The Shape of Me and Other Stuff – Dr Seuss is a lovely adaptation of the title by of the same name – part of a series of Dr. Seuss books developed by Oceanhouse Media.

For those who may not know, The Shape of Me and Other Stuff is a Bright and Early Dr Seuss book, containing the rhyming cadence Seuss is known for without the wondrous nonsensical tongue twisters that can make his work cumbersome to read or follow by the youngest children. I have always been a fan of these simple-to-read books as they were some of the first stories we read to our son when he was born, and I am sure they will be the first books my son reads to himself as well.

The Shape of Me and Other Stuff teaches children about the concept of shapes beyond the traditional geometric shapes that one is commonly taught, instead being a message about imagination as well as an easy-to-read or listen-to story that rolls off the tongue very nicely.

The plot is simple and is not fully narrative as a boy and a girl explore the shapes of the objects in the world around them.

I appreciate how Dr. Seuss’s wonderful style of illustrations can be found within, as all the items included, even the boy and girl characters are wonderfully silhouetted in black, with the objects, creatures or characters sometimes also silhouetted in bold color choices or even in white when displayed on a colored page that is found among the pages of this book. I enjoy the look of these silhouettes, showing off the line detail of these illustrations – something that is not always focused upon when looking at the pictures in another Dr. Seuss book with the traditional brightly colored drawings.

Narration is included, here with two different voices in use, presumably those of the boy and girl characters from the story. I really enjoy the girl’s narration found towards the second half of this story, as she speaks clearly and with enthusiasm. The same can be said for the boy’s narration, but I think this voice in general too saccharine for my taste and not as enjoyable to listen to as other narrators who are used among the Dr. Seuss series of applications. It is worth noting that my son does not have this issue, and as these apps are primarily for children, this is a minor point.

I have been uniformly pleased with how the Dr. Seuss books have been translated into applications, keeping the style and spirit alive from the original published books, now including a chance to look at close-ups of these illustrations with the use of the “Ken Burns Effect” of panning and zooming of these pages draws the eye to areas of the page for a nice effect.

Subtle background music and ambient sounds are also incorporated that bring something new to this story not available when reading a traditional book – nice elements that add to the experience without distraction. Interactive hotspots are included as well, as readers can tap any detail to see the item labeled with text as well as spoken, yet never talking above the included narration – a nice touch.

Individual words can also be tapped to heard, aiding children in reading this book in case they become stuck and need help – a lovely inclusion that makes Oceanhouse Media apps in general wonderful resources for young readers.

Like the other Dr. Seuss apps developed by Oceanhouse Media, as well as their applications in general, one also has the chance to read this book to oneself. Autoplay is also included, turning the pages of this book automatically when listening to the narration.

I have been a huge fan of OceanHouse Media’s Dr. Seuss apps from their very first release of The Cat in the Hat, and I always get excited when a new Dr. Seuss app becomes available. I especially love that the easy-to-read Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners have been turned into storybook applications as well. I hope to see more of these titles developed including those written by other writers such Stan and Jan Berenstain as well.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Stories, Toddlers

Happykids – Veterinarian is a charming interactive game application for iPad that allows children to care for six animals with various ailments. Both iPad as well as iPhone versions of this app are available.

Intuitive to use, children simply tap an animal in the clinic waiting room where players then engage an x-ray machine that with the use of bulls-eyes, shows areas of the animal that need some attention. With four mini-games for each animal, this app is is great for toddlers and early preschoolers, as older children may find this app charming, but too easy to succeed at all the games quite quickly.

The mini-games themselves are cute and fun including activities such as dot-to-dot connecting that reveals animal thoughts, such as a dog thinking about a bone, being able to tap to kill fleas found in animal fur or mending broken bones by dragging them to their correct outlines seen on another included x ray.

