Featured Link: Former FableVisionary Goes Disney - It was just a normal, usual day in Maine for children’s book author and freelance illustrator Noah Z. Jones— until he was approached by Disney to create the animated TV series “Fish Hooks”! Jones previously spent time working as one of our own FableVision animators, and the entire studio is thrilled about his TV success!
Noah also serves as co-executive producer for the series, which is currently the Number 2 animated series on TV for both the 6-11 year old and 9-14 year old demographic, second only to Disney's "Phineas and Ferb." “Fish Hooks” follows the adventures of a group of teenage fish living in a pet store fish tank.
Noah had pitched a couple of ideas to the family entertainment powerhouse before Disney ultimately decided on “Fish Hooks,” which mixes 2D animation with photo collage, a style that is definitely not your typical Disney look. Mike Moon, Animation Development Executive for the Disney Channel, gave Noah full reign to shape his characters into the quirky creatures that his audience have come to know and love.
Noah is also the creator of "Almost Naked Animals, " recently picked up by Cartoon Network to air during its summer lineup! We are incredibly proud of Noah and wish him the best of luck with both fantastic series!
More links that have been circulating around FableVision this week:
Education
Studies Find that Students Learn More by 'Acting Out' Texts - According to researchers, students understand more from what they read if they physically act out the material due to a behavior known as “embodied, or grounded cognition.” Whether playing with physical toys in front of them or manipulating images on a computer screen, interacting with the material proves to enhance the reading—and learning— experience!
How a Non-Profit Funded 1,000 Students With Micro-loans - Where the vast majority of students in their communities have little if any formalized education, the Seattle-based non-profit, Vittana, has raised enough money to help 1,000 students from 10 different developing countries continue their studies. Vittana is completely run by donations by the public and follows the vision of: "building a world where anyone can go to college. " Follow the students as they embark on their educational journey at Vittana.com!
NASA Streams Science with iPad App - What has NASA been up to now that the space shuttle program has officially come to a close? Developing a line of interactive and engaging mobile applications of course! NASA’s Visualization Explorer, one of their forthcoming applications for the iPad, takes users on a tour of Mother Earth with the latest images, videos, and other data. Learn about this app and similar NASA projects, watch videos of some of the brightest scientists in the country, and do it all… for free!
Digital Tattoo Gets Under Your Skin to Monitor Blood - Dr. Heather Clark at Northeastern University is currently developing subdermal sensors that collect data about the blood content and Grad student Matt Dubach is working on designing an iPhone 4 attachment that will translate the results into quantifiable data. Right now, a secondary machine is needed to translate the data, but these developers expect that with assistance of the higher resolution iPhone 5 camera, the technology will be ready soon!
Illustration
New Yorker Covers from Notable Children's Illustrators - Librarian Elizabeth Bird has put together a great collection of New Yorker covers over at School Library Journal. Click over to see some great work from the likes of Maurice Sendak, Gary Larson, Ian Falconer, and many more children's author/illustrators!
