There’s No Place Like Space is the first title from The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library developed by Oceanhouse Media. Like their other Dr. Seuss apps, There’s No Place like Space faithfully adapts the printed version of this book as well as adding some new interactive elements.

For those who may not know, The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library is a non-fiction series for children that teaches different subjects of interest to kids, such as dinosaurs or sea life, always staring the Cat in the Hat and human counterparts – siblings Sally and Dick, as well as Thing One and Thing Two. My son loves these new adventures with the gang from the classic Cat in the Hat books, as do I.

Here, There’s No Place Like Space tackles the topic of outer space, introducing the planets in the solar system, with vivid descriptions of each one, a fun mnemonic to help kids remember each of their names and correct order, as well as fun facts about the sun, moon, constellations and other related information.

Like other Oceanhouse Media apps, this universal app includes narration, also allowing one can read this book to oneself. This app, like many others from this developer, does a great job of incorporating the traditional illustrations found in the classic books, with the use of “The Ken Burns Effect’ as these drawings are panned and zoomed across to create effect.

Some of these single pages have been expanded to create a screen full-screen spread, but the text is the same as found in the printed book, delivered paragraph by paragraph, aiding in threading of these rhymes.

Interesting interactions can also be explored here – a new element found among Oceanhouse Media apps and a nice inclusion to their new The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series of applications.

Move individual images such as the gang’s spaceship and the planets floating among these pages around the screen, which then fall back into their alignment and can also be moved around the screen as a whole – a nice touch to emphasize their order in the solar system. The ability to create constellations with a tap is also included as well, a personal favorite interaction.

Simple animated movements can also be found such as the planets revolving around the sun – an image, together combined with the relaxing, vaguely science fictionish music found throughout, create a moment that is surprisingly moving.

I like use of Thing One and Thing Two who are somewhat hidden among these pages, encouraging kids to find them and tap, as doing so makes these creatures hold up a sign containing a fun fact or science-related question – an element also found in the published book, made nicely interactive within this application.

I also appreciate how the published book contains a glossary of words touched upon in this story. Here, these words are highlighted and can be tapped to hear and see these glossary words explained. Like the other Oceanhouse Media apps, individual words or full paragraphs can also be tapped to be narrated, as well as any of the objects within the page, as these items will be labeled and spoken when tapped without competing with the narrator reading the text, always a nice touch.

It is worth noting that this application is based on the updated version of There’s No Place Like Space omitting Pluto, which was demoted from planet to dwarf planet in 2006. Because of this, the page pertaining to Pluto and the mnemonic have been removed and changed from my older copy of There’s No Place Like Space to correspond with the re-classification.

I am thrilled that my favorite voice talent, John Bell, is back to narrate this application.

There’s No Place Like Space, although a creative, fun and educational book, is not written by Seuss himself, although it is written in a Seuss-like style. I enjoy this book, as does my son, but my husband and I did comment to ourselves that the text is not as well-written as the classic books by Seuss.

I think the narration by John Bell brings so very much to this application. Having narrated other of Oceanhouse Media’s Dr. Seuss apps before, Bell understands the cadence, rhyme and whimsy found in Dr. Seuss prose, as is able to infuse his narration with a Seussian flair that does not exist as much in the words found on the page as it does within Bell’s brilliant delivery. I hope to continue to hear more of his great talent in other applications.

My son and I and I have really enjoyed this application. Although recommended for ages five to eight, I can’t see why younger children four or possibly younger would not enjoy this app as well. I am very happy to hear that this is only the first app in The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library as I enjoy sharing non-fiction books with my son as well.

I eagerly await to see which book in this series will be adapted next, having enjoyed the extra features not comply found within a Oceanhouse Media app. Having said this, I think the price tag of $5.99 is high compared to other apps at this price point, and a lower price would be more in line with what parents are typically looking to spend per application.

