This app for iPad contains 20 creatures, each colorfully illustrated with lots of details that fans will enjoy. Without narration, this is an encyclopedic app that will require reading skills of either the app user or an adult to help read this text out loud.

I am impressed with the content of this app, nicely re-telling the stories that have made these scary subjects part of pop culture.

It is nice that readers tap to hear the noises these creatures make, as well as quizzing themselves on the correct size of these subjects, allowing readers to scale both adult male and monster images to see how correct they can get in terms of relative size in this interesting interactive application.

Where in the World is another interactive section allowing one to pinpoint sightings of these monsters with surprising accuracy – thanks to Google maps.

A gallery of images that demonstrates the story being told includes a monster close-up, also allowing one to create a coloring page as well as the use of the AirPrint. Some fun Did You Know? facts are also available.

There are a few ways to arrange the icons that each represents a character from this app, either in a grid or spread into a circle, randomly across the screen or in a pile. From here, one can move these images around the screen, further sorting if one is interested, creating a nice trading card feel that I appreciate. One can also re-size these icons, with small, medium and large choices if one so desires.

These beasts can also be grouped in a number of ways, such as their origins around the globe or type of creature, such as Mythological Monsters, Modern Monsters, Ancient Legends and Folklore and Movie Monsters. One can also rate these characters, splitting up and organizing these monsters this way as well.

The organizing by sub-categories is a good idea, but it is unfortunate that the an important aspect of crypto zoology was left out of the “Modern Monsters” section as these creatures such as Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster or the Jersey Devil are interesting and important because their differentiation between fact or fiction has never been truly proven or disproven.

Developers may also want to change the chupacabra’s category from Ancient Legends and Folklore to Modern Monsters, as this blood-thirsty creature is described as a “modern menace of the Americas,” having first been described in 1995. Japan’s Oni, Western Europe’s Kraken and the Native American Thunderbird should possibly be best moved from mythology to Ancient Legends and Folklore as well.

I have also found that tapping on these monster icons in the interest of exploring these creatures further is sometimes unresponsive – something that I hope can be worked out in a future update.

Even with these issues, I have really enjoyed reading about these creatures. This is an app that I would have enjoyed this app a great deal in grade school and middle school, as this app will be a hit with fans of this subject matter.

It may be worth pointing out that some of the stories re-told about certain characters, such as the Reptoid Alien are rather disturbing if taken literally. I mean this is a good way, of course, in terms of the children who will naturally gravitate toward this application, but this app may be too intense for younger children, so my son will have to be older before I can share this app with him.

If interested, apps focused on vampires and dragons are also available from this developer, please check out iTunes for more information.

[ Monsters & Mutants Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

OLIVIA the Great stars Olivia herself, the pig that many children know from her own TV show as well as the series of books by Ian Falconer.

In this application, help Olivia perform a series of magic tricks, first by looking for the items needed in one of a few messy rooms of Olivia’s house and beyond, such as bedrooms, living room and playground.

Players may need to move other clutter aside to look for items such as a stuffed doll, top hat or robot, making this a nice take on a classic hidden-objects game that kids can relate to, as my son sometimes needs help finding his favorite toys among a sea of others.

It is also fun how the objects one helps Olivia find are relevant in the trick she is about to perform, be it the Floating Hat or Dancing Robot tricks – cute details that adults as well as children will enjoy.

With only the outline of the items in question given, this activity have a nice level of difficulty for preschoolers as it can sometimes be tricky to tell exactly what toy is being asked for by silhouette alone, but if a mistake is made, the incorrect choice is simply removed, making this game light, fun and with many items to tap on.

Once the necessary tools have been found, players are taken to the next scene that is minimally stylized with Olivia nicely dressed as a magician on a darkened stage beside a steamer trunk used for her performance. Olivia will then demonstrate the motions she needs to make with her magic wand, movements which players perform with the drag of a finger, complete with fairy dust and twinkling sound effects that my son really enjoys.

The movements needed to produce magic may include a circle, horizontal line or three-sided, almost square shape. Although not complex, these shapes will be the foundation of letter writing, making this an excellent app to practice fine motor skills.

