Who Stole the Moon is a lovely, sleepy tale for iPad, perfect for bedtime about a boy who is worried that the moon has been stolen when he can’t see it out his bedroom’s skylight one evening before bed.

Concerned, he leaves his home to go ask the nocturnal animals if they had stolen the moon to no avail, but is led in the right direction to Owl, who has the correct answer and is able to calm this young boy.

This is a charming story, nicely written in a style reminiscent of traditional folktales that adults will enjoy as much as children will. I also really like how this app offers a little educational material along with this sweet, simple story, explaining about nocturnal animals and about how the moon can hide behind clouds. The illustrations are nicely crafted as well with a good use of color, especially the sapphire blue chosen to represent the sky that looks especially nice against the back-lit iPad.

This book also contains an impressive number of languages to choose from, each including its own language specific narration and text, also allowing for narration or included sounds to be turned off individually as well – always a nice touch.

I have enjoyed meeting each animal introduced within this story, including cute details children enjoy such as a fox playing with her cubs, badgers eating cat food, or a mole shopping for worms to make tea. Each animal also has its own theme song that can be accessed within the story section itself or in a separate dedicated section.

This app includes some fun interactive elements as well as four activities that are included, and although they are pretty typical of extras found among children’s apps, I admire their quality in terms of illustrations used and very nice music included within.

There is a memory game section involving the turning over of tiles in order to create pairs. Nice varieties of this type of game are included, each with its own distinct style of cards that need to be flipped, such as one shape per card, a specific number of shapes per tile creating a nice nod towards subsidizing as well as charming insect drawings, each game including 12 cards to flip over.

Sixteen smaller cards can also be included within a game, here involving animals or fun monster and space themes, allowing children to play memory in a way that is a little more challenging.

The final section includes 36 cards to look under to try to match three cards this time instead of two. This change increases the difficulty level nicely, including the insect motif as well as simple sketches all in the color red, really adding to the amount of detail one must look at in these tiles when flipped over to differentiate each other. Some simple solid color tiles are included as well that contain a lovely marbled water-color look, also seen throughout this app as are perfectly imperfect textures found within this well-done application.

An arcade-style is included where one lights up randomly flying fireflies with a tap. This game is nicely challenging yet avoids over stimulation with the included gentle lullaby-type music. It is a nice touch that the background changes with a selection of earthy green backdrops – great for replay value.

In another area of this app, sixteen puzzles are included, each broken into 25 or 64 pieces which perform like classic jigsaw puzzles, each including a lot of game play. I like the audible click heard when the pieces are fitted together, but I think these lengthy puzzles should make available the reference image seen when choosing a puzzle for children who need a little help because no other hints are offered.

A finger-painting section is available which includes 16 blank sketches than need to be filled in with color. A variety of brush strokes are offered, creating interesting designs with either a tap or a drag of a finger. There is a rainbow of colors to choose from, including four different shades of each color – all really nice choices that combined with the unique brushes, create an effect closer to a painting experience, possibly with an airbrush, than simply scribbling.

Although it is interesting that the paint brush point varies with every tap, it would be nice to select the point size as well as to create details more precise if one so wishes. It would also be nice to have an “undo” button, but the eraser can help fix small mistakes that children feel they may have made coloring in these pictures. I would also like to see a solid line be able to be drawn. As of now, only series of dots is allowed.

A section also exists of the animal songs found within the pages of this story. I like that a separate section exists as these songs, nicely done, are also a little lengthy and takes me out of the story a bit to play them while reading the book. Each song can be listened to or sung with the aid of lyrics that appear sentence-by-sentence in time to the music. This prompt may be enough for older children to sing along but new readers may need more help from an adult as this method is less than true karaoke-style in which each word is highlighted when it is time to be sung.

I do like, however, how each song contains the text that is sung as well as illustrated with simple drawings that correspond to each tune. Parents may need to explain the vintage phonograph used to play these songs, complete with horn, record spinning and the crackling that can be heard when switching between songs – other nice details of this section.

I have enjoyed Who Stole the Moon and recommend this app as a very nice bedtime story choice for toddlers and preschool age children. I look forward to the new apps that WindyPress will develop in the future.

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

Awesome Shape Puzzles 123 is a lovely universal puzzle app by the developers at GiggleUp, a company that has produced a library of apps of very high quality.

In the past, I have quite enjoyed their other puzzle apps consisting of different themes, such as the farm or transportation. Here, instead of different scenes each revolving around a specific subject, 12 puzzles are included that each focuses on subjects children will enjoy, such as dinosaurs, musical instruments, a collection of toys, ocean and farm situations, as well as covering fruits and vegetables, numbers and letters.

