Automatic Conversion from E-content into Animated Storytelling Kaoru Sumi 1 and Katsumi Tanaka 1 2 1 National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Interactive Communication Media and Contents Group 3-5 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0289, Japan Kaoru@nict.go.jp http://www2.nict.go.jp/jt/a133/indexe.html 2 Kyoto University, Graduate School of Informatics Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan ktanaka@i.kyoto-u.ac.jp Abstract. This paper describes a medium, called Interactive e-Hon, for helping children to understand contents from the Web. It works by transforming elec- tronic contents into an easily understandable “storybook world.” In this world, easy-to-understand contents are generated by creating 3D animations that in- clude contents and metaphors, and by using a child-parent model with dialogue expression and a question-answering style comprehensible to children. 1 Introduction We are awash in information flowing from the World Wide Web, newspapers, and other types of documents, yet the information is often hard to understand; laypeople, the elderly, and children find much of what is available incomprehensible. Thus far, most children have missed opportunities to use such information, because it has been prepared by adults for adults. The volume of information specifically intended for children is extremely limited, and it is still primarily adults who experience the glob- alizing effects of the Web and other networks. The barriers for children include diffi- cult expressions, prerequisite background knowledge, and so on. Our goal is to re- move these barriers and build bridges to facilitate children’s understanding and curi- osity. In this research, we are presently considering the applicability of systems for facilitating understanding in children. This paper describes a medium, called Interactive e-Hon, for helping children to understand difficult contents. It works by transforming electronic contents into an easily understandable “storybook world.” Interactive e-Hon uses animations to help children understand contents. Visual data attract a child’s interest, and the use of concrete examples like metaphors facilitates understanding, because each person learns according to his or her own unique mental model [1][2], formed according to one’s background. For example, if a user poses a question about something, a system that answers with a concrete example in accordance with the user’s specialization would be very helpful. For users who are children, an appropriate domain might be a