Bean Bag Kids present Pinocchio is a very nice interactive universal storybook application that children will enjoy. This app, as the name implies, is a retelling of the classic story of Pinochio, about a puppet carved from wood by a lonely wood carver who wishes that one day this puppet could become a real boy. Here each actor is played by a bean bag dressed in costume as this application is styled as a live performance that one is watching, complete with red velvet curtain and other theatre details.

The adaptation of this story is very nicely done, including the use of excellent narration, as is the choice to underline the text as the words are being spoken – a very nice touch that will aid young readers in following along as these words are being read.

Although I am not always a huge fan of highly computerized 3D animation, the look of this app grew on me as I read this app over a few times, the same experience I had with The Bean Bag Kids first app, Little Red Riding Hood. I now do see the charm within these images, finding them cute and appealing. I enjoy how this story is presented in play form, using dressed up bean bags as actors and includes details such as a red velvet curtain and other theatre effects.

I also enjoy the included interactions as tapping these bean bag characters will have them react to the story being told, including some nice pantomiming moments that made me smile. Tap these characters multiple times as this may be needed to fully play out these scenes – nice touches to be sure. Another aspect to this app that children will enjoy is the ability to dress Pinocchio in different costumes that he will then wear throughout this story.

Do look for the hidden stars as well – three to a page – that are included as doing so will unlock the backstage section where one gets to meet the bean bag characters who work back stage such as the stage manager, makeup artist, set designer or the like – a section I appreciate as I have held a few of these jobs myself, and I feel that it is important that children learn about the essential work being done behind the scenes in the theatre, TV and the movies. Be sure to tilt one’s device because these stars may be hidden among the three-dimensional layers that make up this app and doing so will show off more of the landscape than can be seen at any one angle.

It does disappoint me that there are no donkeys in this version of this story, however, as having Pinocchio begin to grow ears and a tail after his bad behavior on the Island of Toys (which Disney called Please Island) is for me a favorite part of this story. There may be a few reasons why this was not included, one reason being that this app does do a good job of creating a cohesive story that children will follow – already a little on the lengthy side already – so editing may have seemed like it was in order, also maintaining a small cast of characters, common among these Bean Bag Kids performances. They do keep some nice moments with the evil puppeteer who wants to make money from Pinocchio as well as the scene where Geppetto gets swallowed by the whale, which are also favorite moments of this story.

Other extras include one puzzle and a scene from this book being turned into a nightlight – here an image of Pinocchio sleeping comfortably under the warm glow of a soft, faint light. This image is relaxing, but I think parents would appreciate the other two nightlight scenes included for the price of the app. This is also true for the other 11 puzzles that one can pay extra for, especially as the other app in this series consists of 12 puzzles with the price of the app itself, no in-app purchases needed.

Between the two nightlight scenes and puzzles purchases, the price to unlock this app fully is of a higher price point than many parents would be comfortable spending on any one application. Because of this, I would love to see all these extras come free within this app instead. I am not a huge fan of in-app purchases in general as even if children are prevented from buying these extras mistakenly, they can still see this advertising – something as a parent I am looking to minimize as much as possible. Just something to think about for the future.

Other than these notes, this is a fun and cute retelling of the traditional story that children will enjoy.

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

Box Monsters is a very nice physics-based game with a heavy use of gravity and intuitive game play.

Different shapes are stacked precariously on a platform on or alongside a box monster who wishes to be able to fly away home. To help this box monster, tap to remove these shapes which are separating the monster from the platform below that will help project this box monster home when contact is made.

Sometimes the box monster is resting on the platform, but the shapes need to be removed that hinder the box monster from flying away, as well as other interesting details that I enjoy. Do note that these towers of shapes can get pretty wobbly, and if the tower falls over, players need to try again.

I really like this game, the graphics are pleasing to look with a use of bright colors and it is very intuitive to understand in terms of how to play.

Five levels are included which increase in difficulty, and 20 levels are included within each section. I like how although the game follows the same basic premise, specific pieces are added that change how players respond to these puzzles such as triangles that can not be removed or spiky round pieces that will kill the box monsters on contact.

