Virtual Storytime: a new app for virtual author visits
For anyone who reads picture books over video calls
Hi everyone! I’m excited to share a new app I’ve been working on which might interest the authors and librarians among you.
It’s called Virtual Storytime, and I built it to make virtual author visits and online picture book read-alouds more fun, engaging, and interactive.
If you turn on your camera and hold up your book, it can be hard for kids to see the pages clearly. If you screen-share a PDF or slideshow, kids often can’t see your face as you read.
With Virtual Storytime, you can:
Present your book PDF with beautiful paper-like page turns
Keep your camera on the page while you read (and easily resize it and move it around as you read)
Easily zoom in on illustration details with keyboard shortcuts
Draw and annotate directly on the pages
Jump between pages using visual thumbnails
Add confetti, fireworks, and emoji effects to punctuate special moments in your book
It works in your web browser, or you can download the Mac or Windows app. It’s free to try, and a one-time $19 license purchase removes the demo watermark from every version.
You can see it in action and try it here:
https://www.hellonathan.ca/virtual-storytime.html
I hope this makes your virtual author visits and read-alouds a little easier, and a lot more fun. I’d love to hear what you think!
Nathan