Be There Bedtime Stories Offers Free Access to Online Storytelling in Celebration of World Read Aloud Day

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In celebration of World Read Aloud Day, Be There Bedtime Stories is offering anyone who visits the website, www.betherebedtimestories.com, the opportunity to record and send a webcam story for free. Currently, one in four children worldwide will enter adulthood unable to read, and in an effort to promote literacy Be There Bedtime Stories will offer free access to its innovative webcam storytelling technology on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

“Kids’ eyes light up the first time they see their family on the computer and they are glued to the screen throughout the story. We call this the ‘Superstar Effect,’”

Be There Bedtime Stories is committed to raising awareness about this important global issue by highlighting the read-aloud techniques that are enabled through its online service. Research has shown that literacy begins in the first few years of life: babies respond to adults talking to them; 1-year-olds point to pictures in books; and 2-year-olds chant nursery rhymes.

“Storytelling has been unifying families for centuries and reading aloud fosters literacy,” said Alison Sansone, founder of Be There Bedtime Stories. “Be There Bedtime Stories adds a new dimension to this age-old tradition with the visual cues of both the storyteller and the words on the page, delivering the proven read aloud techniques through this recordable platform.”

This new online storytelling works in three steps: 1) choose a story from the online bookstore; 2) read the story in front of a webcam, as it displays from the website;and 3) the recorded story is emailed to a child or anyone, and is viewable from a computer, as often as they wish. Not only is it a simple method of literacy development, but the easy-to-use platform enables every family member to make a memorable impact on key relationships during a common, nighttime routine, no matter how many miles apart.

“Kids’ eyes light up the first time they see their family on the computer and they are glued to the screen throughout the story. We call this the ‘Superstar Effect,’” added Sansone.

To participate in the Be There Bedtime Stories’ free offering, log onto BeThereBedtimeStories.com for more information.

About Be There Bedtime Stories

Be There Bedtime Stories is a creative webcam storytelling platform that produces memorable experiences for families by allowing them to “be there” through the tradition of storytelling, no matter how far apart. Webcam recorded videos of the storyteller are embedded into the children’s e-book allowing the recipient to see the readers’ face, hear their voice, and read along with their loved one. Founded by Alison Sansone, the interactive format of combining webcam storytelling narrated by a family member aims to provide a kid-friendly, family bonding form of multi-media which encourages budding readers and develops early literacy skills. Currently, the company has acquired licensing from six initial publishers to more than 200 e-books, including a variety of genres (e.g., educational, character building, holiday, Spanish language titles, etc.) appropriate for ages two through eight years old. Be There Bedtime Stories is also a proud, recognized partner of Blue Star Families (www.bluestarfam.org), donating both webcams and stories to Military Families separated while serving overseas. For more information, visit www.betherebedtimestories.com or engage on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-There-Bedtime-Stories.