Sometimes these sections may revolve around a maze or simple puzzle, other times health checks are in order, dragging a stethoscope to an animal’s chest to hear its heartbeat, using a thermometer to take a creature’s temperature or using a blood pressure cuff. General grooming is also commonplace, such as trimming a bird’s wings or a dog’s nails as well as brushing its fur.

The look of this app is really cute, and I like being able to treat birds as well as dogs and cats.

This app does have elements rather similar to another doctor-themed application my son enjoys, but I don’t see a conflict for us as my son can work with either or both applications depending on his mood of being a baby or animal doctor.

This is the first application of its kind from developer William Paten. We have enjoyed this very nice application, and I look forward to see if Paten develops other apps that focus on imaginative play as this one is quite enjoyable.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Health, Just For Fun, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Nedi the Yeti is a charming and simple interactive book for iPad about a peek-a-boo-playing Yeti and his animal friends who are hidden among these pages of this cute storybook.

Nedi the Yeti would make a great first app for babies and toddlers as the animals are friendly looking and engaging as well as not so well hidden that children of all ages could not find these creatures with ease, as a drag of a finger will coax these animals from their hiding places and a tap will trigger a speech bubble and a fun animal sound, be it either cartoony or realistic as is the case of the included bird or owl sounds found within.

Adults will be smitten by the visual style of this app, with the main color choices being white with shades of blues and grays – an appropriate palette for a tale about this kindly abominable snowman. Bright colors can also be found within as well, included among some of the animals one meets, making them pop nicely off the pages – a real treat for toddlers as they search among these pages. The quality of these illustrations themselves is wonderful, together with the light interactions and sounds, making this book very easy to enjoy.

Do be sure to tilt the iPad from side to side as doing so allows the background to pan sideways slightly, allowing readers to view more of the landscapes and hiding creatures, creating a nice 3D look that is very effective.

Without narration, this lovely app is designed to be read to small children, also making a nice early reader that kids in preschool or kindergarten will enjoy. Although this application may seem short from the point-of-view of older children, I think the length is just right for babies or toddlers who will enjoy Nedi the Yeti a great deal.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Preschool, Reading, Reviews, Stories, Toddlers

Easter is almost here, a favorite holiday of mine especially as a child, interesting as I never grew up with Easter having much of a religious significance. For me, it meant winter was over and spring had begun.

I still love to see the Easter treats and decorations in the stores, as the soft color palette found at this time of year is so much more appealing to me that the red and green or orange and black found during other holidays.

I have not decided yet if I want to treat my son to the Über mess that dyeing Easter eggs can be, and I have not encouraged the sweet tooth I had as a child so he does not share the same excitement I have seeing the rows of Peeps or Cadbury eggs lining the shelves of our local stores.

I do want him to have some Easter fun this year, however, be it on a secular level. We are going to an Easter egg hunt at preschool, and I am excited to share a new app with him with an Easter theme as well.

KidsMag, Easter Special Edition is children’s magazine app, part of the KidsMag series of apps that my son and I really like, much akin to reading Highlights and includes fun interactions as well as engaging instructions for baking and crafts that children will enjoy.

Easter-themed, this app includes a really nice story about bunnies decorating Easter eggs, gently teaching about art and inspiration in a way that both parents as well as children will appreciate.

As cute as this app is with an abundance of eggs, bunnies and carrots, it’s nice to see how educational this application is as well, as sequencing of ideas is taught in a variety of ways.

To hear the main story found within this app about the bunny egg decorating story, tap on each individual panel of this storyboarded tale to hear short passages that relate to the illustration included in each panel, teaching children about the different sections of beginning, middle and end that one can find within a story.

Very nice instructions for baking Easter cookies are included as well. Tap on each image in sequence to hear and read these instructions, nicely broken down to be able to be followed by children in their kitchens at home. Likewise, crafty directions for making bunny ears are also included. Tap on each image to be led throughout this activity from beginning to end.