Tap one of these puzzles found within the main menu and the next page will transform the puzzle in question to that of a traditional chunky puzzle layout with empty spaces where the objects in question will fit into these areas. A tap on one of these empty puzzle spaces will bring players to a new close-up page of this missing piece where one then drags and drops the pieces into their correct places.

Easy and difficult levels are available which change the number of pieces these objects have been broken up into – a great feature giving toddlers as well as older children a chance to enjoy this app at their own pace. Single pieces are also available, allowing the youngest app users to drag and drop chunky single pieces directly into these main puzzle sections.

I really enjoy the inclusion of “grab” within these puzzles, giving pieces just enough pull into the correct spots as well as a”clicking” sound when the correct pieces fall into place to create a very satisfying, almost tactile experience.

Another very nice inclusion is a Demo Button one can tap to fill in these individual puzzles piece by piece – a nice aid for children using the more difficult section, as well as just some simple fun for babies, this button showing cause and effect.

When these individual puzzles are complete, a flag being dragged by a chipmunk driving a variety of vehicles will reveal the name of the puzzle piece in question, also with included narration. I think this chipmunk is cute, but he lacks the detail found among the nicely illustrated puzzle landscapes found within, and although I like the idea of added narration, I did not care for the chipmunk presumably being the narrator because movements of his mouth are in no way synchronized to the voiceover, creating odd-looking moments that to me were distracting although maybe not for children, who may not notice. An easy fix is to have this animal simply be the driver pulling the word flag – animation that already exists as one can turn off the narration in general if one chooses to do so.

It is nice that sounds effects are included as well, allowing children to hear with a tap the noises these objects make when applicable, with simple sound effects also included when necessary for elements such as the letter, number or shape puzzle pieces. I was not a huge fan, however, of the bouncing and quivering these pieces display with each tap – simply a little distracting and unnecessary for an app that is otherwise very relaxing and nice for unwinding in general.

For this reason, it would be nice if the sound effects could be turned off, as can the easy-to-listen-to music, transforming this app into a perfect quiet activity.

This app makes a lovely first puzzle app for toddlers who will grow into the different levels of difficulty, learning lots of new words along the way, as well as for families with older children who can enjoy the more difficult puzzle mode, also appreciating the 150 separate puzzles included among the 12 topics.

I appreciate how intuitive these puzzles are for children, but it is also worth noting that this app is equally intuitive for adults, as the setting page is easy to find and navigate, with a nice choice of options such as many language choices, both European and Asian, whether to include the music or narration, use of the Demo Button, and upper case or lower case usage for some of the included languages. Changing the difficulty is also possible from within the app during play – a nice choice children can experiment with themselves.

GiggleUp is a developer that parents should become acquainted with as I have enjoyed their other puzzle apps as well as their Interactive Telling Time app, available on iTunes. If interested, please search for my other GiggleUp reviews here on GiggleApps.

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

I have a real treat for readers today as I would like to announce that recently, Toca Boca released a free version of their popular digital toy app, Toca Kitchen. Titled Toca Kitchen Monsters, this new app includes two monster characters whom players can cook for and feed, complete with monster-like table manners and house-keeping skills.

Toca Boca is one of my all-time favorite developers, and it is really a gift for app users – new and seasoned alike – to be able to download an app of theirs for free, allowing parents to try one of their digital toys to see if they would like to purchase more of these reasonably priced applications.

Fans of Toca Boca who are familiar with Toca Kitchen will recognize much of this app because game play here is similar to the original application. First choose one’s monster character – either the brown furry creature with the banana peel on his head or the odd-looking blue guy styled in an equally odd way.

A swipe to the left of the screen will bring players to the refrigerator that here contains eight foods that one can prepare and feed to their character choice, including fruits and vegetables as well as a steak and/or hotdog. By first glimpse of the fridge, players may notice the old food splatter all over the interior, as well as the outside of the fridge and the door, which can be seen as one drags a finger over this section for a moment before the finger lets go, opening the door to see inside.

I love the inclusion of these messy details, as one can see spaghetti draped over the door handle, a piece of toast stuck to the door itself, as well as yucky yellow handprints and a mysterious yellow spill dripping from the top.

After food selections are made, one can choose to feed these choices raw to their creature, either whole or cut into pieces, as well as using other kitchenware to prepare these foods such as food processor, pot for boiling, pan for frying and microwave.

One can also see here that these monsters are not great housekeepers as all the kitchen tools seen here are also in need of a good wipe-down, as are the walls and other surfaces such as stovetop or microwave. This kitchen is pretty much a disaster – elements that I really enjoy – with many messy details to discover, which really adds to my monster-feeding experience.

When the food is prepared, do offer some to your creature, taking note that these beasts have very strong food preferences that they are not shy to display, as they often blow a raspberry, complete with out-stuck tongue but can also really enjoy their food, although this can be quite messy in and of itself, with food particles flying from their mouths as they chew.