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

Every week can be Shark Week when exploring Discovery Kids Sharks. This very content-rich app for iPad packs in a plethora of information about these aquatic creatures.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Geography, Health, Just For Fun, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Science, Social

Sid’s Science Fair is a really fun and educational app based on the hit PBS show, Sid the Science Kid, a favorite show in our home.

My son and I enjoy watching Sid the Science Kid together as it explores not only different science concepts but has a lovely point-of-view by including this show’s characters as young scientists themselves as they collect data and perform experiments and observations. This show is highly educational as well as very witty and entertaining with great characters having distinct personalities and lots of humor mixed in. I am impressed by this show’s ability not only to teach science-related information but to encourage children’s interest in science in general and to think like scientists – possibly as a career years in the future.

I was very excited to hear of this new app – Sid’s Science Fair – as we have had very good success with the other PBS apps which are based on TV. shows, specifically Super Why! and Martha Speaks Dog Party.

For those who have not watched Sid the Science Kid before, the look of the show is wonderfully bright computer-generated images. Even the different characters have skin and hair wonderfully stylized in a way that is utterly Sid. This app does not disappoint in the looks department and looks exactly as one might expect if a fan of this show, as this app makes Sid and his gang look even more crisp and vivid than what we see on television.

This app starts out with Sid introducing the audience to his school’s science fair, offering kids three different science-related activities to choose from:

Gabriela’s “Collection Inspection” offers kids the chance to use an interactive magnifying glass to look for specific details found among a variety of objects, such as leaves, butterflies, or sea shells. Here, a specific detail is shown in a circle to the right of the screen, and the player uses the provided magnifier to match this same spot found among the patterns and details within these collections. There are 14 collections offered, and although the collections are fixed, the spot one is looking for is always different so the re-play value of this section is great. I really appreciate the different collections offered and how one can take his time looking at what each section has to offer before finding the specific detail in question.

May’s “Chart It!” goes into detail about charting data into different traits, such as color, shape, type, position or patterns, having the player drag and drop said objects where they belong. Seven collections are offered here, such as flowers, buttons, origami, or balloon animals. Within these groupings, there are ten individual objects and three charts to be worked on, which will vary per collection. I enjoy this section as well, because although children learn such categories as color or shapes early on, here this becomes a science-based activity, using this basic knowledge as data, getting kids ready to learn about and to be excited for science in school and beyond.

Gerald’s “Time Machine” is a very nice way to discuss sequencing. Here, 14 picture collections are offered, such as the sprouting of a seedling as well as the melting down of candles and a snowman. Each collection contains five images that one needs to sequence correctly, and it is especially nice that both backward and forward work correctly as long as the order is proper. After this is complete, one can run a finger back and forth under the correct sequence of photos to watch the time machine in action, with such images as a tomato developing mold – my favorite interaction. It is also nice that some of these choices could be seen in real time, such as a geyser exploding or a space shuttle being launched into space or over a short period, like melting ice or an apple being eaten, but my favorite collections include the growing of a seedling as well as both tomatoes and strawberries decaying, as these changes take days or longer, making great use of the time machine concept.

Each of these sections has the fun and catchy theme song from the TV. show – a piece of music very easy to listen to over a long period of time, as well as each character offering friendly tips on how to work his section, as well as enthusiastic banter throughout, praising the player for a job well done.

I really enjoy Sid as a role model for my son, as he is smart and funny, kind to his friends and family, and has a love of learning that any parent would appreciate have rub off on their child. I also really like the fact that two of these characters from the show and this app are girls – something I think might interest parents of daughters, offering them female role models who love science.

Some parent may note that at $2.99, this app, as well as others developed by PBS, are more expensive than other applications primarily for iPhone, but in my opinion are worth the money for both the educational value as well as the production value offered. My son and I really enjoy Sid’s Science Fair a lot, and we are still working with the other PBS educational apps we play long after the initial purchase, making them a great value. I do hope, however, that PBS will at some point turn their apps into universal applications, as this price for a universal app is easier for parents to swallow.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Science, Social

ABC Food is the latest and possibly greatest app from Peapod Labs’s series of ABC apps focused on both letter recognition as well as teaching about a specific topic, be it animals, music, modes of transportation or sports and includes the use of beautifully detailed photographs, videos from Youtube and sometimes fun facts as well. ABC Food includes a new feature to this series as this app contains fun interactions for each food highlighted within this application.