The arranging of scenes is also taught, as Easter-themed images, such as searching, finding and eating chocolate eggs are explored, as children sort these illustrations from 1 to 4, again teaching the basics of a beginning, middle and end.

I also appreciate how during many of the included activities, the iPad can be shook to bring players to additional pages of the same activity, such as spot the differences, hidden picture carrot, chocolate bunny searches or hopping bunny dot-to-dot. Basic addition, colors and a puzzle are covered in this bunny-themed application. Kids can also get creative with coloring pages as well as an egg-decorating section.

With 17 pages of content – more when one includes the shaking of the iPad to expand many of these activities, this app will keep children occupied for a nice amount of time.

Being a special addition, this app at 17 pages, is shorter than an issue of KidsMag each which have around 30 pages, but it is also less expensive and well worth the money as are the other KidsMag applications within this series, some of which have been reviewed here at GiggleApps. Please search for them if interested.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Stories, Toddlers

The Traditional Storyteller – How the Elephant Got His Trunk is one of a series of apps from the Traditional Storyteller that I have previously introduced to readers as these wonderful and engaging applications tell stories from around the world which are very easy to recommend for all age ranges.

Elegant in its simplicity, this app, as does the others within this series, consists of a video featuring a master storyteller telling tales in ways that are most captivating. I am impressed by how my son is mesmerized by these apps, focused on every word and deeply entrenched by the performance of these storytellers who are wonderful at their craft.

I really enjoy that these videos do not contain music, sound effects or interaction – only relying on the talents of these included storytellers, gazing directly into the camera as if talking to the viewer directly.

This specific story, How the Elephant Got His Trunk – not to be confused with the Rudyard Kipling story with a similar title – tells the tale of how an elephant, gloating over his cute little button nose is not very nice to the other animals, and is put in his place when a monkey plays a trick on this elephant, ultimately leading all the elephants of the land to have their noses stretched into what is now known as a trunk.

I enjoy this story a great deal, as does my son. It is interesting to see an elephant portrayed as a mean, unfortunately recognizable character teasing other creatures about their noses, creating a chance for families to talk about cruelty among children and how to treat one another.

It is also open to interpretation if this elephant known as “elephant” is one specific rude animal, or if he represents elephants in general, creating an open-ended conversation about whether the trick that the monkey pulled on all the elephants of the land, even those who presumably had nothing to do with the bullying, is acceptable, thus creating a tale that does include some moral ambiguity, which I appreciate.

Other sections of this app exist as well, such as Map Game, where children use their cognitive skills and memory to re-arrange tiles consisting of illustrations based on this story in their correct order, learning about the dramatic structure commonly found among stories in a creative and fun way.

Listen and Repeat allows children to tap on specific moments that together make up this tale, listening to passages of this story, then repeating this story in their own way. Likewise, Tell Your Story lets children re-tell this story from their point of view, using illustrations to help keep their minds focused on the tale being told.

Best Bits replays the favorite part of this tale again, a nice touch that kids will want to listen to over and over again.

Parents as well as teachers will genuinely appreciate how these tales not only highlight storytelling as an art form, but are also excellent for teaching the structure of storytelling, an important lesson for children to learn early as they develop their ability to tell stories of their very own.

I am pleased to announce that this series of applications won the very prestigious Best Educational Resource Award for Early Years from the U.K. National Education Awards, akin to winning an Oscar for education.

To celebrate, Traditional Storyteller apps will be half-price for a limited time. I encourage parents and teachers to add these apps to their collections, especially special needs educators as their students may get a special benefit from watching these videos with the storyteller looking directly into the camera as if making eye contact with the child viewing the video.

I recommend these applications not only as lovely, calming tales for toddlers and preschoolers to relax with, but for older children as well – anyone really who enjoys a great story told marvelously.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Social, Special Needs, Stories, Toddlers

The Noisy Book GAMES is a creative and fun application that allows children to discover the sounds found among objects in their world – some common, some interesting choices for an application such as this. It is also good to know that French as well as English languages are provided, a thoughtful inclusion especially for French speaking, bilingual and other families looking to expose children to languages other than their own.