When I was first testing this app, I loved these messy, friendly monsters and took them on face value as being simply whimsical characters which are very Toca Boca. It was not until I over-spiced my character’s food with pepper or salt – new condiments to the Kitchen app – and had this monster blow the entire mouthful in my face digitally, complete with what would be drip-down on the front piece of glass of my device – that a thought hit me.

This is no generic little monster; this reminds me of my little monster, especially when he was younger and trying foods for the first time, and yes, in the throes of taking care of a sometimes high-needs baby, our kitchen could use a good wipe-down from time to time as well. This is the reason that I am so smitten with the fun dirty details found within this charming application.

My mind wanders to a personal favorite book that I read to my son, Zagazoo, by Quentin Blake, about a young couple who receives a package of a zagazoo, which readers will identify as a baby. This zagazoo inexplicably changes into a vulture who screeches loudly, especially at night, to a warthog who wallows in the mud, an elephant who knocks everything down, a vulture with a fiery temper, and finally to an odd hairy creature that keeps to himself until one day he changes into a lovely young man, having gone through all the stages of childhood that readers will easily relate to.

Keeping this book in mind, I see the monsters from Toca Kitchen Monsters as children with monster-like table manners that I as well as most parents can relate to on many levels. From this point of view, I am smitten by all the antics and messy details found within, confounded by the fact that my son is growing up and has developed better eating habits. I can now look back fondly at this time in his life as he is no longer exhibits such messy behavior, but I can understand parents being concerned that very young children may in fact emulate the raspberry-blowing and food spitting of these monsters – not much of an issue for children in preschool or beyond, I would hope.

I am enjoying the new salt and pepper and extra cutting abilities found in Toca Monster Kitchen and the recent update to Toca Kitchen. The biggest change I would love to see included within these apps is the ability to cook or in other ways combine different foods together, although being able to place foods together on the plate to feed these monsters is always nice.

It is very easy to recommend this wonderful, free application to readers. My husband and I enjoy Toca Boca apps as much as my son does, and we as a family get very excited to hear about anything new from Toca Boca. I look forward to new applications by this talented group of developers.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Social, Toddlers

The Monster at the End of This Book…starring Grover! is a wonderful adaptation of the classic picture book of the same name, starring Grover from Sesame Street. I am enjoy this application greatly, having purchased this app when it was first released a while back, and I am happy now to have the chance to review this app for readers.

The Monster at the End of This Book, as a traditionally published book, has been a family favorite since my son was young as well as a story both my husband and I remember from our childhoods – an especially popular book with my husband when he was a boy.

I have had a lot of fun reading this book to my son, as here, Grover is very afraid of the idea that there is a monster at the end of the book, asking the readers not to turn any pages to avoid this creature, creating barricades along the way to prevent page turning. I must admit, however, that I never got Grover’s voice just right, much to the chagrin of my son who wanted me to sound just like Grover from TV.

Because of this, I remember being very excited when I first heard that this classic book had been turned into an interactive application, and I happy to announce that the end product lives up to the high expectations that I had of this title.

Possibly the best element here is the fact that Grover himself does the narration, pitch-perfect as one can imagine. The original artwork is included as well, along with seamlessly animated moments setting up the images captured from the printed material, such as Grover building a wall of bricks that is seen only in its completion within the published story. I am also happy that the unique use of text layout, font choices and color within the text is maintained as well, with possibly more impact within this app as the words appear on the screen as well as faintly highlighted when spoken, drawing in the readers attention for a very nice effect.

I also appreciate how the Grover animations look more like articulated drawings without a fully animated video feel that may be off-putting to some parents looking to avoid animated books akin to television.

I very much like the ease of use of this application as well, as one simply taps the corners to advance, something readers are not able to turn pages prematurely. This app also includes a nice cue to turn each page, as the corner of the page to be turned flaps slightly and includes the subtle yet effective page turning sound effects.
The adding of page-turning arrows is also an option. Yellow highlights are also included to show where to tap to trigger hotspots, such as the knots Grover has tied in rope to try to keep children from turning the page which are very effective in demonstrating where the interactive areas of this storybook are located.

It is also a nice touch that Grover will tell readers himself how to work through the interactions if children pause at tapping these interactive areas, adding some fun, conversational humor not found within the traditional book. Do take the time to look for these fun moments as they are very cute and inventive, offering up hidden ways of interacting with this book as well, such as tickling Grover or shaking the device to knock down a brick wall protecting the pages from being turned.

A very good use of musical moments is also included – an element not found by simply reading this book to one’s child which I found especially well done, adding a lot to the richness of this delightful story.

Another nice inclusion is a parents’ section which discusses how to deal with children’s fears as well as other tips on getting the most out of sharing this app with one’s children.

