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Providence Children’s Author Puts the Reader in the Book

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Team

Author and Providence resident, Mark Binder.

Let's face it, children need to see themselves reflected in the media that surrounds them. Unfortauntely many of the children's books available today only reflect a small segment of the population. With that in mind, local author Mark Binder's most recent work, Cinderella Spinderella, looks to teach children tolerance and bridge ethnic and ability differences.

A tale of inclusion

Cinderella Spinderella, a Digital Book Awards finalist, is an updated and urbanized version of the classic story of Cinderella. Binder's modernized version uses eBook technology to allow readers choose whether Cinderella is black, white, Hispanic or from the Indian subcontinent. In addition to several ethnicity options, Binder has also created options to address ability differences. For example, the reader can opt for Cinderella to be in a wheelchair.

In total, Cinderella Spinderalla provides the reader with 25 different combinations so that every youngster can see herself or himself reflected in the story.

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Binder's eBook began its life as a spoken word story told to very different audiences – groups of inner city kids and their parents, as well as campers with severe physical disabilities.

About the author

Binder is an award-winning author and story who lives in Providence. Over the past 20 yeas, he has shared his Bed Time Story Book series with a hundred-thousand plus readers and listening around the world in print, in person, and in audio recording. A graduate of the Trinity Rep Conservatory, Binder is the founder of the American Story Theater, and has taught a college course in "Telling Lies" at the Rhode Island School of Design. For more information about Mark, visit his website.

Cinderella Spinderella is available as an eBook for kindle, iBooks in the iTunes Store, nook, kobo, and Android through Google Play. It's also available as an audiobook on audible.com. For more information about Cinderella Spinderella, click here.

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