Although the upper levels get difficult, the ease of game play has made re-doing levels in order to have a good outcome not as frustrating as a game like this can sometimes become. One aspect that I don’t like, however, is that some of these shape towers are so tippy that even as a level opens, the towers tumble before contact with the player, and the game must be started over again – moments that I do find frustrating indeed.

I also have had issues of having to re-start levels as one does not always get a chance to automatically re-try levels in the way typical for most of the game – an issue that I hope can be looked into for a future update.

I think that this game, especially the first section, would be a great first physics app for grade school children which can teach a lot about problem solving as well as a very nice casual game for adults.

It would be nice if the information of more than one player could be stored at once so families can share this app amongst themselves with the games of various family members saved separately, but even without this function, I have enjoyed this game and the amount of puzzles offered. I look forward to more levels being added to Box Monsters in the future.

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

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

The Artifacts is a superb universal interactive storybook app that will appeal to many ages of children, especially older children in late grade school, middle school and even high school as well as beyond.

Meet Asaf, a collector of just about everything, from art to antiques, caterpillars to flora as well as anything and everything else that interests him, much to the dismay of his parents who do not share his passion for collecting.

One day, much to Asaf’s dismay, he arrives home to see his room bare and his collections removed. It is only now that he finds out that he is moving with his parents to a new house, and that collections are not permitted in his new home. Although his parents may be able to control what is allowed inside their house, they cannot control Asaf’s mind, and it is here that he creates vast new collections of fantasy, daydreams and facts all his own.

Asaf is a character after my own heart as I too am a collector of things far and wide, luckily having never been asked to get rid of my collections as my parents share this same trait to some degree, and I confess that we have gotten rid of very few of my son’s toys throughout the years, ever increasing the storage areas of our home to accommodate such belongings and effects.

The story itself is striking, with the emotions of isolation and alienation expressed as simple text and rich imagery that stick in my mind in places typically reserved for favorite passages of literature, film or other forms of art.

The treatment of Asaf and the behavior of his parents are extreme, yet surreal and dreamlike, allowing myself to be drawn into this story without judgment, yet creating an emotional experience which children need to be ready for, making it perfect for kids in upper grade school and up if not older, through adulthood.

My mind races to nuances depicting bleak moments from Roald Dahl stories – lonely, austere moments from the animated film “Coraline,” or surreal moments from the live action feature “Where the Wild Things Are” if for nothing more that the tones and emotions found within moments of storytelling that are bouncing around in my mind after finishing this app.

I have seen few such well-realized interactive app with older kids in mind. The majority of interactions are wonderful, imaginative and poetic as are the wonderfully stylized artwork found among these pages. The style of writing is quite minimalist, creating a wonderful dichotomy with the illustrations which can be lush with detail or minimal themselves for a great effect.

Although a large part of me wants to go into great detail about my favorite scenes or elements of this app, it is my gift to readers not to ruin these moments for themselves as words will not fully express or explain the emotion felt when experiencing this app for the first time.

As strongly as I feel about this app, I have decided not to share this story with my son, as I think the idea that parents – who presumably understand their children and want the best for them – would take away everything that they hold dear quite heartbreaking – especially for a kid like mine who really enjoys a lot of stuff around him.

There are also moments of heavy language with use of such words as “The Offense,” The Betrayal,” “The Dearth,” or “The Crime” in reference to moving away from home with all one’s worldly possessions gone, which adds a lot of melancholy to this app quite effectively in ways that may burden younger children such as my son.

There is little that I would change about this storybook.The one note I would like to make is that there is a witty moment when Asaf collects his thoughts while in the bathroom, with the tubes, creams and other items commonly found there and that have labels such as “concepts,” “Inferences,” or “Notion Potion,” yet the hand-written text is very small and hard to read, even on the larger screen of the iPad. This is unfortunate, especially for iPhone users who will be looking at these words on an even smaller screen – a real missed opportunity for readers but in no way a reason to bypass this otherwise wonderful app.

I do hope I have done this app justice as I would typically write in more detail my favorite moments within, but I don’t think these details would be doing readers any favors.

It is also worth noting that this app includes an interracial family, which has no real bearing on the story at hand, but it is just nice to see as I am hard-pressed to think of many other apps which include other interracial family units – refreshing to see, to be sure.