I especially like how manners are touched upon as my son had real laugh-out-loud moments interactive with this application, turning the pages against the express request of Grover, who is not being comforted at all during this experience. We love this book, and I recommend this application and the published book without hesitation, but parents may feel the need to talk to their children about not doing the opposite that a friend requests just for a laugh.

I am glad to see a menu included as I can imagine children asking for specific scenes over and over again – a nice touch.

The only thing I wish that could be included was a way to turn off the tab that can be opened to see other applications available by this developer, Callaway Digital Arts. It is true that one has to tap a specific area of the tab to get full access to this section in a way that adults are bound to maintain control, but children can still see the images of other apps they may desire, enough to add them to a list of wants that may not thrill parents.

Having said this, I highly recommend this application to families who have enjoyed this title before as a traditional storybook as well as fans of Sesame Street, yet rest assured that children new to Grover will enjoy this app just as much. Parents will enjoy this application as well as the interactions which truly propel this story forward and are never random.

If readers have not done so yet, they may want to take the time to familiarize themselves with developer, Callaway Digital Arts, as they have a very nice selection of apps available, especially those which have been adapted from previously published stories including familiar characters that kids will love such as Angelina Ballerina or Miss Spider’s Tea Party, another personal favorite app.

Readers may also be interested to know that a companion app, Another Monster at the End of This Book…Starring Grover & Elmo, is also available through iTunes, also to be reviewed soon here at GiggleApps.

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

Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Collection #2, as the name suggests, is a wonderful collection of Dr. Seuss interactive storybook apps, including some of my personal favorite Dr. Seuss stories of all time.

This application may be of most interest to readers who are new to the Dr. Seuss series of applications developed by Oceanhouse Media. These storybooks, as do the other stand-alone Dr. Seuss apps and the other Oceanhouse Media storybook applications in general, include professional narration as well as the ability to read these books to oneself. Auto play is also included that, along with the included narration, turns these pages automatically – great for the youngest children to enjoy these stories on their own.

The original illustrations from each of these stories are included, with the use of panning and zooming to allow one to see the details of each wonderfully Seussian drawing up close, guiding the eye of readers to specific points of interest within the page as the text is displayed. The words within these stories are highlighted when read, a nice touch children trying to follow along will enjoy. Do tap on individual words to hear them again, even when the narration is not in use – a wonderful inclusion that enables young readers to pronounce words they may have trouble with. Whole paragraphs can also be tapped to be heard, as well as the objects and characters on every page which are labeled with both a written word and a spoken one, yet never talking over the included narration – a nice touch. Lovely sound effects are also included that bring a lot of richness to these stories without distraction.

I am a fan of Dr. Seuss stories, but I have to admit that I find them sometimes hard to read out loud with ease as I am not great with tongue-twisters in general, as are some of these popular books. Therefore, I love having the chance to sit back and listen to these stories with my child, as the included professional narrators do a better job than I.

Five stories within this collection are included – specifically Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Green Eggs and Ham, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, and Dr. Seuss’s ABC.

Readers may know about each of these classic stories, but I am happy to go over each one for parents who may not know some of these titles.

Hop on Pop is my favorite Dr. Seuss book to read out loud and a real classic book in our house. Published in 1963, this book was originally subtitled “The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use,” and really rolls off the tongue as children listen to and later read this simple rhyming story – a series of short whimsical phrases really, that introduce phonic sounds in a charming way that one would expect from Dr. Seuss, brilliant at keeping the attention of children and never in a way that is at all condescending – often a criticism I have of other phonics-based books or early readers for younger children.

I love Hop on Pop because here, kids learn not only about phonics but about the deconstruction of languages as wonderful Seuss illustrations depict lines such as “Mouse House.” This is further described as “Mouse on a House,” very different from “House Mouse” and also more fully explained as “House on a Mouse” complete with wonderful illustrations that fill in the context of these nonsensical lines from this story. Children will love the various characters met within these pages, as well as how every few pages or so a new story element to this phonics book is introduced – wonderful for the attention span of toddlers as well as for children of any age.

There has been a lot of hopping on pop at our house when this book has been read as a classic book or via this application as my son loves to act out this passage from this book. I look forward to my son reading this book out loud, and some day to his own family.

The Cat in the Hat Comes Back – all things considered – may be the most memorable Seuss story from my childhood. Here, Sally and her brother, characters from the first The Cat in the Hat, are busy shoveling snow at their house as the Cat in the Hat lets himself into their home, eats cake in their bathtub, and leaves a huge pink stain that needs to be cleaned. When the Cat chooses to use inappropriate household objects to clean the pink stain, he transfers the stain all over the house, confounding this pink stain problem as it grows and grows, introducing other little characters, cats A to Z as well, for an epic ending that I really enjoy.