It is also nice that one can perform these interactions, repeating what Olivia just demonstrated, or wait until her explanation is over, making these magic tricks more difficult as one must remember the shapes or movements just seen, especially when two drags of a finger are necessary.

Once the interaction has been performed, the scene is transformed to a brightly lit stage with friends and family in the audience as the trick is ultimately performed by using the toys once searched for, now having been placed in the steamer trunk on stage next to Olivia.

It is super-cute that other pigs in the audience will ask for specific tricks already in Olivia’s repertoire, or one can tap on the trunk to see the next trick one can learn, as these tricks are unlocked slowly one after the other.

Olivia the Great will greatly appeal to fans of Olivia as the voice of Olivia is used here with great effect, as is the delightful look of these stylized pigs and the fun, jazzy theme song which is used both here as well as on TV. It is also nice that a few tie-ins exist, like familiar areas of Olivia’s house or characters including younger brother William, Dad and cat Edwin, each partaking in the magic as well, but children unaware of this series will enjoy this cute and quirky app without feeling as if they are missing anything.

It is also worth noting that this app does not contain any of the sassiness that critics of Olivia sometimes point to in terms of bad behavior.

With 16 magic tricks to participate in, there is a nice amount of content to explore, and I appreciate that although the toys needed to be collected for specific tricks remain the same, the placement of the objects one must weed through is random, creating a new experience each time one of these sections is played – great for replay value.

This is an app that we have had for a long time now, and I am glad to have the chance to share this app with readers. This is an app my son has had a lot of fun with, choosing this to show off his tricks to other adults, as well asking for help as the finger movements required can be challenging for young children and their newly acquired fine motor skills. At four, this is an app that my boy still enjoys and has started to do a lot of these tricks on his own.

I appreciate how although this app is a little forgiving with the dragging movements needed for these tricks, this app does expect some precise lines or shapes to be drawn, and it is great how children cannot cheat their way through this app in the way it is possible if one simply fills in the templates found in letter apps also used to support fine motor skills.

Olivia the Great is a lovely choice for an app that is something fun and a little different. Children will not realize the educational aspects of this cute app, but parents can feel good about their young child spending time with Olivia the Great.

[ OLIVIA the Great on iPhone Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

Two modes are included, each interactive, one with included narration and one meant to be read on one’s own.

My son has really taken to this delightful story about Bizzy Bear, a cuddly and relatable bear who is looking to be very helpful as he visits a farm, asking players for help as he partakes in such chores as feeding the pigs, helping sheep back into their pen or collecting eggs from hen houses.

Each page has a main interaction or two that is nicely explained by the narration or text found at the top of the page. Do tap Bizzy Bear to hear the multiple lines of dialogue offered as well as the other objects and characters found throughout these pages, and experiment with dragging Bizzy Bear around with a tap and drag for fun.

In looking at the comments left on iTunes, I have noticed that others do not feel that this app is as intuitive as the other apps developed by Nosy Crow – specifically The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella.

I have not found this to be the case for my son who has had no issues with the use of this application. It is true that without an autoplay section, the pages do not turn automatically, allowing children to play out these interactions fully before turning the page – an aspect that never tripped up my son as he happily explored these pages for all that they offer. They nicely include the use of the blue dots found also within their previous apps that mark characters that have something to say when tapped. When my son is finished with these pages, he simply taps the blue arrow found at the bottom right corner twice to turn the page.

The narrative for this book is not as involved as the classic story applications that Nosy Crow is known for, but works well for telling this simple story that young children will enjoy. Not being as intricate as the other apps, this simple story lends itself well to the open-ended and exploratory nature that this app offers, as my son fed, fed and over-fed these pigs until he felt satisfied enough to move on, not having to worry too much about remembering a specific plot underway.

I did, however, find that riding the horse was not easy to manipulate, as players need to figure out that one swipes behind the horse as if he is propelling him vs. dragging him where one may want him to go. An arrow demonstrating this in the future would be helpful.

After some practice, I could move this horse back and forth, turning directions, slowing down and speeding up but was not able to stop or slow down long enough to tap the bunnies found in the background of this page, which are highlighted with blue dots and looking for a tap – a disappointment for us in this otherwise very enjoyable application.