Similar to the other apps in this series, this delightful application opens to the menu page of available foods alphabetically arranged. Tap to select a food to explore further and note the “little explorer,” hanging from the top left corner of the screen wearing a chef’s uniform and holding a window which is actually the preview of the included food interaction. Tapping here leads the player to the hands-on section of this app where one can eat, chop, squeeze, pour, or decorate these food options – elements my son simply loves to participate in.

One will also notice that at the bottom of the screen, the food being explored here will be spelled out, and any of these letters can also be chosen as well, or you can choose your favorite from the index. It is also super-cute that these letters are also being held up by “little explorers” – each a simple, illustrated and charmingly stylized character dressed up in a food-related costume that corresponds to the letter they represent – a nice touch.

Scrolling past the first photo with the interactive link, one will find other photos of said food as well a link to be taken to a food-related video from Youtube if one is online. It is also very helpful that the index keeps track of what foods you have already looked at and what else there is for you to discover.

As with the other ABC apps, the use of photography here is excellent and the varied Youtube videos are interesting as well, sometimes including cooking demonstrations or short segments on where foods come from, such as a clip about butter from the show “How It’s Made” with great information that I very much enjoyed and learned from, as did my son.

I really appreciate the inclusion of these interactions as this brings a new element to this style of app which brings a lot of repeat play, even without an internet connection needed to watch the included video clips. The selection of foods is lovely as well, with choices ranging from all of the food groups. Some sweets are also used here, but it is nice to see an emphasis on fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods and it is fun to hear my son say excitedly, “ I like asparagus…I like zucchini…”

The photography used within these interactions are wonderful as well, bright and vivid, and I love how different before-and-after photos are incorporated into these interactions, such as a raw, empty pizza crust being transformed into a ready-to-eat pepperoni pie, or allowing kids to “eat” a fish, exposing the bones beneath the meat from a once whole fish. Most of these foods will be recognized by most children, with a few that may be new foods to some, such as quinoa, xo sauce, quince or udon noodles, but I wish durian fruit were included here as well.

I must admit that I was momentarily disappointed to see that regardless of peeling a banana, cutting strawberries or pouring whipped cream, the movements of waving a finger across the screen are the same. Being a fan of cooking games, I was hoping for more specific and varied interactions that better simulate the task at hand, but I think after watching my son truly enjoy this interactive section, that this simplistic interaction is spot-on for his age range of 3.5 years without the frustration that varied interactions may bring.

This has quickly become a favorite in my house, getting a lot of use both on the iPad as well as iPhone. I knew this would be the case when I first heard about ABC Food as my son has played with his play kitchen and an abundance of play food for nearly two years now, with no hint of a slow-down. It is also nice to see that with the use of ABC Food, my son has had a resurgence of playing with the older apps in this series as well, which are equally engaging and beautiful to look at, if not specifically interactive.

I am eager to see if Peapod Labs develops another ABC app in this series, as I would love to see this style of app based on different occupations if possible, or any other themes they can come up with.

There is of course some letter recognition within in this app as well, but what keeps my son coming back to this app again and again is the plethora of foods to explore. I recommend this app for any child who is also a foodie or simply intrigued by great photography and a nice selection of videos and fun interactions.

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

WeirdButTrue is a very fun and interesting National Geographic app that brings intriguing facts and an interactive design for both iPad and iPhone.

Very easy to use, the app is a random fact generator filled with interesting tidbits that kids and adults will enjoy. Each page has its own weird but true information, with bright colors and many vivid photos of related images used to illustrate what is being explained, and I also appreciate the creative use of fonts and design in general to fit the text onto the page in most interesting ways possible. These facts can be about animals, the human body, toys and other topics as the app has a plethora of information and it is great fun how varied sound effects are used per each page that in some way relate to the fact being presented.