The narration within this section is crafted by the wonderful John Bell, my all-time favorite narrator who does an amazing job reading Seuss, in a delivery most wonderful, conversational and adding so very much to this story, expressing the brother’s frustration over the Cat’s antics, as well as the drama that insures better than any other person I have heard read Dr. Seuss – much like a Shakespearean actor reading Shakespeare in a way that greatly boosts the comprehension of the audience.

I also admire the use of sounds here for a great effect as a “voom” is needed to finally clear the pink stain from the house, and the added sound effects used here to further illustrate this moment for me are perfectly realized.

It is worth noting that the ABC cats try to use guns to “kill” the pink stain during this story – something that has bothered some parents in the past – is an issue that personally does not concern me as the guns seen in the illustrations are obviously cork-guns, and John Bell does a great job keeping these moments light and silly.

Looking back, I think this pink stain actually scared me, but as I far as I can remember, I mean this in a very good way.

Green Eggs and Ham is a delightful story about Sam I am who will not take “no” for an answer as he hounds a grumpy character to try Green Eggs and Ham, although this character has no interest in doing so. Sam I am is quite thorough in his trying to get his friend to try them in a variety of creative and whimsical ways, such as with a mouse, in a house, in a box, or with a fox. The answer is a resounding “no” until this other character is broken down and is willing to try the dish and actually likes them. The additional sounds used in Green Eggs and Ham are yet another example of how sound effects can bring so much to these stories, as Sam I am and the friend travel near and far, braving the elements as well as various means of transportation, with effective sound effects to match.

There’s a Wocket in my Pocket is a fun way to introduce children to all the objects found in their homes with the use of fun rhyming creatures that children will enjoy. I especially liked the included creature noises used, really bringing these nonsensical characters to life.

Dr Seuss’s ABC’s is a delightful way to teach children their letters as well as other words that start with the same letter in question, getting to know classic oddball Seussian characters along the way. Although not found in the original book of the same name, the individual app contains an extra last page full of interactive letters that is missing from this collection – an odd omission as this last page brings more interactive elements for children to enjoy. I hope this last page can be added to this collection in the future.

I highly recommend this app to families who have not yet built a library of these individual Dr. Seuss applications. Readers may have sticker shock when first looking at the price of this app, but it is a great deal for a compilation of five wonderfully written, illustrated and now digitally adapted for iPad and iPhone.

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

Flip: Interactive Storybook is an interesting universal interactive storybook.

This short storybook is honestly hard to describe in terms of a narrative as here a girl leaves a city described as dreary, and is no place for her. Emma literally tears herself off the page of this book, also removing a hot air balloon from these pages and flies away first through a lush field that leads to a dark and menacing forest, ultimately being lifted by a funnel cloud high into the sky until there is nothing left and hits “The End”. From here, the girl fights her way back from this end page, back to the dreary city, deciding that it is in fact for her.

The style of this app is quite intriguing as many elements found among pop-up books have been incorporated and can be interacted with, such as the swipe of a finger to tear Emma off the page as well as helping Emma to pull tabs, or with a tap by the reader, opening up flaps one commonly finds in traditional pop-up books as well the tearing free a hot air balloon from these pages for Emma to use on her journey, a nice moment within this story.

This app create an interesting point-of view as one sees these articulated areas of this book from a vantage point of truly being within the story – not simply looking at these flaps or pop-up elements as one may from simply reading a book.

Although I prefer hand-drawn animation to that which is computerized, I do like the look of this app in general, as I enjoy how the accordion-style pop-up and fold down elements seen while turning the pages of a pop-up book are here almost characters themselves and are part of the storytelling narrative – not just elements found to create realism when turning a page. Emma herself also reminds me vaguely of a computerized Tim Burton character – high praise, to be sure.

Some interesting concepts are touched upon here because Emma is presumably a character in a book who is looking for adventure within this story without wanting to go beyond these pages. However, I simply wanted to know more about Emma, the dreary town and what was beyond the end – if anything – and why she chose to go back home.

I enjoy the moment where Emma removes the hot air balloon from the page and flies away as well as the twister that carries her away to the stars – reminiscent possibly of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – but I did not like the way the tone of this short app changes so quickly, cycling between emotions without fully realizing these moments.

Some readers may enjoy how this story is open to interaction, while others may find the storyline thin and more of a showcase for the use of the digital art within.

The interactions do nicely propel this tale along, include dragging and tapping that creates some nice effects, yet the interactions can be cumbersome and unresponsive as well as difficult to decipher. Hints are offered telling readers how to interact with this tale, yet they can turn abstract such as asking for “help” without specific instruction – an area that got me stuck when reading this book more than once. When in doubt, do tap on the hint word itself.

