In partnership with Nation 9, Dream Sequence created The Grateful Crane ebook for Kindle Fire and ipad. In this version of the traditional Japanese folktale, The Grateful Crane, Yoshi the woodcutter frees a crane he finds trapped in the woods. Shortly after, a beautiful and mysterious young woman named Tsuru visits him at home and becomes his wife. Tsuru makes Yoshi promise that he must never watch her as she weaves extraordinary cloth that everyone wants to buy. Will Yoshi be able to keep his promise? This charming tale is educational and entertaining, exposing young readers (and non-readers with the read-aloud feature) to Japanese words and culture in a relaxed and humorous style. Colorful paintings by Shunsuke Yamaguchi come alive in interactive animation and optional text as narrator Hisato Masuyama spins this classic tale over a lively piano soundtrack by Nanae Kimura.
The Grateful Crane was featured as one of the top five apps of the week on iheartthisapp.com.
“This is a good old-fashioned fairy tale, with enough magic and humor to keep younger children listening and older children reading. The addition of the occasional Japanese word gives the story authenticity and is a great way to introduce kids to a second language.” fun2tap.com
“…this updated folk tale will not disappoint tech-savvy kids. Illustrations are virtual wooden story boards and the art is quite accurate. The iPad makes interactivity possible, something that the kamishibai men couldn’t do. …my children (3 & 5) loved this story.” ipadkids.com