Category : Press & Media

When: April 30 - May 1, 2011 , 10am - 5pm

This weekend, Magicblox will be teaming up with one of our premium content partners, Little Pickle Press in booth #348, to help change the lives of children around the world.

Where: University of Southern California  

 USC is a large, beautiful campus with grass fields and red brick  buildings.  I am personally   looking forward to visiting my alma mater on Saturday.  

Cost: Free Admission, Parking is $10/day

For a schedule of the panels and stage presentations click here.  Don’t miss one of the premier book festivals in the country.

Be sure to follow Magicblox on Twitter or Facebook

AP Photo / Kyodo News

Magicblox to Donate 100% of all Library Card Orders to K.I.D.S.

The devastation in Japan is something beyond imagination.  Everyone in that region has been affected. Families separated from their children, all of their worldly possessions washed away or destroyed, and many thousands of lives lost.  We are very lucky and fortunate to be on this side of the world right now, but we should step up and do what we can to support our fellow humans.

At Magicblox, we are going to try and do our part by donating 100% of ALL library card proceeds for the next 30 days (March 15 - April 15) to kidsdonations.org who will apply the money we raise to the relief effort.

Anyone who buys a library card betwen now and April 15th will have their subscription fee donated.  So, signup today, buy your library card and help the kids and families of Japan!

Buy a Library Card

OR

Buy a 1 Year Gift Library Card

And we'll donate all the proceeds to Japanese families in need of help.

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Cousins, Diane Eason (author) and Rosemary Sanford (illustrator) combined their love of writing and sketching to create their first children's book, Miss Melody Kitty's Daydream Adventures.  Diane has been involved in children's programs for most of her life.  She has directed children's choirs, musicals, concerts, outreach programs, and more.  Diane is a southern gospel recording artist who has written most of her own songs, as well as poems and Christmas plays.  Her children's song, "It's a Happy Day", is featured in the Miss Melody Kitty's Daydream Adventures ebook on Magicblox.  You can reach Diane at deasonauthor4kids@gmail.com to schedule an author signing of her book.

Rosemary is a self-taught artist who has enjoyed sketching and painting since childhood.  She has spent many hours painting murals and decorating the walls of her church nursery and daycare center.  The cat character of Miss Melody Kitty inspired the creation of her first illustrated children's book, ebook and iPad app.  Melody Kitty for the iPad is an animated storybook app available in the iTunes store at http://ax.itunes.apple.com/us/app/melody-kitty/id389093294?mt=8#ls=1 .  You can reach Rosemary at spirit_designs@msn.com .

A handmade 16" character doll of Miss Melody Kitty is available on their website at http://www.spirit-led-designs.com .  You can also download a FREE coloring page and match-up game page.

See a video of their Melody Kitty storybook app at  http://www.youtube.com/user/MissMelodyKitty?feature=mhum .

If everyone in Hollywood has a script, then everyone in Silicon Valley has (or once had) a startup. So when my friend and colleague at Ribbit first told me about his idea for a digital library for kids, I didn’t immediately take him seriously. After all, Jason was just finishing up his MBA, and seemed to have his hands more than full as Ribbit’s director of platform marketing. Plus, Jason has a four-year-old son and is an avid cycler. Now I ask you—does this sound like a man who has a lot of extra time to start a company?

Fortunately for untold numbers of toddlers and their parents, Jason Lane made the time to make Magicblox a reality. And fortunately for me, Meerkat's Safari became the very first book featured in the Magicblox library.

Since launching Magicblox last August, Jason has added at least 50 more books to his digital shelves, and—wait for it—is actually cutting monthly checks to authors based on subscriber book reads. He’s also cutting deals with traditional publishers like Little Pickle Press, and working his programming magic to make children’s books like mine viewable on iPhones and iPads.

Want to hear more about Jason’s story and get a refreshing dose of optimism and good heartedness from an inspiring entrepreneur? Listen to Jason (and yours truly! I’ve been invited as a guest) interviewed live on Red River Radio next Tuesday, January 18, at 10am PST.