It would also be nice if the page turning of this app could be smoothed out in a future update as this roughness does distract from the immersive feeling that this app does create.

I fear that I may come across as overly harsh in my review of Flip: Interactive Storybook – unfortunate because this app does create images that I do find captivating, possibly getting my son’s imagination working as Emma comes to the end of the book and pulls herself back from going over the edge of the end. I just wish more explanation was given about Emma and her back story, as well as fleshing out what, if anything is beyond “The End” and the reason for her returning to her bleak city.

Having said this, I give this app credit for its style and imagery created within that may stay within the minds of readers for some time. I do feel, however, that compared to other apps within this price point, this app may surprise adults with its short length and lack of varied interactions.

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

Kids Fun for iPad is a charming interactive app that boasts over 70 short activities for children. I am excited by this app as it is not only content-rich, but the mini-games and activities are of a very high quality that really impresses me. An iPhone version of this app is also available.

This app is nicely intuitive as one begins on a main page that contains ten sections that one can chose from. Simply tap to choose. From here, one can choose from another menu of related choices, nicely organizing the abundant selections to choose from.

Children will appreciate how these sections are animal-centric and include an area dedicated to matching, such as an animal to its food, babies and their adults, animals with their homes and an interesting way to teach shapes – both geometric as well as animal silhouettes.

Users can play peek-a-boo with various animals while viewing different habitats such as those found in the ocean, Arctic, jungle, countryside or forest.

A sticker section is also included, allowing children to decorate different habitat landscapes with the animals found in these areas, sometimes including animal sounds or movements – nice touches that I wish were incorporated in all sticker choices.

A well-done spot-the-differences mini-game is included, allowing children to find the missing or different objects between two similar images. I like how this app keeps count of the five differences one is looking for as well as how one can tap either image to mark the differences found within – a helpful element to be sure.

Ten coloring pages are included as well. Here, one fills in the spaces of these cute animal drawings with the paint-bucket method of coloring and includes a good selection of color choices with the mailing of completed work made possible – also a nice choice.

A fun slider activity is included as children can tap their way through different animal heads, torsos and leg choices, creating both unique as well as complete animals. Animal sounds are also incorporated within.

Children will also enjoy the five animal puzzles found within this app. These puzzles include nine pieces each with a faint view of a reference picture showing one where the pieces belong as well as the use of a magnetic-like pull of the pieces guiding them into their correct spaces. This creates a satisfying experience as well as a nice level of hint without making these puzzles too easy.

Animal sounds are taught, nicely grouping creatures in their like habitats such as jungle, ocean, or forest.

I have also enjoyed the connect-the-dots section of this app as here one just needs to tap the number in sequence – easier for toddlers and young preschoolers who are still working on their fine motor skills.

Traditional “memory” games are also represented as one needs to turn tiles over in order to make pairs.

The look of these activities is uniformly wonderful, with bright stylized illustrations as well as the use of the circle found in the layouts throughout this app. As the menu pages, areas to color, puzzles spot-the differences sections and others are all found within circles for a vaguely vintage feel possibly reminiscent of decorative plates or needlepoint seen through an embroidery hoop, elements that I appreciate.

Children will also be smitten by the animals popping up or scurrying across the page that they may be working on as well as the lovely use of chime sounds when page selections are made as well as the random animal complete with included sounds found on the main menu page, and thoughtful use of ambient animal noises.

This is a really nice choice of application for young children as hours of game play are included. Being educational as well as charming and a lot of fun, parents will feel good about their kids spending time with this application.

I am impressed with the simple, sweet and stylized look this app has, making me interested in seeing what other apps the developers at toomanyscreens may come up with in the future.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Matching, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

Cuddly as a Bunny – Picture Me® is a lovely universal app which allows parents to include personal photos of their child within this application, creating images of their kids in wonderful animal-themed dress-up outfits.

This short yet sweet application is based on the series of Picture Me® books where parents can slip a photo of their child into the back of the book that includes a dye-cut section on each page where the child’s face peeks through, allowing children to see themselves in a wonderful selection of animal dress-up costumes or other themes.

This app jogs my memory as I was given one of these books a long time ago. I thought that this book – a dress-up costume story – was super-cute, but we had no specific photo of our son printed that would fit the cutout just right. I am embarrassed to admit that I never did find and then print the perfect photo for this book so the book remained unused, its whereabouts now unknown. These books have been around for 23 years and have sold over 30 million copies, so my experience is in the minority, but I was happy to have a second chance with this new application.

I discovered that finding appropriate images on my camera roll was not too difficult, and it is worth noting that one can take a photo from a device as well to use within this app if so desired. The framing of these images worked well for me as one can pinch or zoom in or out with fingertips, sizing and rotating the child’s head or face with ina faint outline of the costume worn on each page.