Although this app is not narrated, I can’t imagine adults not enjoying these interesting facts on their own as they read these pages to their children. Nicely interactive, children will enjoy turning the page as a very satisfying flip sound is heard, as well have the ability for a variety of animals to singularly pop onto the screen saying “That’s Weird,” when a button is tapped from the menu bar to the right of the screen. One can also mark a fact as a favorite, and it is fun that the information is saved within this app with the tap of a heart icon, making the heart bounce around the screen like a ball in a pinball machine – a nice interactive touch. One can also email friends facts if one wishes, and there is a Weird-o-Meter included as well which allows readers to give feedback to National Geographic about how weird one thinks specific facts are. This information is then compiled in the “Top Weird-O-Meter Facts,” letting app users see what others think is the oddest information.

I really enjoy this app. I have always been a fan of this type of information, as I have very fond memories of shows like “In Search Of” and later “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” as a child, and I am happy that this app brings this strange but true information so conveniently to devices.

I also enjoy the facts that National Geographic has chosen to share here, as there is a very nice balance between weird and child-friendly. This app may be an acquired taste of sorts, but I have not found any facts that I think would be inappropriate or too scary for children, except for maybe the most timid of children who are obviously not a good fit for this application.

There are a lot of memorable facts used here, most of which adults will enjoy as much as children will, like how koalas and humans have similar fingerprints, how male ostriches can roar like lions, or that there are 29 different shades of red from Crayola. I enjoy how pithy the text is per page, allowing one to scroll a good number of these pages in a short amount of time – a great distraction for young and old alike. Younger kids will really enjoy having these fun facts read to them as well as interacting with this app.

I also think app would be especially nice for reluctant readers as well, because each of these sentences is short but packs a punch in terms of interest and oddness that will have kids turning each page eager to see what is next, as did I, feeling mildly addicted to this app and spending longer than necessary in reading these facts for review purposes.

It is also nice that one can easily Google for more information about any of these topics, oftentimes with the further details of these stories adding to the strangeness. An example is “Mike the Chicken,” who survived 18 months without a head, something I promptly googled to get the complete story. Used this way, this would be a great resource for teaching grade schoolers how to search online in order to research subjects of interest – a vital skill to learn for today’s students.

It is nice that a “Fact Finder” is included within this app, being a glossary of sorts for organizing the information offered here from A to Z, but I think it would also be nice if in the future, one could search by subject as well. This may make this app less random in general, but this may be a good thing for my son who is sometimes animal-obsessed and other times more interested in fun food facts.

I do hope that in the future this app can be updated. Currently, there are over 300 facts included, making this content-rich and a lot of fun, but I can see heavy users of this app desiring more content in the future. All-in-all, a great choice of educational app for kids of varied ages as well as adults.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Geography, Just For Fun, Language, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Science, Shapes, Sounds, Toddlers

Lumi’s Book of Eyes is a charming and educational interactive universal storybook app focused on the different eyes found in animals across the world, as well as those of humans.

I really enjoy this book, told from the point of view of Lumi, a Turkish boy who is the narrator and guide of this story. Here, Lumi offers interesting facts about the eyes of a nice selection of animals, such as the use of crocodile tears to help lubricate eyes when this animal spends time on dry land, or the near sidedness of frogs, allowing them to see unclose, great for catching bugs.

The look of this book is also super-cute and a little special, as the simple, hand drawings of Lumi are juxtaposed with some very vivid animal photos. Tapping these animals will cause them to blink, and do tap Lumi as well, and some simple but lovely animations are included of Lumi reacting to the various facts presented.

This app also touches on the health of human eyes, the need for kids to have their eyes checked before the 1st grade and a positive message about kids wearing glasses. This is a cute and fun app for children in general but will be of a special interest for those who wear glasses themselves or are going soon for their first eye exam, something important for all school-age children. Very nice narration and music are included which I have really enjoyed. The narration can be easily tuned off as well if one chooses.

