The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Being in the cover book business for 20+ years I have seen many things change and evolve within it over the years. When I started, illustrators still created art on boards, sometimes using slow drying paint and crystal varnishes they would have to blow dry to make a deadline. Then in the early 90s, computers took over type specing, Letraset, blue ink pens and mechanicals. Illustrators still did their work on boards, but scanning replaced what used to be a color slide to give to the printer.Then slowly, traditional Illustrative mediums like paint, gouache and pencil where mostly replaced by Photoshop and photographic digital imagery –sometimes made to look painterly.The quickness of Photoshop and other software programs gave art directors more flexibility in finding solutions to their covers.

The invent of the iPad and various e-readers has created another way for books and their covers to evolve and grow, with interaction. It’s already happening in magazines. Click on a flower and watch it bloom. Being that books are stories, the possibilities for visuals are endless, both on the cover and throughout.

I recently came across this article about a new interactive book app from William Joyce, animator/illustrator who has worked with both Pixar and Dreamworks. I think it’s really well done, and who knows, may be the next level for childrens’ book illustration?

You can read the entire article by John Palvus, or check out the iTunes app “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” created by Moonbot Studios.  “It’s like a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once — without being too much of either.”