Greg Abate

 

Greg and his brother Joe had often thought of working together on a family project. But it was not until they both had children that the idea for the kind of business they would get into became a reality. Joe, an attorney, and Greg, a corporate video producer, would frequently discuss children’s issues on the weekend, especially when their children played together. “We always ended up complaining about the toys and videos on the market today,” said Greg.

 

“The big toy companies seem to have forgotten what parents want,” said Joe. “They tend to make videos for infants or toddlers or big kids. As a parent of three, I was interested in making a versatile product, a video that could be educational, entertaining, and could be adjusted to multiple age groups.”

 

Together, the brothers came up with an idea that took advantage of DVD technology. They invented The Digital Picture Book, an interactive innovative DVD for children.  Each of the stories is told in three modes. Additional educational features that help children learn can be clicked on or off with a remote control.

 

In the “Reading Room” mode, a storyteller reads the stories to a room of children. The cozy atmosphere makes reading a social event while introducing children to the basic aspects of reading: story, words and pictures.

 

In “Read Together” mode, the stories are animated. A color-coded text works with the audio to help children identify words with their corresponding sounds.

 

In “Picture Book” mode, the stories are presented in a more traditional words-on-picture manner. Using a remote control, children can flip the page or click a button for the page to be read allowed.

 

“I think The Digital Picture Book is the first product that was truly designed for the DVD format. Up until now, DVDs have been ordinary videos put on the DVD platform. We actually sat down with educators and designed the whole DPB concept around the DVD platform,” said Greg, whose expertise and extensive background made the project possible.

 

It took nearly two years of development, design, testing and retooling before Kidzebo released their first three Digital Picture Books, “Meet Kevin,” “Aesop’s Fables,” and “Fairy Tales” in 2005.

 

“With the help of our network of family and friends, educators, artists, musicians, psychologists, nurses, software designers, doctors, filmmakers, and of course, parents, Kidzebo was born,” said Greg.

 

One of the unique features of The Digital Picture Book is that it is ageless. You can play one mode for infants, one for toddlers, and another for big kids. It can grow with the child. This versatility follows the “repetition with variation” theory. When, over an extended period, the DPB is adjusted to challenge its viewers, it can help children learn to read. “It’s like climbing a ladder,” said Greg, “One rung at a time.”

 

“Special-Ed teachers like that they can program the DPB to target one area in which a student may be having trouble,” said Joe, “Then reprogram it for the next student. We’re working on young adult titles because the interactivity of the format may be a great way to approach teen illiteracy, especially for young adults who aren’t likely to pick up traditional paper books. We’ve even been asked to develop titles for English as a second language.”

 

Kidzebo is a family-run company whose main focus is to create family friendly products. It is also developing paper books, software, audio Cds and other products like custom-framed artwork and calendars. It currently sells its products directly to the public on the  web at http://www.kidzebo.com The Digital Picture Books are also available on www.amazon.com and select book and toy stores. The DVD’s retail individually for $21.95 or you can get The Complete Kidzebo Collection of 3 DVD’s at $49.95 retail. For more information or to inquire about wholesale pricing, contact Greg Abate at Kidzebo, PO Box 1064, Medford, MA 02155, 781-866-9719.