I hope this review has encouraged readers, both parents as well as teachers, to download this app for their children as well as for themselves. I am happy to see an app of such quality with a very reasonable price tag, especially for being a universal app – something I hope other developers will take notice of as the price for iPad and universal apps keeps creeping up.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, For Parents, High School +, Language, Middle School, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories

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

Smash Your Food HD is a highly entertaining app for iPad dedicated to the better understanding of the amounts of sugar, salt and oil found within foods that are commonly eaten.

With five levels included, players are asked to determine the amounts of these substances by reviewing the nutritional facts of each food in question and then watching as these foods get pulverized – much to the delight of children.

I really like that although a nutrition app, this app shows children how math can have a very practical application in their lives as the grams of sugar and oil, along with the milligrams of salt, must be converted to the units of measure found within the app, specifically sugar cubes (4 grams per cube) 1/8 teaspoon pours of salt equaling 288 mg each as well as teaspoons of oil (4 grams per spoonful) After these calculations are made and the answers are entered, one gets to smash the food, and boy does the food get smashed!

Do keep a calculator handy to make these calculations easier, especially the 288 that one must divide into the sodium mg of foods to come up with the number of 1/8 teaspoons of salt that one is looking for in an answer. It is also good to know that 1/2 measurements are not possible so players must round up or down to a whole number – another math element taught with a real world application.

Impressive HG videos are shown of each food being pulverized by a vice that closes down, smushing and smashing these foods in the messiest ways possible, complete with fun, squishy sound effects. My son at four does not fully get the heath aspect of this app but loves to smash the foods within this app. Few apps have brought the smiles and squeals that this app delivers, creating a truly addicting experience for both him and for me.

Complete meals are included by the 5th level, as are “crazy” levels that include a “super-sized” load of food – just for fun really – as the splat here is, as one can imagine, all the more epic.

I enjoy the visual of not only the food being flattened but the look of the food elements being filled into beakers below the smashing machine, as sugar cubes, salt shakes and teaspoons can be seen doing measurements, sometimes overfilling these beakers with sugar cubes being heard dropping off screen as the beaker has been filled and the sugar presumably backs up into the machine, as well as the oil that may spill out over the beaker when too much continues to be poured.

It would be nice to be able to enter in one’s best guesses on sugar, salt and oil after seeing the food mashed, as the level of oil that get squeezed out of some foods is quite telling, allowing people to use their understanding of these ingredient amounts based on info previously learned from this app instead of doing the math, especially since one can gain stars for answers not only spot-on, but for showing an understanding that a food stuff is higher or lower than the amount allowed per meal players are allowed. Be aware that stars are not given for previously correct answers, confusing for us in the beginning of playing this game.

It is a nice touch that the info of six players can be stored within this app, and that each player has a different limit of sugar, salt, and oil that is the maximum allowed per meal. I do find it unfortunate, however, that this app features only the most junky and the most obviously bad-to-consume foods, with no choices that are fully actually allowed under the guidelines that one learns about in the beginning of this app based on the player’s age and level of activity, even making certain junk foods look like a lesser-evil food because healthy food options are not offered.

I also find that the nutrition elements are overly simplified as here, all fats are bad fats, which in the real world is not the case – yet among these foods, it is very much so. Topics such as fiber, protein and glycemic index are also not covered, being beyond the scope of this delightfully disgusting app.

In a future update, I would love to smash a bowl of guacamole, yogurt, watermelon or a pomegranate, as well as choices such as rotisserie chicken, sushi, grilled salmon or a simple plate of beans and rice to show food choices that one can eat without regret. I would also love to see foods that are worse for people than one may imagine, such as muffins, which are notorious for high levels of sugar and oil as well as more Chinese food choices, a cuisine that if cooked without concern can be full of crazy amounts of oil – something that even many adults don’t realize or choose to ignore, or a salad loaded with creamy dressing – another common downfall.

Even with the notes given, this is a highly entertaining, addictive application that will certainly entertain children. I a happy to announce that Smash Your Food HD has won the Michelle Obama’s Apps For Healthy Kids contest, and it is nice that emails including tips and advice are available to be received each time one completes a level.

I hope that more levels and foods can be added in the future, ideally with healthy food substitutions to encourage good nutritional choices, helping players choose foods other than those included within this application.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, For Parents, Health, Middle School, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Science, 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