Parents who have perused iTunes will be aware of the abundance of apps such as this geared toward teaching new sounds, be it animal, vehicle or the like. What makes The Noisy Book GAMES stand out in a crowd is that the included noises are all created with the use of a human voice, not samples from nature or devised electronically, creating whimsical sounds adults will enjoy as much as their children will.

The main section of this app is the book itself, consisting of multiple pages one can scroll through, each containing six illustrations one can tap on to hear narration read in order to explain the object or concept being explored. Listen to these sound effects and enjoy the animated illustration as well, such as “The bee goes ZZZZZZZ…” or “The watch goes tick tock…” but for me, the most interesting selections are those more obtuse, such as the choices of “Pain” or the electrical socket going “no.”

The cute animation included further brings these words to life with nice effect, and I enjoy that these images have the same hand-crafted quality that these voiced sound effects do, keeping this app lovingly low-tech.

One also has the option of reading this book to oneself, recreating the sounds found throughout or coming up with one’s own unique noises.

I appreciate how the different sounds found within are randomly displayed among these pages and that one can flip though pages of this book looking for a specific sound, but I don’t like how after a sound is explored, it is grayed-out and can no longer be selected – an issue for children who may want to come back to a favorite sound over and over again.

After one has enjoyed the sounds found throughout this app, do test one’s memory of these noises as a game. “One, Two, Three sounds” is also included.

The look of this game is similar to a page from the book, consisting of six images. A sound is then heard, challenging players to select the corresponding sound.

This game has a nice level of difficulty, as one needs to remember a lot of sounds, and these answers are not always obvious. I do not like, however, that one mistake ends the game, never allowing children to know what the correct sound was that they were hearing. I would much rather see this as an activity which allows children to simply try again, showing children the correct answer after a few wrong choices, as well as letting players move on to the next question.

A memory game is also included where players turn cards over in order to make pairs – nice touches include choosing between easy and hard difficulty, as well as these cards turning over as quickly as the players can flip them – good to know as the slowness of having to wait for the cards within memory style games is a common complaint.

The last section this app offers is called Noisy Rap, a sound board based on the same layout found in the book and quiz sections. Here one can tap on an image to hear the sound it makes, together with background music also playing. These new songs can be recorded, and it is nice that a demo song is included to hear what can be created with a little practice. This section, as the name of this app implies, is rather noisy and will be a hit or miss depending on what the player finds appealing to listen to, but as a single section, I don’t see this as a major flaw within this app as the book and quiz modes are quirky and fun.

I have enjoyed the various sounds the human voice can make within this app, but I do think the price set for this app is expensive compared to their other apps at this price point, something to think about.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Language, Music, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

Now that the new iPad has been released, there may be readers new to downloading apps for their young children.

The app store can be an intimidating place, and the last thing any parent wants to avoid is spending money on an application that will not be enjoyed by their children. I remember when I got my first iPhone and began downloading apps, my son was 22 months old and I asked other mothers I knew to recommend applications that their toddlers loved.

The title that came up in conversation over and over again was Peekaboo Barn, a wonderful first app for children and an application that parents are still drawn to today as they look through my phone, abundant with educational apps a perennial favorite of my son who still enjoys this app from time to time. Versions for both iPhone as well as iPad are available.

This lovely, simple application opens up to a barn that bounces as one can hear something – presumably an animal – knocking from the inside. Babies and toddlers as well as older children delight in tapping the barn, opening it up to meet this creature. Once the barn is open, this animal makes its sound and its name is displayed using narration as well as text. The barn then closes, more knocking is heard and this game repeats itself.

