HarperCollins pairs with Yoto for Mog audio tool

Audio story company Yoto is offering a series of ‘smart cards’ based on Judith Kerr’s classic character Mog thanks to a partnership with HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Yoto provides pre-school children with a speaker and a series of cards which play stories, nursery rhymes and songs. The child can choose which card to put into the speaker, which offers them “the opportunity to build independence over what they listen to or play”.

Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books, said: “We are delighted to be working with Yoto to offer children an innovative new way to share in the magic of words and pictures and the joy of listening to a story. Judith Kerr’s Mog has been loved by generations of children and we welcome the opportunity to work with Yoto to introduce children of the future to the stories with this exciting new platform which uses innovative technology to inspire the imagination and build a love of reading and books.”

HarperCollins will work with Yoto to create the Mog cards and the first, Mog and the Baby, will be included with every Yoto device as part of the ‘starter pack’.

Judith Kerr wrote and illustrated the first Mog picture book, Mog the Forgetful Cat, nearly 50 years ago and the series now encompasses 20 titles. More than five million Mog books have sold worldwide to date, according to HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Yoto c.e.o. and co-founder Ben Drury said: “We are all thrilled to be working with HarperCollins. Technology is increasingly part of all our lives, which is why we’ve created a product especially for kids that will use technology to inspire a love of books. Stories make imaginations grow, and to be able to support that growth with audio-based experiences built on children’s classics from HarperCollins is amazing”

Yoto was successfully funded on Kickstarter in December 2017 and will go on sale and next month. The company has also worked with the Roald Dahl Estate to provide Dahl stories via the speaker.

Drury is also to speak at FutureBook Live on 30th November to explain the initiative.