by Dan J Kroll

Posted Monday, November 02, 2009 5:07:03 PM

Rebecca Herbst (Liz Webber), Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall), Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake), and Greg Vaughan (ex-Lucky Spencer) recently accepted a mission to transform themselves into mermaids, frog princes, fairies, and mad scientists. No, this wasn't the stars' to-do list for Halloween -- the foursome stepped into a recording booth to lend their vocal talents to a new Speakaboos project that brings children's books to life.

"The cast of ABC's General Hospital brought daytime drama flair to our beloved children's stories and fairytales to really give them new life," said Noelle Millholt, associate publisher of Speakaboos. "We think this album will be a special treat for the Speakaboos audience!"

Think of Speakaboos as your favorite children's book updated for the digital age. Each story features brilliant animation, original music, and celebrity narration and voices. Unlike other products, Speakaboos is an interactive learning tool, where children can develop their literacy skills in a safe and fun environment. As each story is narrated, the accompanying text is displayed, helping children to recognize each word. As an added bonus, there are interactive games available for each story. Kids play word search puzzles to find hidden words related to the story and attempt to unscramble letters in word jumble puzzles--and what children's book would be complete without a coloring page?

There are six tracks on the General Hospital Reads Speakaboos Classics album. They are:

• Billy and the Brown-Out read by Greg Vaughan
• Bluebeard read by Rebecca Herbst
• Frankenstein read by Greg Vaughan
• The Frog Prince read by Kelly Monaco and Jason Thompson
• The Little Mermaid read by Kelly Monaco and Jason Thompson
• The Wise Little Girl read by Rebecca Herbst

Download a story from the General Hospital album for free on Speakaboos.com by entering code soapcentral99

Educational activities and games include:

• Billy and the Brown-Out - Word Search
• Bluebeard - Rhyme Time and Super Speller
• Frankenstein - Arts and Crafts Monster Ooze
• The Frog Prince - Word Jumble and Quiz Whiz
• The Little Mermaid - Picture Puzzle
• The Wise Little Girl - Word Jumble and Quiz Whiz

On daytime, Kelly Monaco has battled vampires, learned she had a long-lost twin, and faced certain death several times over. In recording The Frog Prince for Speakaboos, Monaco was confronted by the most difficult storyline twist of her career: what exactly does a frog sound like? (Be sure to watch our behind-the-scenes video for Monaco's hilarious reaction to her dilemma). Monaco reached out to her friend and co-star, Jason Thompson, to help bring the green creature to life. The result was almost as magical as the frog's transformation into a prince.

Rebecca Herbst jumped at the chance to record for Speakaboos because she and husband Michael Saucedo (ex-Juan Santiago) have two children at home. Greg Vaughan has a two-year-old son and another little one on the way early next year, and he said that he is anxious to share the stories with his children

To celebrate the release of the new General Hospital recording, Soap Central has partnered with Speakaboos to offer our readers several one-of-a-kind opportunities. First, check out our behind-the-scenes footage of the stars recording their Speakboos stories. You won't find the video anywhere else. When you're done watching the behind-the-scenes action, be sure to visit Speakaboos.com to see exactly how the recordings turned out. As a special treat, Soap Central readers can download one story from the General Hospital album for free from the Speakaboos.com web site. Simply enter code soapcentral99 to receive your free download.

Get ready soap fans, there's also one more big surprise: we're also giving away prizes to two lucky Soap Central readers. Our grand prize winner will receive an autographed manuscript from the General Hospital stars, a CD, and a folder. A lucky runner up will receive a signed CD and a folder. To enter the contest, all you have to do is use the coupon code soapcentral99 to download one of the General Hospital stars' stories for free. (To get your free download, add any track to your shopping cart on the Speakaboos.com web site. At checkout, enter the promotional code [soapcentral99] and a credit will be applied to your account.)

The entire Speakaboos library, including the six General Hospital tales, is available for free online viewing on Speakaboos.com. Individual tracks may be downloaded on the website at a cost of $0.99 per title. Complete albums are available for $8.99. All Speakaboos audio tracks are also available on iTunes.

At least fifteen percent of Speakaboos' revenue is contributed directly to charities supporting children's causes, so in addition to helping your child or loved one with their reading skills, you're also helping to make a difference for other kids.

Fans of other soaps may soon get to hear their favorite stars, as well. soapentral.com has learned that Speakaboos is currently working on plans to have other daytime stars record their favorite stories. Who will they be and what tales will they select? As they say on the soaps, tune in tomorrow!

Photo Credit: Speakaboos