When these two intermingle, the possibilities are boundless. This is what spurred the
creation of And So You Were Born, an interactive children’s book app just released in the
iTunes App Store.
Creator Mona Parsa holds the vision of a unified world – a world in which no intolerance, no
discrimination, and no inequality remain. Believing that this vision will only arrive and remain by
sewing the seeds today (that is, in children), she took her motivations to an arena which
reaches children worldwide – technology – and will appeal to children everywhere no matter their
background – creating this multifaith, multicultural book app for the iPad, iPhone and iPod.
The text of And So You Were Born explains the love that surrounds the child,
and their purpose in taking that love and spreading it to all in return, from God, to family and
friends. Illustrations of landmarks throughout the world, from all faiths and various countries,
end the book in a beautiful, colorful display.
What can make the book app stand out even more from others? Personalization features
which haven’t even been seen yet in other children’s book apps. Parents can record themselves
on video reading 7 different writings from major faith traditions – and when the book reaches
the page that depicts the child giving devotions with his parents, those videos can be played.
Children take delight in seeing their parents in the book! Parents can also provide personal
details of the child, which shows up within the text throughout the pages. Another source of enjoyment
for children.
Parsa says that she created these personalization features in order for children to be
able to relate to the app as much as possible. She wants them to feel at one with the text and
illustrations, in order for them to feel close to the message. She hopes the book app will show
children that “they are born noble and that they can easily strive everyday to reach that
perfection, one way being to show love to one and all.”
Parsa explains the age progression of the child in the book, which shows the child
growing older and learning to show goodly character and to pay devotions on his own as the years go
by. She hopes children are encouraged to love all, to be a “brilliant star” in their world, thus
being a source of light and inspiration for others, which can then pass on from person to person,
and eventually throughout the world, thereby illuminating the earth and all its inhabitants.
The character-enriching quality of the app has been caught by a Hollywood director, who
has featured And So You Were Born in a film seen in theaters soon. The app will be shown
in the film as having its selected features used in kindergarten classes – classes focusing on
instilling respect and ethics in children to encourage betterment of the world through the use of
love in their personal and future professional lives.
And So You Were Born can be found in the iTunes App Store at:
