A revolutionary development in the technological age of books has come to Bermuda.

Joan Aspinall is launching a Christmas book this week called 'Goodnight, Bermuda' and is also offering parents a revolutionary way to enjoy books with a young child.

Ms Aspinall has teamed up with Ripple Reader, an innovative company that sells book titles that are downloaded like an e-Book and allow the child or parent to record their own voice while reading.

"I met the company while attending Book Expo America in New York in May," said Ms Aspinall. "They're quite new on the market, but they're attracting titles from famous publishers.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to promote Some Child Books of Bermuda who will be listed alongside the likes of Scholastic and Charlesbridge. It will be great publicity for Bermuda."

The first book handled by Ripple Reader is Ms Aspinall's 'Pitty Pitty Pat'.

"This book will be followed by 'Goodnight, Bermuda', a new book that will be launched this week at Brown's corporate nights," said Ms Aspinall. "A customer can go into my book site www.pina.bm and click on the 'Pitty Pitty Pat' description. The Ripple Reader link on the web page and will take one directly into their book information."

Ms Aspinall said that many Bermuda parents have already brought 'Pitty Pitty Pat' in hardcover and that this added feature does not distract, but enhances the reading pleasure for a young child.

"It's also a wonderful gift for Christmas, as the giver can record the story in their own voice and then pass it on to the child."

Average price for a voice-recordable Aspinall e-book is $8.99. Other titles destined for Ripple Reader are 'The Boy Without a Foot', the 'Banana Leaf Faerie Elf' featuring Ronnie Chameau, and 'Gombey Baby', created with the assistance of Irwin Trott, leader and founder of the Warwick gombeys.

"The early reader is a genre that I have not delved into before; however, the tourist market's response indicated that this is a 'hot' field," said Ms Aspinall. "When I had the preliminary copy at the Craft Market, I had so many tourists saying, "Oh, it's like 'Goodnight Moon' by Margaret Wise Brown. However, it's not anything like 'Goodnight, Moon', a small board book for toddlers.

"But then again, that book sold millions…so…I should be so lucky. In 'Goodnight, Bermuda', a child observes the world with simple, honest appraisals, bidding 'goodnight' to tree frogs, chameleons, bumblebees and every wondrous thing in Bermuda from her architecture to her culinary art, the codfish cake.

"Moonlight spreads magic throughout a collection of outstanding illustrations depicting fish, a mermaid, a gombey and famous landmarks.

"The child expresses that one day she will climb Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, walk through a moongate, tour the world with Marley Frog, and exchange her guardian angel for the angelfish who will take her swimming.

"Imitating a gombey, she falls off her bed and bumps her head, and says, as much as she'd like to be a mermaid, she'd have to exchange her legs for a tail and give up her cat.

"The large scale text appeals to the early reader, revealing an amusing side that can be only expressed by a child."

The books will be on sale this week in bookstores throughout the Island for $15.95.

"I am trying to keep my prices down," said Ms Aspinall, "so that in these times of a tough economy, every parent can afford to buy a book for a child for the holidays."

The second book in the 'Goodnight' series, called 'Hello Fish', is due for publication in 2011.

Ms Aspinall's web site will also mail books overseas and is offering free postage for orders of three books to an address. For more information visit www.pina.bm or telephone 293-2529.