Four images can be added to the pages of this book, and it is interesting how there is a randomness to the use of these pictures among the pages of this book – a nice touch for re-reading.

The story itself consists babies dressed in the most divine animal full-body costumes one can imagine, with rhyming animal-centric text that introduces each animal nicely. The next page includes the child’s photo with text and narration, asking one to “imagine me” as the animal in question as well.

The effect created with the inclusion of personal photos is quite good, and the child’s image added to this app really looks like it belongs within this storybook.

Mild sound effects and interactions can also be found, such as children making animal sounds like the “meow” of a cat or the ability to drag small objects like butterflies or fish across the page.

Like other Oceanhouse Media books, the illustrations enlarge to show details – here with the tap of a finger. Although I really appreciate this feature within their Dr. Seuss apps as well as others, I have mixed feelings about this storybook. It is nice that young children have a chance to see the close-up of their photos as well as the other babies within this app, as babies are programmed to want to look at faces, but the quick zooming movements here may be distracting to children still new to tracking images with their eyes. The interactive elements of this app one drags with a finger are also relatively small for children to manipulate, especially for the babies this app is designed for.

In reality, this app may be best as a lovely keepsake for parents, as the images created are really quite nice, transforming children into adorably cuddly animals. One of the pages which includes my son’s face in a Dalmatian dress-up – a fancier version of a favorite Halloween costume of my son – makes me daydream a bit about him when he was younger and how much older he has gotten, and I really appreciate how these images can be saved on one’s camera roll or emailed to friends and family. Nice narration is included. Parents also have the chance to read this story to their children as well, further personalizing this app.

It would be nice, however, if multiple users could have their images saved simultaneously so families of multiple children don’t have to search their camera rolls to swap images, although one always has the chance to use up to four family members within the book as well. It would also be nice if one could save a few favorite photos to a gallery within the app, helping the image selection process for those who may want to rotate the photos used in this storybook.

To email, save or print from an air printer, tap a photo page at the center bottom of the screen to retrieve a pull-up menu – a section parents may overlook at first when exploring this book – yet intuitive to use once found.

All in all, this is a very nice application for babies and toddlers, and it is also nice to know that my preschool-age son did enjoy seeing his photo added to the story as well. I can see this storybook as an especially nice choice for those who enjoy playing dress-up or pretend to be animals. If interested, other apps from this series are also available through iTunes.

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

Cool to be Clever: Edson Hendricks is a wonderful biography for iPad that tells the life story of Edson C. Hendricks, the brilliant mind behind the design of the Internet.

This is a very nicely written application, narrated effortlessly by Hendricks himself, who has a wonderful speaking voice which reminding me of a less flamboyant Spaulding Gray making him a great talent in re-telling his own story.

Although written by another author, Leanne Jones, the words presented on the page and spoken in the first person ring utterly true as they guide readers through Hendricks’s early life as a child, being bullied for his intellect as well as for his red hair color, through his groundbreaking work with computers at MIT and beyond as he worked to design a method of connecting the world’s computers, sometimes misunderstood by those in authority at this workplace.

I do really enjoy this story of how the technology for the Internet was born, as I do Hendricks’s personal story, growing up and feeling an outcast until he found his place in college – a relatable experience for many.

Hendricks’s method of delivery is modest and humble, always remaining very much of an everyman including his lovely delivery of his life story to his interviews, which are also included within this application.

I find it interesting that Hendricks is widely regarded as a genius yet never uses this word himself, and I wonder if children will fully understand how unique an experience it is to be a self-taught reader or how difficult admissions to MIT is – topics that parents or teachers may feel the need to touch upon.

I also appreciate how this application also includes moments of drama and suspense during a chapter that goes into detail about Hendricks and a friend sailing through a hurricane on their way to Bermuda, Hendricks being depressed at the time over an invention that was not well-received and how having to fight for their life helped put things into perspective.

Another interesting section of this app includes an anecdote about a peculiar cat that I also was impressed by regarding how this story is tied to the rest of the app in a most thoughtful way.

Please do not expect many interactions as this app is primarily a recorded book and a terrific learning tool that not only teaches about the history of the Internet but may also whet the appetite of children for other biographies or interesting people.

I really enjoy how this app combines the written story narrated by Hendricks as well as other sections that include much other information about the Hendrickses’ family life, the Internet and other scientific topics, also including moments of Hendricks giving wonderful advice to programmers as well as to children who feel different.

This app also includes a lengthy section about bullying in schools and what can be done about this very serious topic. The music used throughout this app is also touched upon in a separate section – a nice touch.

It is easy recommend this application for children who have the attention span to listen to this lengthy, interesting audio-book of an iPad app keeping in mind that Hendricks notes a particularly dark time for him that may be not appropriate for some younger children.

