The Tattered Cover and the University of Colorado at Denver's (UCD) department of Computer Science & Engineering have joined forces to create the Children's Literacy Project. The two organizations worked together in the classroom to devise a situation where university seniors could gain real-life experience working with a client. The Tattered Cover wanted an interactive site that would promote literacy and serve as a resource for children, families and teachers. The first product of this collaboration is a web site called KidsTown.

The web pages and artwork for the site were designed by students participating in the Design Project course taught by UCD Professor Jody Paul. The site features brightly colored graphics and photographs to grab and hold children's interest. On the home page, children can visit various sites within KidsTown including the Zoo, Library, and City Park. In these sites, children answer questions, play educational games, and learn about everything from animals to geography.

"The wonderful thing about this project is that it provides the opportunity for cooperative learning at so many levels and, at the same time, is committed to the development of a truly useful product," said Tammy Kilgore, Internet Services Project Manager for the Tattered Cover.

Through the project, the Tattered Cover and UCD hope to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the educational needs of local elementary and university students.

The KidsTown web site is located at: http://kidstown.mine.nu