Children with hearing impairments are now able to enjoy one of New Zealand’s favourite stories as a digital book.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairyhas been brought to life by Auckland-based Kiwa Digital, the world’s leading production house for experiential books.

he digital version of the book uses sign language, and is one of a series of six Ready to Read digital books created by Kiwa Digital for the Ministry of Education.

They are the first interactive digital books to be used in the curriculum, with the series launched this week by Education Minister Hekia Parata as part of New Zealand Sign Language Week.

Since 2009 Kiwa has published children’s picture books using a patented voice synchronisation technology. The digital books provide an effective aid to literacy tuition, with the format proven to deepen engagement and comprehension.

Kiwa is now expanding its production from children’s picture books to include young adult and adult markets, as announced at the recent opening of the Auckland production house.

“It’s a move to take advantage of the opportunities in the education sector as technology transforms the way students experience teaching and learning,” Rhonda Kite, CEO of Kiwa Digital, says.

The digital books are available on both Apple and Android platforms from the Google and Apple stores.