Ruckus Media Group, launched by Rick Richter, former president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, has positioned itself as a global family entertainment company specializing in Digital and Interactive Book Apps for children and features some of the most inspired talent of our time narrating and musically accompanying such classic tales as The Velveteen Rabbit, Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table and John Henry.

Among one of the first apps to be released by Ruckus Media is my favorite classic tale, The Velveteen Rabbit. Narrated by Meryl Streep and featuring the music of George Winston, this heartwarming tale is sure to become a story that children love to hear and interact with for a very long time. I had the pleasure of downloading this wonderful book onto my iPhone and letting my youngest daughter read it aloud from the back seat of the car while I was driving. It was soon confiscated by my 3 year old son who has perfected the finger swipe and turned the pages with ease. These apps are distinctive in that not only is there wonderful narration, but you can read the stories on your own or even record your own voice reading the story making sure you are never too far away from your children and can still read them their bedtime stories. With these apps, the stories come alive for the children who are turning the pages, touching the words and drawings, and hearing the readers voices.

Look at this adorable screenshot from The Velveteen Rabbit- 

I was also able to ask Mr. Richter some questions about Ruckus Media Group and these groundbreaking apps.

The press has been overwhelmingly positive for this venture. It seems to fill a niche that has not been satisfied with the standard book readers. What makes these apps unique?

What makes our apps unique is we are using top notch talent including authors, celebrities and illustrators and merging them with great content. Our orientation is to make each app the best we can make. People have figured that out in the way we have presented ourselves in our initial launch.

What devices are they are available for?

Right now they’re available for the iPad and iPod Touch, and they’ll be available for Android devices in the near future.

There is quite a roster of talent reading the books! Do you have a favorite voice and a favorite title that will be released?

It’s like picking a favorite among children. There are some wonderful performances and each stands on its own merit.

Do you have any plans to expand the library to include Middle grade and YA titles?

Yes, we absolutely do. The same kind of quality we bring to ages 3-10 now is what you can expect that we will bring to older children. We want to do it away in a way that forms a story. We have some exciting projects under contract that you’ll hear about soon.

While the apps are competitively priced at just $3.99 with free upgrades, will you also be considering any free apps (such as a “Lite” version with less interactivity) so that consumers can try the app before committing to purchasing?

Great question. Right now our free apps are on a promotional basis, rather than on a permanent basis, but we are looking for input from parents and viewers on that and are considering all our options.

Will you be expanding to offer companion licensed products that would complement the apps?

Its’ hard to know where this is all going, but we listen to our customers. We hope that they suggest directions and we’ll take their lead. Parents are valuable in providing direction.

These are the first five apps released by Ruckus Media Group:

• Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table, told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor, music by Elvis Costello
• The Velveteen Rabbit, told by Meryl Streep, illustrated by Dave Jorgenson, music by George Winston
• Johnny Appleseed, told by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Stan Olson, music by Mark O’Connor
• Pecos Bill, told by Robin Williams, illustrated by Tim Raglin, music by Ry Cooder
• John Henry, told by Denzel Washington, illustrated by Barry Jackson, music by B.B. King

Each costs just $3.99 and can be downloaded from iTunes.

To celebrate the launch of these wonderful tales, Ruckus Media Group has generously offered to giveaway ALL FIVE APPS to one Sensible Cents reader!

Here’s how to win:

1. Leave me a comment telling me the title of your favorite children’s book

2. Follow Ruckus Media Group on Twitter

3. “Like” the Ruckus Media Group page on Facebook  

You have to complete the first three steps to have a valid entry. For additional entries:

4. Link this giveaway to a post on your blog and leave me the link here.

5. Follow Sensible Cents on Twitter

6. Like Sensible Cents on Facebook

You have a total of 4 possible entries! Good Luck!

Contest is open to U.S. residents, 18 and over, only. Contest ends at 11:59pm, Thursday,November  4, 2010. Winner will be selected via random.org and announced on the site and on Twitter. Please be sure that I have either your Twitter handle or email to notify you. If the winner does not respond within three days, another will be chosen.

Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post. I received one download of The Velveteen Rabbit to review. Ruckus Media Group is providing promo codes for the 5 apps listed in the post to be given away to one reader.