Thumbnail Theater: Macbeth is a wonderful educational resource and a terrific universal companion app to those who are studying Macbeth in school or are simply fans of Shakespeare.

I am very excited to be introducing this app to readers as this app features Michael Mills’s Nine Minute animated adaptation of this tragic Shakespearean play.

Michael Mills is a British-born animator, director and producer – possibly best known for his Oscar-nominated animated shorts – ‘Evolution’ and ‘History of the World in Three Minutes flat.’

I do love his take on Macbeth. The animation style is sly and sophisticated, and with a tongue-in-cheek and will impress all ages.

Not only is this animated short included, but a terrific section, The Self Guide is also included with an impressive amount of information, both specifically about Macbeth as well as about life during this period of time in general.

There is so many great sections to explore, such as the main characters from this play and the complete text of Macbeth as well as the other works of Shakespeare. The Life and Times of Shakespeare and historical information about Scotland are included as well as information about theaters of this time period and a fascinating section on The Symbolic and the Supernatural.

Each of these topics is further broken down into sub-categories – some of my favorites being the discoveries and Inventions touching upon the scientific concepts of Copernicus and Galileo, the great Renaissance man – Leonardo da Vinci, and the importance of Gutenberg’s printing press, comparing it very wisely to today’s internet.

I think it is also great how the other works of Shakespeare are mentioned, such as the Sonnets, Poems, Folios and Quartos, as well as a section dedicated to famous Shakespearean quotes.

Other interesting information, like how the use of children instead of women as actors is touched upon, and I really enjoy how the superstition of the title Macbeth – never uttered while this play is under production – is also incorporated into this very rich encyclopedia of all things Shakespeare.

An impressive three hours of content is included that older grade school kids as well as adults will find very fun and informative. I appreciate how the included text can be narrated by Mills as his narration is wonderful, also allowing children who may be reluctant readers to gain a lot from this app by listening to it alone.

An interactive timeline and world map are also thoughtfully included that students of all ages will enjoy. Do tap on the animations as well, as some fun hidden hotspots are included, triggering some wildly witty animations.

It is great that an interactive mode also exists where one can watch the video and tap icons placed at the bottom of the page that will bring one to the corresponding informational section of this app, allowing one to gain further insight while watching the included animation.

This is very helpful in learning more about the various subjects within this app, but I did have some issues with getting back into the story after I perused the added info.

it would be nice if some sort of button was able to be tapped that would bring viewers back to the area of the video they were watching last. I also felt that the Self Guide of information took some getting used to in terms of its basic navigation -issues not too terrible but which could possibly be smoothed out in a future update.

I enjoy the additional clips of Michael Mills himself found within this app as well, exploring details further or giving instructions on how to best enjoy this app, but I found these clips to be of lower resolution, noticeable but not in a way that took away from the enjoyment of his presence, although the images of Mills himself are quite small, especially on the iPhone.

I also noticed that a few pages from the Self Guide did not have the included narration one would expect from this fully narrated app – an issue I hope can be worked out in the future.

Even with these minor notes, Thumbnail Theater: Macbeth is an app that I greatly enjoyed, both on its own merits and also because apps for older children are not as common as I would like in iTunes. I highly recommend this app to any student who is reading Shakespeare as well as to adults who would like to know more about this time period in general.

I am thrilled to learn that this app is first in a series like it, I will be on the lookout for more of these Thumbnail Theatre apps in the future as this one was terrific.

By Age Range, By App Feature, For Parents, Geography, High School +, Just For Fun, Language, Middle School, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories

Monsters & Mutants, as the name may suggest, is an informative application for iPad that includes the stories behind some of the world’s best known monsters and mutants, along with other fun information.

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.

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

Bizzy Bear on the Farm is a charming new universal interactive storybook by Nosy Crow.

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.

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

Numberleys is the new interactive universal storybook by the developers at Moonbot Studios, creators of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, one of my son’s all-time favorite applications.

The visual style of the Numberleys is quite stunning, greatly reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s 1926 German Expressionism film, Metropolis, with a use of black and white imagery that will stay with my son for a long time. In cinematic terms that don’t quite correspond to an animated film, the look of low-key lighting is most striking, as is the masterful positioning of what would be the camera and the use of graphic, industrial cutaways in addition to the perfect use of a musical score in this thoughtful, atmospheric sci-fi storybook.

This story takes place in a bleak, colorless land of only numbers. An orderly world devoid of whimsy or joy, a group of numbers looking to better their society take it upon themselves to create letters out of already existing number shapes to bring beauty to their world.

It may have been a mistake to tell my son that this was a new app from the same developers of The Fantastic Flying Books, as I think my son was expecting highly interactive moments peppered throughout this story, which is not really the case here, as this is primarily a video to watch until one comes across the section of mini-game-like activities in which these new letters are crafted.

