ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how discourses articulated in print picture books are articulated and negotiated through the multimodal design of the apps in conjunction with the industry discourse around app production and distribution. In the context of a transmedia narrative, the design of a picture book app may be selected from the existing discursive repertoire of previous adaptations of the text and realized through multiple modes, including audio, game, cinematic, and other modes. The remediation of the picture book as a material artefact—that is, the qualities and functions of materiality associated with the print picture book are challenged and complicated when transposed to the mobile platform. Another group of picture book apps includes those that use animation and other interactive performance modes to create a story narrative—often fairy-tale or folkloric narratives. The picture book apps adapted from published print picture books are often tied to a linear narrative regardless of the interactive features.