Fans of Nosy Crow will also notice that the style of illustrations found within this app is different from the previous digital tales. I enjoy the bright and bold color choices as well as Bizzy himself and all the other animals that kids will love. To me, these illustrations include nuances of Richard Scarry’s Busy Town characters which I appreciate, while maintaining a look all their own.

My son has really enjoyed Bizzy’s trip to the farm and has asked me if there will be more Bizzy apps soon – high praise from a kid with an abundance of applications to choose from. This is not a lengthy story but just right for toddlers and preschoolers, although longer stories in the future would be nice too.

Seeing how my son really enjoys Bizzy Bear, a bear who is thoughtful and kind to animals, I will be looking for some published books from this series also from Nosy Crow.

I am impressed that Nosy Crow is an independent publisher/developer of both printed books and applications. I hope to see more of their work in the future.

[ Bizzy Bear on the Farm Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

I am impressed with how much content is available within this application, as English and French speakers have a total of 18 games to choose from, with a variety of other languages available as well.

I am happy to report that although one may consider these activities “mini-games,” the quality of each is very high, with bright and bold color choices and include some very realistic looking bugs as well as some interesting, pretty buttons.

With so many games included, it is hard to touch upon each one, but topics such as letter sequencing, color sorting and pattern recognition are included, as well as traditional activities such as connect-the-dots, mazes, a matching game and a variation on three-card-monty.

Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are also explored within these games, including everything from archery to apple picking, as well as bouncing buttons falling form a truck or bug catching – both with a tap as well as the more difficult pinch – great for increasing children’s dexterity.

A few arcade-style games are included such as roach racing or a game where one tilts the device to steer butterflies to fly over hurdles.

The bugs included here are extremely realistic and may be off-putting for those truly afraid of creatures such as tarantulas or roaches, but I think all but the most sensitive of children will enjoy these games very much. The music included is also great and very different between games, including classical, jazzy music and even banjo playing.

I appreciate how most of these games do not include any sort of timer, and friendly narration is encouraging, also letting players know when mistakes are made so they can be corrected.

I did not like, however, the narration in the pinch-and-grab game, presumably that of the bug in question being picked up as the voice sounds like a Bevis or Butthead-kind of narrator, greatly taking me out of the relaxing mood the gentle music had put me in.

It is nice that each game has its own unique look, many times quite beautiful with natural surroundings, with a few noted exceptions that include dirty, distressed tiles found in factory or other industrial settings where one races roaches or sorts buttons – mini-games that not be favorites of some families as these unclean surroundings make the bugs found become vermin – not insects found in nature.

Stamps can be collected for a job well done, but it is also nice to be able to turn off the showing of scores and achievements if one chooses to, and I like that one can include visual instructions as well – good for young players when they enjoy these games by themselves.

I have a few favorite games of my own, especially collecting the colored fireflies, sorting by color, as the music included with this nighttime scene is relaxing with a little suspense thrown in in terms of the tone created by the included music.

Families will find Bugs and Buttons educational and engaging and simply a lot of fun, with a great amount of variety, making this app certainly worth checking out. I could imagine families appreciating if multiple players could collect stamps and high score information separately, just a thought for a future update.

[ Bugs and Buttons Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

This story, based on a book of the same name, is about a little duck with big dreams of dancing on Broadway. Unfortunately, his duck friends are not very encouraging, but this duck has a great, “yes, you can” attitude that parents will hope will rub off on their children as this duck makes his way to New York City with the aid of a trucker, Big Betty, a terrific, supportive character that also subtly tackles gender issues as a woman trucker is not what many children would think of first when it comes to truck drivers. This is an inspirational story with a great, positive theme children will benefit from being introduced to.

I also appreciate that this duck does not only have a dream of dancing on Broadway, but we see his hard work as he dances his way to the city, making a name for himself, as the jaded side of me often silently scoffs at other well-meaning stories about lofty goals that leave out the hard work one needs to make these dreams possible.

It is also a nice moment when Big Betty and duck go their separate ways – duck now relying on himself to make the last leg of this trip. Although short, this is a great title that is sure to become a family favorite for all.

This book can be enjoyed as a storybook including narration or not. The included narration is superb and a real pleasure to listen to. It is also nice that the words spoken are underlined in yellow when read – a style I enjoy, possibly more that the standard highlighting of the words themselves.