It did not take long, however, for my son to get used to simply watching this interesting origin of the alphabet, and I really enjoyed looking at his eyes are they grew wide in response to the use of the images of impressive architectural structures and industrial machines also found in Metropolis and touched upon here with wondrous effect. The mood within this tale may be dark, but not scary or to intense for my sensitive son.

I greatly appreciate the included narration, complete with German accent, which made me smile but surely went over the head of my 4 year old. I admire the choice to have a decidedly quirky tone to this narration as a more drab style would have made this story too heavy and completely change the tone of this tale to something else very different.

There are a few moments where one can tap red lights found in this app, mainly as part of a machine one gets to momentary interact with, exploring further the industrial elements of this application, but these moments are few and far between – only an issue if one has a preconceived notion of what to expect from this interactive app.

There are times, however, that after tapping an interactive area of this app, it is unclear when to turn the page as the interactive can be infinite – usually something that I like in an interaction, but here, which can cause confusion.

I have also noticed that when the video is intercut with narration and a title card of written text, although a lovely nod to silent films, can seem jarring, especially when it comes to the soundtrack being used.

As this story progresses, readers will reach the section of this app that will allow them to help these number characters to alter numbers into letters.

It is impressive how varied these interactions are, with a creative use of industrial machines, as well as the witty use of words that introduces the letters such as “Form would follow function, they would make the future fun.”

Letters are spun to stretch numbers into letter shapes, trampolines are used to jump onto numbers, squashing or separating them into letters, even deflecting numbers to hit fragile gears that fill form letters when broken.

Many of these interactions work well, but others are more at a level of a challenging mini-game in terms of difficulty, and it can be hard to understand what is being asked of the player or simply too difficult to accomplish – much to the frustration of my son, who wanted to interact with this this story, only to feel at some points overly challenged.

It can also be difficult to know when to turn the page here, as a few times the best way to complete the letter in question is to tap the paging turn arrow which triggers the conclusion of this interaction, as to not prolong some of these mini-games for what seems like indefinitely as players try to trouble-shoot what is going wrong.

Unfortunately, narration is not included as players must read the directions offered for these letter interactions to themselves, as the visual clues are often not enough to explain game play on their own, making this a difficult app to fully enjoy for non-readers. I would love to see narration of these directions also included as an option in the future.

After these letters are created, fully-colored elements are seen for the first time, evoking moments of Technicolor that become quite moving.

Because some of these letters can be too time-consuming to complete, my son thought this app in general was too long – something that may not surprise developers as they include an intermission that can one can sit through or bypass with a page turn.

I would love to see in the future a separate section being a simple video only, allowing one to watch these letters being born with a shortened overall time to complete each letter.

All in all, I can recommend this app based on its amazing sense of style. Metropolis is a favorite movie of mine, and this is a wonderful tribute to a perfectly realized film. I am happy to expose my son to this style of cinematic experience unlike anything else he has seen to date.

I do believe that some of the skill- or luck-based letter mini-games could be made simpler, as this story about the birth of letters will appeal to young children who will not be capable of some of these interactions – issues I hope that can be worked out in the future. Although of interest to children, even story-loving adults who are familiar with German Expressionism will find this application of interest.

I have been very impressed with the look and storytelling and other cinematic elements found within both of Moonbot Studios epic storybook applications. I look forward to seeing what else they may develop.

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

Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels is a universal interactive storybook app, also including a video and extras that will be of interest to fans of Thomas and Friends, from the developers at Callaway Digital Arts.

For those who do not know, Callaway Digital Arts has developed high quality apps based on some of children’s favorite series, specifically Miss Spider’s Tea Party, Angelina Ballerina and Thomas and Friends.

Here, Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesel is a story dealing with the interpersonal relationships between the trains living on the island of Sodor. Here, a new train has come into town who seems to be getting all of Thomas’s attention, much to the disappointment of another train, Percy, who is then manipulated by the foils of this story, the diesels, and is lured to dieselworks, home of these not-so-nice trains with the promise of friendship, but in reality this is part of the diesel trains’ plan to take over Sodor’s Steamworks.

This story also includes some nice moments of adventure and fire-fighting as well. While in narrater mode, the words are also hightailed when read, always a nice touch for young readers.

Told both in storybook form with included mild but effective hotspots as well as CGI video, this nicely done app also includes a song which has the words being sung highlighted at the bottom of the screen, karaoke-style. Coloring book pages, a matching game and puzzles are also included.

To be honest, I prefer my anthropomorphic characters to be animals, not inanimate objects like cars or trains, a personal preference of mine and the reason that we have never really gotten into Thomas and Friends or the like at our house, although occasionally my son has gotten a few Thomas-themed toys as gifts and has seen the show a few times as well.

Because of this, I did find the plot of this story somewhat confusing, presumably because I am a true outsider when it comes to all things Thomas and I know nothing of the various characters found throughout.

