Amazon Rapids Launches Signature Stories Program to Help Kids Develop a Love of Reading

(AMZN) - In advance of Comic-Con International 2017 in San Diego, Amazon Rapids announced the launch of Signature Stories, a new program bringing the characters kids already know and love to original short stories on its app. Designed for readers ages 5-12, Amazon Rapids' illustrated short stories come to life through characters conversing, just like a screenplay. Amazon Studios is the first to join Signature Stories, bringing new stories from children's TV shows, Niko and the Sword of Light and Danger & Eggs, to the app. Starting today, kids can read along with some of their favorite characters and celebrity voice talent including Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live) in Danger & Eggs and Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) in Niko and the Sword of Light. These original stories are authored by the shows' writers and give a glimpse into unique adventures that take place beyond the TV series storylines.

"We couldn't be more excited to kick off Signature Stories and are thrilled to be teaming up with great talent such as Aidy Bryant and Tom Kenny," said Michael Robinson, Director of Consumer Products for Amazon Education. "We're always looking for ways to help kids develop a love of reading and we're looking forward to bringing on new brands, new characters, and new voices to Amazon Rapids over the coming months."

Danger & Eggs follows the endless adventures of a fearless, teal-haired future stuntwoman, D.D. Danger, and her ever-cautious best friend, a giant, talking egg, named Phillip. As the daughter of a world-renowned daredevil, D.D. is always chasing her next big thrill.

Niko and the Sword of Light follows 10-year-old Niko who is the last of his kind in a strange, fantastical world. He must embark on an epic quest to defeat the darkness and bring the light back to his land. Armed with his magic sword, brave Niko journeys to the Cursed Volcano, making new friends and powerful foes along the way, all while uncovering secrets about his mysterious past.

"We're excited for kids to connect with our characters in new ways as they tag along on epic adventures together while reading on Amazon Rapids," said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. "Both pilot episodes were popular among viewers and we're thrilled that the shows' quirky, engaging storylines and humor can help inspire kids to read."

Amazon Rapids is available for iOS, Android and Amazon Fire devices. Parents who sign up now can subscribe at an introductory price of $2.99 per month to give their kids unlimited access to short stories. Parents can start a free two-week trial at http://rapids.amazon.com.

Key Amazon Rapids features include:

• Read Along Mode - Kids can listen to voice actors read their favorite stories while following along with words highlighting as the adventure unfolds.
• Tap to Say & Built-in glossary - Kids can simply tap a word to hear its pronunciation or hold the word to see its definition. Each time kids look up a word, it is automatically added to their personal glossary for easy reference.
• New Stories every week - Kids can explore an expanding library of hundreds of titles spanning adventure, fantasy, humor, mystery, science fiction and sports, with new stories added weekly.
• Age-appropriate content - All content is thoughtfully edited to be appropriate for kids ages 5-12.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

SOURCE: BUSINESS WIRE. ©2017 Business Wire

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