While the narrated book includes a thoughtful use of sound effects and music, the book while read to oneself remains silent except for the sounds of the pages being turned, making this experience much like reading a traditional printed book, and included the thoughtful inclusion of a magnifying glass feature, enlarging the text and changing the font to make the words easier to read, is a very nice touch that I appreciate.

A video of this story is also included, with some lovely animated effects. This video will appeal to all, but it is especially nice how the images here have have articulated elements – moving pictures lovingly stylized but not fully animated in the conventional sense, something that may be especially appealing to some parents who may avoid some book videos as they can be to reminiscent of simply watching TV.

The illustrations found throughout this story, in both storybook and video sections, are at top form for any printed or digital storybook, with a lush color palette of warm, rich colors that make this app stand out among the sea of other story apps available on iTunes.

From what I understand, this published book is sold with an included cd of corresponding songs, one of which is included here, allowing children to listen or sing along. This song is cute and charming for parents as well as children, with certain details are included for the enjoyment of adults pertaining to New York City that made me smile. Other music can purchased from iTunes as well, details included within this application.

Until now, I was unaware of this book or the other stories from The Secret Garden, and I am thrilled that this book has been turned into an iPad application. This is the first of a series of apps to be released, and after taking a look at The Secret Garden’s web site, I am impressed by the selection of books available to buy with included CD or as an MP3. From what I have seen, each of these titles looks amazing with fantastic cover art utterly unique to themselves. I hope more of these stories found within this site are developers in to applications as well.

The intro to this book for the Secret Garden was impressive as well, involving a lush, tropical garden and including an impressive sense of depth, enviable 3D effect and wonderful, greatly effective music. This short intro really put The Secret Garden on the map for me, and I will be watching closely, waiting for new apps to be released. My only note would be to consider making these apps universal applications to reach a wider audience of both iPhone and iPad users.

A Duck in New York City should be on the radar of any family who enjoys a well-done story. This app contains no interactions, which my son did not miss as he enjoyed this story very much, as do I. It has been my pleasure to introduce readers to this storybook and soon-to-be series of apps. It is also worth noting that this story is written by a Canadian folk singer/song writer, Connie Kaldor who also narrated this story, and her narration is perfectly realized in every way. I hope to read and hear more of her stories in the future.

[ A Duck in New York City Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

Like the other titles in this series by UK author and illustrator, Jon Higham, this story consists of Elly and gang helping a new friend who needs to find his way back home.

One has the option of listening to included narration or reading this book by oneself. Both options here are delightful, as the narration by Rose Higham is lovely as usual, including the creation of different voices used for each of these characters, each cute and charming.

Although the included narration will be a favorite element to other children, reading these books out loud to my son has long been my family’s favorite way to spend app time that we really enjoy. These simple books flow really well, are easy to read and will make lovely first readers when my son is ready.

Here, a new character to this series is introduced, Lumi, a lost polar bear who is in need of help in finding his way back to the North Pole. Elly is at a loss as to what to do, so she asks her friends to lend a hand, helping Lumi make his way home, as well as gathering food and building shelter until he is able to make this trip.

Typically, adult humans are not found among these stories that revolve around Elly the reindeer, her animal friends, and her human friend Aapo. I think that it is a nice to include Aapo’s uncle, an explorer who is able to help Lumi go back home, as sometimes adults need to help children with problems that they may face. I am also very fond of how cooperation in general is a theme among these titles as Elly often needs to ask for help from her friends – great lessons for children to learn.

My son loves this story, as he does the other Elly apps. The mild drama of a lost creature in need of a helping hand is very captivating to my son, as his favorite game at the park is saving me – his “baby” – from alligators or hot lava, and now I am sure he will create a game where he needs to help me – as an animal that needs to find its way back home too.

The details from the airplane with skies to the building of an igloo to keep Lumi cool and comfortable were of great interest to my son, but what really fascinated him was the talk of the “magic lights” – a moment especially well narrated as well.

Like the other Elly books, hotspots are found in the corners of these pages, nicely marking where to tap, making it easy for the youngest children to explore these included sound effects. Although my son has access to the most interactive apps available, these lovely storybooks are still quite dear to his heart, also loving these simple additional sounds found throughout, tapping each one as I read these pages.