Based on a full length DVD of the same name, a lot of plot points are incorporated into this storybook, making the narrative a little cumbersome for me, but I am sure this would be less of an issue for fans of this series who are familiar with these characters and the style of Thomas stories in general.

I did like the issues touched upon here, such as knowing who your true friends are, and the feelings of rejection when new, popular kids come to town, allowing for some nice open-ended conversations for adults to have with their children.

This app will make a great companion piece to any family who has watched this DVD or who are fans of the show. The quality of this app, the narration and the sound effects included with this storybook are very well done, and I enjoy being able to enlarge the text with a tap for an easier read, especially when the narration is turned off. I also appreciate the included menu of pages and the ease of use of the settings as well.

Some nice extras are also included here, and I do enjoy how the completion of the included puzzles brings player to a short clip from the video where this puzzle image presumably was pulled from.

It is also nice that the matching game allows one to choose an easier or more difficult level that contains more cards that one has to turn over and match together, each including a character from the book and have a sound bite of their very own. These moments include a few words found within this story, making this a more engaging experience than other games like it without specific sound effects.

The coloring book consists of six pages to color, but I would like to see more brush size choices, as here only a larger paintbrush and a smaller pen are offered, and I still think children will find it difficult to color within the lines of some of these more detailed areas of some of the included trains. It would be nice if one could enlarge these images to color in the fine details if one wanted to – just an idea for a future update.

I find it interesting that this CGI video, although recapping the same story as the storybook, possesses a very different look, more of a music video of sorts, than the included storybook, this app offering two unique experiences fans of Thomas will enjoy.

I do recommend this app for any family with a Thomas and Friends enthusiast, especially those who are a fan of the DVD. I know my son asks to watch DVDs before bed when there is little time, so it is nice that parents in this same predicament with their own children can read this storybook or watch the included video before bed instead.

This specific Thomas app I do feel is best suited for those already fond of and knowledgeable about Thomas and Friends. Children new to this franchise may find themselves subsequently feeling a little lost, as did I, but I can imagine fans of Thomas really enjoying this application, and for those families, I recommend this app.

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

A Duck in New York City is a delightful animated storybook that children of all ages, as well as adults will enjoy and includes a video interpretation and great song that can be listened to or sung along.

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.

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

Elly Book 10, as the name may imply, is the 10th book in the wonderful series of interactive storybooks starring Elly, a most endearing and relatable reindeer – now a good friend of my son’s as well.

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.

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

12 Days of Christmas – Polk Street Press Singalong is a charming iPad application which truly brings the traditional song of the same name to life, as well as re-enforcing number sequencing along the way.

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.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, For Parents, Just For Fun, Music, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers

Biscuit Gives a Gift is a universal storybook app based on the book of the same name, part of the hugely popular “Biscuit” series of children’s books about a cuddly yellow puppy named Biscuit and the adventures he goes on with his companion – The Girl With the Purple Sneakers (here wearing purple boots) – a character also found throughout this series.

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.

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

Arthur Christmas Movie Storybook is a fun storybook based on the current movie of the same name, also including added interactive elements.

Arthur Christmas is the delightful story about how Santa delivers presents to all the world’s children. This story is a fun one that seems original among the other Christmas stories out there and I really enjoy how in this tale, the job of Santa and the elves make use of technology to get things done in a timely manner, as well as including some very classic elements.

It is nice that one gets to meet Santa’s children, Steve and Arthur, who each have very different personalities, with Arthur taking it upon himself to deliver a forgotten present to a child on Christmas.

Arthur’s adventure while making this delivery is really fun to watch and takes him to places that adults as well as children will be engaged by, as this story takes some fun tangents that I did not expect and had a lot of fun with.

From what I have seen of this film, as we have not yet seen this movie in the theater, this app borrows images directly from this film, giving this application a a wonderfully stylized, colorful and very vivid computer animated look that I really enjoy. I like how each page has an image from this film illustrating it, but the included story goes into details way beyond the included illustration, allowing children to use their imaginations while listening to this story.

I also enjoy how the actors within this film are also included during the reading of these characters’ dialogue. Narration is included within this app, as is auto play, but one can turn off these features and read this book to oneself as well. At the end of this book, some interactive scenes are also included in which kids can become part of this story.

I know that oftentimes before bed, my son will ask to see a full length film such as this for which we have no time. It is nice that with this app as well as with the other iStorytime apps based on other children’s favorite movies, one can allow children to experience these stories in app form in much less time.

This is a fun and lively app that kids and adults will enjoy. This application does touch upon a lot of plot points but still maintains itself as a good narrative in its own right, and I have enjoyed this story with my son.

Arthur Christmas Movie Storybook has encouraged me to go see this movie, and I am happy that my son can revisit this creative and interesting Christmas story whenever he wishes.

For those interested, other apps based on popular kids movies such as films from the Shrek and Kung Fu Panda franchises, as well as a storybook based on the children’s film Megamind and others also available from these developers. Please check iTunes for more details.

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