An eye-spy game of sorts is also included here as well, as the player is given a close-up photo of an object in the shape of a circle, and one must decide if the image in question is an eye or not. This is a really fun game that kids and adults will really enjoy, as different eyes are included here, as well as other objects such as the spots from a butterfly back or even Earth as seen from space.

Given family history, I won’t be surprised if at some point our son needs glasses as his entire family wear them. He may be in his 30’s before he needs them like my husband and me, or still in grade school like another close family member, but either way, this is a thoughtful educational app originally written by an ophthalmologist and is aimed at an international audience. Lumi’s Book of Eyes will also be a hit with animal lovers as the information is interesting, and the photographs are of a really great quality, making this storybook one that is very easy to recommend.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Health, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Science, Special Needs, Stories, Toddlers

Bobo Explores Light is a wonderful, content-rich interactive book for iPad that will educate and entertain children and adults of all ages as they learn about various light-related topics, such as the sun, lightning, or photosynthesis.

This app contains such a plethora of information that I honestly find writing this review a little daunting as there is so much worth covering.

This app starts by introducing itself with a thoughtful, extremely well-done tutorial introducing the reader’s very own robot, Bobo, and explaining how this app works – an important feature as this app has numerous topics to share as well as many added features that one can explore as well. A great table of contents is also offered here, stylized with a great use of working gears, and each page is represented by a frame of a film strip, adding to the style as well as content of this app.

With over 100 pages and 21 topics of interest, a well-crafted tutorial is imperative to fully explain all that an app such as this has to offer to insure that readers get the most from this experience, and this tutorial dos the job well, explaining about the various pull-downs one will find on many of these pages – excellent resources that may include videos and other important extras.

Bobo is as adorable as a robot can be, stylized with the body of an old incandescent bulb and a wind-up key in his back, magnet hands, and the continuous tracks reminiscent of a tank. He is friendly and loyal like a puppy as well, following your finger as you tap side to side. Details such as Bobo humming to himself songs such as “Lollipop” make me smile, and I
love the fact that on some of these pages, one can tap Bobo’s antenna to turn on Bobo’s hologram projector. These holograms are the best that I have seen, not specifically in their three-dimensionness, although to some degree offered here, but as they contain the flicker and glow that I would expect from a projected hologram that I especially appreciate. Do move the iPad around to see other angles of these images as well.

Although very thorough in the educational aspect, this app does not shy away from the details and whimsy that are added to keep this app fun and engaging, which is very important for an app with such a large amount of content to keep kids interested until the end. I love how one enters Bobo’s spaceship, and although a completely different shape, the stylized colors used here in green, red, and orange are reminiscent of “Marvin the Martian”- a palette that makes me smile.

Once the reader launches this ship into space, there is a lovely moment of space travel as one speeds to the sun, including the view of the planets – a very nice touch. I love the nuances of a noisy, turbulent journey as I am sure riding in such a ship is. Very soothing music is also included here, all combined to create a memorable experience.

After the ship has reached its destination, children will be introduced to the 21 subjects of this app, with the option of flipping through each page for a more simplistic over-view of each theme or tapping the pull-down tabs, typically found three per page on the top of the screen. These taps contain fun facts, amazing videos, and can go into great depth while keeping the
main pages more basic, great for the youngest children, making this app fit the needs of many ages. I truly appreciate how much science is really being taught here, such as the concept of shadows being places where photons can’t get to as they are unable to bend around objects like sound waves. The whimsy is not lost in this section either, as the main page is home to a very amusing caveman who dines on toasted marshmallows with Bobo, and don’t forget to tap on Bobo’s hologram projector as well for a fun surprise.

In reality there is not enough time or space to enumerate all the amazing details, both fun interactions to tap on and well as those with great educational value. There is a great moment spent with Thomas Edison, with an excellent use of Bobo’s holograms showing Edison’s various inventions as one listens to period music. A fun demonstration about the difference between a toy laser and the real thing, a terrific use of mirrors, and a fish bowl to demonstrate reflections and refraction, demonstrating the principles of geometry will be much appreciated by older children as well. A great laser light show is also included where one can move the sources from which these lights are bouncing, keeping this app very light and fun, as well as highly interactive, engaging, and highly educational.