For the first time, an animated element has also been included, bringing the Northern Lights to this story as they magically appear in the sky for Elly and friends to see as they bid their new friend Lumi good night a long way away in the North Pole, and my son had a real moment watching the aurora borealis flicker across the last page of this story, making this a perfect bedtime story that gently introduces the idea the the world is bigger than one’s backyard.

My son’s face beamed throughout as I read this story to him. At the end, he asked my to read it again – high praise as he typically requests a variety of apps instead of a repeat performance the way he does with this darling polar bear story.

I am really happy that this series of Elly apps has included so many titles, allowing my son to get to know these creatures as they demonstrate true kindness and friendship. As a parent, I would be happy for my son to emulate these relationships. I hope more Elly books are to come.

[ Elly Book 10 Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

I do so very much love the look of this app, as each of the verses of this song is illustrated by wonderful illustrated scenes demonstrating each of these twelve days, such as Three French Hens or Five Golden Rings, complete with cute animated elements, lovely details and patterns adding to the richness and whimsy of lovingly crafted application.

I find the color palette used here quite pleasing, with warm muted colors alongside brighter color choices of many shades of green, turquoise and orange that I very fond of. The subtle shading and brush strokes used here add to this app’s beauty and hand-painted quality that adults and children will enjoy, and I would feel privileged to be able to hang images from this app on the walls of my home.

The animals as well as the people incorporated within are simply adorable. I also greatly appreciate that the people found in such scenes such as the pipers piping, lords-a-leaping or drummers drumming include a variety of skin tones and hair textures which create a nice visual effect as well as a multi-cultural experience, something I would love to see more of in the U.S. iTunes store in general.

Two general sections are included, specifically Playalong and Singalong and I enjoy how this app opens up to 12 images, found in 6 squares – top and bottom – that represent each of the days included in this song – an important element in the Playalong section.

Here, children have an opportunity to learn about number sequencing as this app plays each verse and then pauses, allowing children to tap the number in descending sequence, starting with days 1 and 2, then asking the player to tap the number 1, as it is the start of the long trail of presents received on each day that build as the days go by, ultimately allowing young children to test their number recognition and sequencing skills counting back from day 12.

This app also allows children to record their own version of this song, including simply audio or video as well for iPad 2 users. Options include being accompanied by singing along words with the original recording or singing to an instrumental version by oneself.

The words in this section are not highlighted karaoke-style but are delivered line-by-line as one watches this song’s animation on the top half of the screen. I don’t think the lack of highlighting will make keeping in time with this song difficult since it is so well-known, and I like that one can sing along while being somewhat prompted by the singer to keep in time, or sing by oneself as the instrumental version is being played. Sharing one’s recordings via email or Facebook is made easy, and I also enjoy the fact that one can also watch this lovely illustrated song without making a recording.

12 Days of Christmas – Polk Street Press Singalong is a great app for iPad for any family who enjoys singing or listening to traditional festive Christmas songs. The illustrations used are perfectly realized for this application, and I hope to see more from artist Lesley Breen Withrow in the future.

[ 12 Days of Christmas – Polk Street Press Singalong Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

This is a nice story where Biscuit and the girl deliver gifts of all shapes and sizes to neighbors, family and friends. From giving home-made gingerbread to relatives or birdseed to birds, this is a simple and sweet story about giving, and I like that less tangible gifts are given as well, such as sharing a story or even a kiss from Biscuit to the girl at the end which is considered the best Christmas gift of all.

This application includes some mild interactions where tapping creates some subtle but effective animations, allowing these characters to move. Narration is an option, as is Autoplay, and when this story is read by the narrator, the text is highlighted when read. Of course, this app can be read out loud as well.

Kids will also enjoy searching for Biscuit’s bone that has been partially hidden in each page – a fun seek-and-find type of game to play as one reads this storybook.

A coloring book, sticker book and memory game are also included that kids will enjoy, but I wish there was a way of muting the sound effects found as one colors or arranges the stickers as these sounds can be loud and possibly distracting.

The youngest of children through preschool will enjoy this story about Biscuit, as they have for over a decade now. The illustrations are lovely, as is Biscuit himself, making this app a nice choice for fans of these books, young dog lovers or for children who simply enjoy a nice story.

