http://play.rainbowmagiconline.com/uk/index.html
Who is it aimed at?
Since I often target an audience of children - middle grade readers, I thought back to the kind of websites that I enjoyed as a kid.
One that I found particularly engaging and fun was this one for Daisy Meadows (authors of the Rainbow Fairies books). It's still online now, though I'm not sure if it's changed slightly. It's now part of a website called 'Rainbow Magic' which includes sections for Fireman Sam, Pingu etc. I remember the cursor used to be a magic wand and the page would buffer with little stars and clouds.
The intention with this website is to expand the magic of the books into the online world, so that the readers can immerse themselves in a virtual format where these characters and stories can be accessed easily. This page makes reading seem fun.
Although parents and adults are the gatekeepers who would buy children books, this website takes the approach of targeting children and selling the products to them instead of trying to pitch them to their guardians.
I'm not sure how many kids would still visit a website to find out more/play games about the books? If they were to look for a game related to the stories, I think they would probably be more likely to find an app or scan a QR code on a book jacket? Times have changed and I do wonder how much traffic this website gets.
Update: I just tried to get onto the 'online store' section and it redirected me to a Mattel site and then a page that no longer exists so I am wondering whether this has been abandoned.
What makes it attractive:
It's interactive! You can click and move over different parts of the image and they will move/animate/play music.
The reader gets to virtually enter the world of the Rainbow fairies, which is really cool when you're 9 and a fairy nerd. There are links to games, puzzles, colouring sheets. All things to keep the reader enjoying and thinking about the stories.
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