Thirteen animals are included, and when one has met every animal, the last barn to be opened contains all these animals with their various sounds heard at once and the narrator proclaims “It’s everyone.” It is quite charming how the next screen includes nightfall and now the barn is filled with sleeping animals with narration proclaiming with a whisper, “shhh, they’re sleeping,” making this app a great title for bedtime, as seeing these animals asleep really relaxed my boy, helping him fall asleep himself.

Please note that both “Normal” as well as “Looped” modes are included. Make sure to use “Normal” mode to reach the restful ending to this app, as the “Looped” mode includes an un-ending supply of animals within barns to interact with.

The look of this app is great, with a sense of style adults will appreciate as well as their children, and it is especially nice that these animal noises sound very good, teaching about these creatures as one plays.

An American English-speaking child, adult English and Spanish-speaking narrations are included. Other language translations can be purchased separately as an add-on purchase, focusing on Asian or European languages. Recording one’s own voiceover is also an option.

There is not a lot I would change about this enjoyable app, but it would be nice if a basic home button were included as there is no mechanism to change narration or modes mid-game – just something to think about for the future.

If interested, do check out the other peekaboo apps within this series by Night & Day Studio such as Peekaboo Safari and Peekaboo Forest. We greatly enjoy these other, similar applications as well.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Primary School, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

Safari Party, developed by PIXOWL, Inc., is a universal puzzle/arcade app featuring cartoon animals and people drawn by a well-known French cartoonist and blogger, Laurel. To clear each level, players must move the animal icons around the screen to make groups of four. Once groups of four are formed, players may tap the groups to make them break up and disappear (think Bejewled Blitz). A certain number of animal groups must be cleared in the time allotted to pass each level, getting more difficult as players progress. There are several modes of gameplay: Arcade, Speed, Expert, Zen, and Multiplayer (recently added).

Despite the cute, cartoonish animals and their colorful habitats, the gameplay of Safari Party is actually quite challenging. My son (age seven) had no problem clearing the first five or so levels, but it took multiple attempts for him to go any higher. Because each level is timed, this app is fast-paced and exciting but may be a little stressful for some, too. Players can keep track of how many animal groups they have collected by looking at the tally at the top right of the screen and can also watch the timer scroll as it is visible along the bottom of the screen. Animals start to shake when the time is close to running out, however, as long as new groups of four are still being formed, extra time will be added to the clock. It is also possible to earn special achievements and “cheats,” which will help players to clear each level. Players can also shake their devices to scramble the order of the animals on the screen, so that more matches can be located in time.

Safari Party is one of the few apps that not only attracted the attention of my two kids and myself, but also caught the interest of my husband, who finds the app to be quite addictive. As both of us are former fans of Bejewled Blitz on Facebook, it is no surprise that we also like Safari Party. My husband and I take turns playing, competing with one another to progress to a higher level. I also play the app in a cooperative way with my son, as we help each other identify and group the animals. He particularly likes the look of the animals and their habitats.

The only criticism that I have of Safari Party is that when each level is cleared, a cartoon of a woman shows up on the screen to congratulate players, and I find them to be somewhat stereotypical in appearance. These women are wearing outfits meant to go along with each animal habitat, ie: Jungle-wear, Mermaid-wear, etc, and while each of them is pretty and appealing, one is drawn with cleavage showing, which I feel could have been avoided, as this is a children’s game. All in all, Safari Party is a charming and challenging app for ages 6 and up.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Matching, Middle School, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews

Goodnight Safari is a soothing and lovely app for iPad that allows children to interact with animals found in Africa’s Savannah, helping them with various bedtime routines, ultimately seeing that these animals go to sleep.

Six animals who need help from readers in performing nighttime activities are included, like helping a a young hippo take a bath or a monkey climb to bed, and I admire how each baby animal is being attended to by an adult animal – presumably their mom or dad.