[ Biscuit Gives a Gift Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

Six nicely interactive sections are included that teach kids about where sharks live, the types of sharks that exist, shark features, feeding and family life, as well as a sticker section that one can explore, adding sticker packs that one collects as the discovery challenges are successfully completed.

The question of where sharks live is nicely answered with a world map that is marked with shark hotspots. A tap in the correct space delivers a shark trading card of sorts that can be flipped over to read such details as the habitat in which these sharks live, the food they eat, info about the speed in which they swim, and the size they grow to. They also include a Top Fact about every fish, making each unique. These cards can also be shared by email if one chooses.

Once these sharks are found across the globe, one can partake in a discovery challenge to win a sticker pack. This challenge tests the info absorbed during this section, with element of fun as well.

Here, one must match the shark in question to its corresponding cutout, also answering the question about each specific shark. I appreciate the included puzzle aspect being incorporated, as this allows one to match the outline of each shark, making it possible for children to succeed here even if they do not remember all the answers correctly.

The types of sharks are explored as one goes on an underwater photo expedition, lining up sharks in the sight of one’s underwater camera. These photos are transformed into info cards full of interesting shark facts, the completion of this task leading to a discover challenge where one must match the color, markings and other details that make up shark features and match these skin swatches to a corresponding shark outline.

Shark feeding is accomplished with a fun game: after scrolling though possible choices, choose a shark with a tap and and check out what it likes to eat as well as other facts found within its included info card, tilt the iPad to move the shark around looking for prey, tapping a side button to eat the smaller creature.

The family life of sharks is introduced with a fun peek-a-boo game of sorts as one scrolls through the bottom of the ocean looking for movement or air bubbles coming from behind an obstruction which hides baby sharks. Here one is challenged by matching the shark to the facts offered and to the corresponding head of each shark, allowing kids to use the outline as a further clue. Questions including whether the pup sharks are born alive or if an egg is released are also included.

After each discovery challenge is complete, children will receive five new stickers per stocker pack to add to their underwater scene that one can decorate.

I like how here, one can scroll side to side, creating a lot of space one can decorate and adults will enjoy how these stickers are offered to the players in a small Mylar bag, reminiscent of how trading cards from my childhood were packaged.

There is really a lot of information offered within this app, making it a great educational tool. We enjoy shark week as well, but I worry that sometimes content may be intense for my sensitive son.

This is not a concern here, making it a great choice for shark lovers of all ages, but be aware that this app does not contain narration, making this a good choice for later grade school or younger children provided an adult or older child is willing to read the text out loud.

The look of the sharks and various other illustrations is terrific – very realistic and with the bold colors one would expect from marine life.

Each of these sections has an included video that plays as an intro to the subject matter. These videos look wonderful as well, sometimes including interesting electronic music that really adds to the experience. Other times, the music has a decidedly different tone more reminiscent of that from a horror film or akin to the theme from Jaws.

This choice may be appropriate for the feeding section, although no graphic footage is shown, creating a theme for this section that may be appropriate from the view of the creatures these sharks eat, as to them – these sharks are indeed very scary.

I don’t, however, understand the scary music choices for the videos chosen for the shark features or family life sections, as here the dark tone created by this kind of music does not add to the topic at hand and to me seems like a judgment call of some sort, negative to sharks in general.

The tone created with this negative, slasher-movie-appropriate music, although a very short sample and video, is in great contrast especially in the family video, as here a lovely scene of pups swimming in unison under their momma’s belly are introduced with the use of aggressive music that does not at all illustrate the footage of family love.

The interesting electronic music used in the first two sections makes these video clips wondrous and even a little surreal – fantastic choices to go along with the videos in this app. The other, horror-like music, actually may make these videos less child-friendly to the most sensitive of children, which is the only flaw I found within this application.

I do enjoy everything else this app has to offer. The use of the trading cards that one can refer to later is a great way of organizing the vast amount of information offered within this app, which can also be emailed to a friend if one chooses. Each interactive section is intuitive and fun, as are the challenges.

I did, however, have some problems with the feeding section as sometimes the food listed was not recognized as a correct answer, now leaving the player to use trial and error to find the correct oceanic animal to eat – an issue I hope can be looked into.