Illustrations are included which are equally well done, but at times when Hendricks is describing the computer room in college where he worked, it seems like a missed opportunity that the illustrations do not represent what is being described as this could have helped children visualize these most outdated computers and other hardware being discussed. Also, an image of Woodstock is incorporated into the text – an event that Hendricks experienced firsthand, yet it is only 1965 in the timeline of this story, with a jog into the future while discussing other scientific achievements to come. This may be a little confusing for readers, especially those who think of 1969 when thinking about Woodstock – possibly less of an issue for children not familiar with these dates.

The production value of the audio recording of Hendricks’s story is a little rough – something that I found mildly distracting yet not something most children will pick up on, I am sure.

This app is not only great for children, teens and interested adults, but for teachers as well, as this app has a very nice section about dealing with bullies in school and how this could have helped Hendricks possibly fit in better in school.

This application is thoughtfully written and includes a lot of information children can feel inspired by, from the design that led to the Internet to Hendricks’s personal story of overcoming bullies as well as touching on the difficult yet very real topic of depression that Hendricks also includes as part of his life story.

Equally interesting are the interviews with the author of this app, Leanne Jones, who discusses her experiences as a teacher, how she discovered Hendricks’s story, and what she learned from writing this biography – all interesting notes that add to this app’s overall experience.

Cool to be Clever: Edson Hendricks reminds of me the It Gets Better Project for Gay and LGTB Youth, yet here this app articulates that life can get better for those bullied during their childhood years, making this a story worth telling in homes and schools, especially within gifted classrooms.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, For Parents, Health, High School +, Just For Fun, Middle School, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Science, Social, Stories

Dynastid Beetle is a fun and educational interactive app for children. To those living in the United States, an application dedicated to learning about a beetle may seem like an odd choice, so it is worth noting that dynastid Beetles are commonly kept as pets within Asian households. Versions of this app are available for both iPad as well as iPhone.

This interactive app contains five sections – each dedicated to teaching a specific aspect about the lives of dynastic beetles.

The Body does a nice job of introducing the unique look of this beetle to readers, giving children a chance to rotate a beetle 360 degrees, tapping specific areas to get a close-up image with included narration and text for a nice effect. I also like how two different vantage points are included – both looking down at the beetle to see the top and belly of this creature or from the side, giving a better view of the legs and profile of this insect.

The Habitat section of this app includes an interactive globe that one can tap on to learn about where these beetles can be found, including detailed close-up photos that nicely show the differences and similarities of these beetles.

How They Move contains some nice interactive moments as well, allowing children to move this beetle with the tap of a finger, as well as to create tree sap for these beetles to eat by drawing a circle and helping the beetle to fly with the drag of a finger. The included illustrations are especially effective in this section, showing beetles and the trees they feed from in great, realistic detail. It also includes a lush, green background that is very pleasing to look at.

My personal favorite section of this app is How They Grow, as it includes many other thoughtful interactions which help these beetles mature into adulthood from their egg stage, including a manual temperature control and the feeding of leaf mold to larva.

My son and I have enjoyed helping a beetle fly, or having completed the larva stage, shed his skin to become an adult as well as exploring the entire life cycle of this insect with the use of a scroll bar. This allows for these changes to occur in slow motion, showing a lot of intriguing, educational detains that I really appreciate.

Another interesting area is the Battle section, showing how Dynastic beetles uses their horn to fight against stag beetles that have pinchers instead, reminding me vaguely of the Rock’Em Sock-Em toy, as one taps a button showing off both these beetles’ defensive or offensive skills in a way that is sporty but not violent, showcasing the horn of the dynastid beetle vs. the pinchers of another insect.

A quiz on what one has learned is also included, as are video clips that include a scene focusing on a larva eating tree sap, a day in the life activities such as walking or climbing, and the meeting of boy and girl beetles, nicely showing the differences in size as well as other details.

I have really enjoyed all the information offered within The Dynastid Beetle. I am fond of science-related apps in general, and I think this app is a great choice for young children to learn about an insect that they may know little about. The interactions are varied and really go far in terms of teaching about the life cycle of this beetle.

I am impressed by how smitten I have become with the cute larva I have been introduced to within this app – a creature I never thought a lot about before, let alone had feeling for.

The only element I was not fond of was the voice of the narrator who spoke for this beetle as well as the other beetle voices introduced within this app for being overly saccharine and adding an unneeded amount of anthropomorphism for my personal taste, but children may enjoy this cute narration nonetheless, and it is possible that some children may need this cartoony voice to relate to this creature.

I am glad to have shared this app with my son, especially after he inexplicably mentioned that “beetles are bad” out of the blue one day when talking about animals before exploring this application – something he no longer believes after spending time getting to know these dynastid beetles.

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