The interactions are engaging but can also be challenging to understand exactly where to touch to trigger the animations, and it is potentially confusing that interactions must be played through multiple times to complete a task, allowing readers to continue to the next page, although older preschool ages children may really enjoy this aspect, making these interactions more involved than a simple tap or drag.

Help is available for those who need it, showing readers where to touch, but these hints are slow to be offered, and it would be nice if a mode were available where these hints were offered as soon as the page is turned for younger readers. Parents may want to familiarize themselves with this app before first showing this app to toddlers to expedite the experience at bedtime, but I do believe that this charming app could be their animal lover’s new favorite bedtime activity if help could be offered for young children to feel successful at these interactions.

Other subtle hotspots can be found on each page such as being able to shake distant trees or animate other animals. Do look for them.

The look of this app is wonderful, with lush textures and details that bring these animals as well as the Savannah to life. I appreciate how as one proceeds through these scenes, the sun starts to set and these landscapes darken with a lovely conclusion that has these animals sleeping together under a full moon and the sound of crickets filling the air, this pleasing sound to be heard throughout this app.

Very nice and relaxing narration is also included, and reading this app to oneself is also an option. A menu of pages is available – always a nice touch. My only note is that the baby zebra is hard to differentiate from the adult, as after the animation is triggered, it becomes obvious that the baby must run to its parent in the distance. Only then can the size difference be seen. I would love to see the baby noticeably smaller even before this interaction is triggered.

Children will enjoy helping their new animal friends get ready for bed, but with only six scenes, this app is a little on the short side.

For some parents, this is a perfect length as I am always looking to find shorter bedtime apps for when it is late and my son really needs to be getting to bed, but it may also be nice if a new more animals could be added in a future update.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Language, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories, Toddlers

The Giant Turnip is the most recent story brought to life by the developers at Stepworks. Part of a larger series of classic storybook apps, the tale of The Giant Turnip has its roots in Russian folklore, as does the first app from library – The Little Red Hen.

Here, The Giant Turnip tells the story of a father and mother who together plant a turnip that grows and grows until it is so large that it is impossible for any one person to pull it out of the ground by themselves. Coming to his aid, mother holds onto father, and together they pull but still need more help. One by one, their farm animals hug each other as well, and together they pull and pull until they are successful, demonstrating how “we can do anything when we all work together,” ending this story with a turnip feast, complete with some cute food-related interruptions my son especially enjoyed.

I really like how in this adaptation, the townspeople who try to help dislodge the turnip are now friendly animals, and it is charming how they all hug each other to get the job done.

As always, the look of this app is delightful, with wonderful colors and textures and fun use of music incorporated into a style utterly recognizable as a Kidztory storybook. I appreciate the warm browns and green shades seen in the land where the turnip is planted, along with the noticeable brush strokes for a lovely effect. Possibly more so than other apps from this series, nothing is flat-looking within this app as every animal or other detail has its own imperfect texture that layered together on the page really brings a richness to this story that adults may enjoy even more than their children.

As one can imagine, this story by its nature is repetitious, so it pleases me that what would be considered different camera angles and other editing techniques are used to tell this story, keeping it visually interesting for its readers.

It would have been an obvious choice to simply add each character to the long line of helpers trying to pull up this turnip, demonstrating this from the same vantage point, but instead, this app crosses the director’s line a few times as well, showing the line of helpers from behind or facing the opposite direction for a nice effect, also including an interesting use of close-up shots to create a subtle yet cinematic experience that adults will appreciate even if these choices don’t register with children.

As with the other classic storybook apps, one can choose to read this story to oneself or listen to charming narration. Fun interactive hotspots are included as well; do look for them.

It is without reservation that I can recommend this as well as any of the other apps within this series. They are universally wonderful storybook applications that children and their adults will love. Their first app, Red Little Hen, was the first app I bought for my son before he was two years old so these stories have a special place in my heart. Even after all these months, my son still goes back to old favorites, and I love how each of these stories contains a moral that children can learn from.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories, Toddlers