Having said this, it is nice that this section not only allows one to tilt the iPad, but one can also tap the fish one is looking to eat as well, or drag a finger for the shark to follow – helpful for those not skilled at tilt games, such as myself.

This would make a great app for families or in an educational setting as the included games go a long way in introducing shark data in a way that stays engaging. I like that these challenges are in no way timed, and one can make wrong answers without any sort of penalty.

The theme music found on the main menu page is fun, upbeat and with a rock influence older kids and adults will enjoy, but I do take some issue with some of the other music used. Even with this issue, this is a very worthwhile app, especially to families that have a young shark lover.

[ Discovery Kids Sharks Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]

This app first opens up to an area where each of these cute animals is introduced, as a row of friendly animals scroll across the screen. Tap to meet each of these creatures to hear their name and what kind of animal it is.

After all the introductions are made, use the arrow at the top right of the page to bring one to the next section of questions that test children’s social awareness and eye for details.

This next section has eight animals that one has previously met, arranged in two rows of four. A simple question will then be asked, such as “Who is eating,” or “Who is listening to music,” both narrated and printed at the top of the page. Look closely at the screen and tap, in one instance for a giraffe licking a lollipop, in another for a cat holding a radio up to its head.

The questions asked vary nicely, with many topics that may be addressed. Positions are explored, such as upside-down or backwards, and familiar activities, such as waving or sleeping are demonstrated, and it is super-cute when these animals differentiate themselves by being dressed up in a tie or talking on a telephone.

My son especially enjoys the question about who is hiding, with the animal in question blending into the brightly colored background, being concealed by camouflage.

Other times kids will need to identify each animal in terms of type, such as “lion” or “hippo.” For these questions, the animals are arranged around the screen with their bodies out of sight, relying on these animal faces to tell who is who.

Interestingly this app also focuses on teaching social cues, such as who is waving, sticking out their tongue or crying, which may be easy to spot as these actions are very specific, but this app also tackles more subtle emotions such as sadness, anger or surprise.

I appreciate how one must look closely, especially to perceive specific emotions displayed by these delightfully stylized animals as the slight differences in eyes and mouth placement or shape are demonstrative in expressing these emotions.

At first, I can see how one may mistake a few of these emotions, but it does get better as one familiarizes oneself with these darling creatures. My son does take his time studying these included characters before making his selection – a necessity oftentimes needed to make a correct selection.

These animals are quite charming, and my son and I enjoy this app very much, even though my son is older than the target toddler audience.

It is also wonderful that, although a correct answer is the ultimate goal, tapping on another animal is not portrayed as a mistake, but a chance to explore the whimsy that this app has to offer, as other animals may make animal sounds, talk in full sentences like “How are you today,” “I love you,” or “Can you dance the macaroni.”

Sometimes these animals speak in full baby babble or the sounds of children doing their best animal impersonations, as well as more realistic animal sounds. Toddlers will delight in hearing these child narrators delivering these fun details, adding richness to this application.

I think this app would be a wonderful app for toddlers, for the social aspect this offers, as well as for the cognitive awareness this app expects from its players.

Parents may be disappointed if one is expecting to use this app to truly teach animals and their sounds, and although I do think animal identification will be re-enforced, this is not the specific intent of this app, but what it sets out to teach it does well – in a charming manner that does not feel rushed in any way while teaching some thoughtful and important social cues.

For this reason, I think this app will be of huge benefit to children on the autism spectrum or other children with special needs who may need extra help picking up the social awareness that other typically developed children take for granted.

Parent and teachers using this app in this way may want to supplement this app with photos of humans making these same facial expressions to make the info being offered translate further, further demonstrating to those playing this app with what they may be looking for. Adults may want to be familiar with this app themselves to help guide children who may feel stuck on some of these more subtle social nuances.

There is little I would change about this app, but I think that pages where fewer animal emotions are mixed about with more tangible traits such as a party hat and present or upside-down may be easier for those with special needs to decipher – something to think about. A separate section that keeps the comparing of various emotions to a minimum may be helpful to some – maybe something to think about for a future update.

[ Peek-a-Zoo – by Duck Duck Moose Review is a post from: GiggleApps ]