I would also like to mention that the included video of the auroras are something I have never seen before quite like this, and the use music here truly creates a moving experience.

It is worth noting that although this app is rich with narrated video clips, sound effects and some lovely musical moments, the majority of the text with this app is not narrated – something that did take me by surprise as I expected to have the excellent narration from the tutorial be found within the body of this app as well. Because of this, this app will need to be read to children who cannot read for themselves. Good to know, but do understand that this app is a must-have science app for children of all ages in grade school, with much of the information being of interest to older student and parents as well. I see this app being a huge family favorite and a great app for older siblings to share with younger children as even high schoolers and beyond will learn a lot from this app – as will adults.

The one area of this app that I think kids may find confusing is how the RGB system of colors is touched upon, which may seem odd to children who have focused their attention on the primary colors of red, yellow and blue – not red, green and blue discussed within this app. I would love to see some mention of the differences of RGB vs. the primary colors as I am sure questions will be asked about this discrepancy.

It has been hard to write a review of this amazing app that is not simply a laundry list of favorite moments. I could not feel stronger about the educational value of this app, the quality that each page offers or the whimsy, humor and interactions that will keep kids involved until the end. With so much that this app has to offer, the replay value of this app is quite high and a must-purchase for anyone with school age children.

This app also tackles questions such as where rainbows come from or why the sky is blue in a way that is clear, thorough, and very understandable to satisfy the most curious of children in way that impressed me greatly. This app recreates the experience one may expect to find at a children’s museum of science and is well worth the money one may spend to purchase this app.

Nothing would make me happier than to see more of these apps be created by the developers at Game Collage, and do take a few minutes to read the credits included at the end, as everyone involved with this app has done a great job.

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

Food Heroes is an application for iPad consisting of activities focused on teaching nutritious food choices with the nice use of colorful and fun illustrations.

A simple matching game is included where the player turns over cards looking for pairs – here with a healthy food theme.

A coloring page is also offered where children can fill in these drawings as well as food themes, with the tap of a color and the drag of a finger. An eraser is offered here. Players also have the ability to control the size of the line used when filling in these pages, and one can save his work as well – always nice options to have.

For me, the best section of this app is the included word puzzle. A list of eight words is included to the right of the screen, and the player must find these words within the grid of letters center screen. This is such a classic kids activity that I am surprised that I do not come across more of these types of word games in applications. The best feature of all is that as one finds these hidden words, very nice children’s narration offers fun facts about each food word discovered, making this nicely educational.

This app is a nice choice for early grade schoolers once they are able to manage the word puzzles. I really enjoy the fun facts used here, as the information offered here is interesting to adults and children alike, and it is great that different words are used each time this word puzzle is played – excellent for re-play value – but I have found a few glitches where words do not offer the fun sentence I have learned to expect here, something I hope that can be worked out in a future update.

Parents will also appreciate the fact that each activity includes music with its own fun and upbeat sound, be it a mild country theme, jazzy, or with a slight Hawaiian flair.

All-in-all, a nice experience, with the word puzzles and info offered, making this app a nice educational experience.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Health, Just For Fun, Matching, Nature, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Science

Billy Morris and the Land of the Dinosaurs is a fun and very educational app that kids will really enjoy. A terrific glossary of dinosaur information is included, as are a matching game and puzzle activity.

Meet Billy and best friend, Spud, two dinosaur-intrigued kids who decide to pass through a portal to go back in time to visit these creatures. Back into prehistoric times, they come across many varieties of dinosaurs – some harmless vegetable eaters as well as other, more threatening species.

