TikaTok Turns Kids into Authors
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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 04/28/2008
There's nothing like letting a child choose their bedtime story—and having one of those titles be their own.Through the new site TikaTok, children can compose the mysteries, adventures, and fantasies bursting from their imaginations, post them online for friends and others to read, and even print the tale for their bookshelf at home.
Still in beta, although officially launched in March, the site allows users to write their own stories from scratch, or be led through a series of questions, and maybe a nudge or two, to help them along. Finished stories are stored on the site, allowing other users to read, comment, and even publish them, too. About 450 books have been created, with another 115 made public for other users to see, according to a company spokesperson.
Children can also upload their own drawings by scanning them directly to the site. For those without access to that kind of technology, TikaTok provides a snail mail address so illustrators can send their original masterpieces, which are then uploaded to a story page.
The story creating process is completely free as long as users—and their mom, dad, or teacher—have registered. To print a hard copy of a story or a favorite tale from the site starts at about $20, but can vary depending on the length of a book, and whether it’s bound in a soft or hard cover.
The site may help any teacher or parent looking to harness a child’s intuitive storytelling nature. At the very least, it’s going to make gift giving for grandparents that much easier.
