Meibauer, B., & Pereira, Í. S. P. (Eds.). (2019). The Routledge handbook of digital literacies in early childhood. ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=5812516

Hicks, T. [Troy Hicks] (2014, January 21). Enhancing out eBook experiences. Digital Rhetoric Collaborative. https://www.digitalrhetoriccollaborative.org/2014/01/21/enhancing-our-ebook-experiences/

Library of Congress. (2017). Aesop for children (Version 1.0.1) [Mobile App]. Apple App Store. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/aesop-for-children/id538815234

Manresa, M. (2015). Traditional readers and electronic literature: An exploration of perceptions and readings of digital work. In Manresa, M., & Real, N. (Eds.). Digital literature for children : Texts, readers and educational practices (pp. 105-106). ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/detail.action?docID=4322710