I really enjoy this story, and my son is a huge fan as well. I like the mild science fiction added to this story, using a portal to send the boys back in time, as it is super-cute that the boys’ “special hats” that they must wear are a pot and colander they found in their kitchen, and that no real explanation is given as to where this portal comes from – something I am
happy to see as this is a story for young children, maintaining a sense of wonder that I think would have been lost with concrete answers about their space travel.

Although this is not a specifically interactive book, there is one moment where as the time turns to 12:00, one must tap the clock to send the boys on their way, this being highlighted nicely with a glowing effect. I think that this simple, single interaction is a great inclusion, bringing a very nice element to this book as the tapping propels the boys through space, landing them into the land of dinosaurs.

It is especially nice that these two characters have their own personalities as Billy is more the dino lover and risk taker, as Spud is more coming along for the ride and is more cautions in general. I like how this structure creates opportunities where Spud asks questions about various dinosaurs that Bud in turn answers, creating a story book rich with good information about these dinosaurs. It is great that this app gives lots of tidbits of information on many dinos, and there is a moment that even more of these creatures are at least named and their images shown, creating a whole dinopalooza of creatures to learn about and enjoy – more than I thought would be covered in this app or any app like it.

I am also happy to report that this app covers dinos beyond the most obvious choices like stegosaurus, triceratops, and T Rex, including thoughtfully chosen information delivered in a way that is conversational and easily digested. This story also has a nice moment of suspense – a nice of bit drama for my preschool son as it is intriguing without being overly alarming.

This app has become a quick favorite for my son, who enjoys the narrated mode that this app offers as the narration is excellent, as are the illustrations included throughout this app, complete with an interesting palette of colors, my favorite being the majestic blue used for the mountains found in this story. Reading to oneself is also an option.

At 52 pages, this book is long for many to use as a bedtime story, but I enjoy how this tale is both engaging yet relaxing for my son as he has watches intently as this story unfolds while typically holding a stuffed dino of his own as this story plays out. I often will use this tale as leverage for an extra-early bedtime story – something that I have found effective.

I am really impressed with the glossary of dinos included here as well. This section included 14 pages of dinosaurs with information such as a map showing where on the earth the prehistoric animal would have been found as well as details about height and weight.

American readers may want to note that metric units are used here, something U.S. kids would not be used to, but this app does a nice job of using real-world comparisons such as the length of a bus to the weight of an elephant that kids from all over will understand. It is cute how visually this information is also offered, comparing a dinosaur to a man and an elephant, as these dinos could be of comparable size to this elephant or greatly dwarfing both, really showing off the scale of these dinosaurs.

My favorite part of this app is how in this glossary section, one can tap to hear both the name of each of these dinosaurs, as well as the phonetic sounds of the name, something I find incredibly helpful. Since I have never mastered the pronunciation of many of these names, the reading of dinosaur-themed books or stories is a challenge that I often shy away from as struggling to read my son a story can be quite a chore of me and I hope that with the use of this app, I can read the names of these creatures with confidence. It would be good if this section of information was narrated past the dino name, so my son could enjoy this section when by himself, but I am more than happy to read these facts out loud to my son.

This app will surely please any dinosaur lover, young or old and I am happy to say that I learned a lot from this app as well.

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

StoryBox is a very nice digital magazine for kids based on the award winning children’s magazine of the same name and based in the UK.

My son and I have enjoyed all that this app has to offer, as this digital magazine is compiled of six sections to enjoy, including a lovely story about a cow who won’t moo, two non-fiction sections, one that explore why airplanes leave trails in the sky and a section on humpback whales. There are some nice kite-themed activities, a fun comic book section and a charming story styled with separate panels but with no text – just creative illustrations to follow, complete with lovely music to listen to.

It is nice that one can either move from story to story within this app or return home to the contents page to make the next story choice.

I do have a few favorite parts that I would like to share. My son and I especially enjoy the Story Time section – How About A Moo – about a calf who wakes up one morning without making her typical moo sounds. Everyone on the farm tries to cajole this poor animal to making this sound until the gentleness shown by her mom makes everything right again. As a mother, I really enjoy the ending of this book as it has a tender message that parents will especially appreciate. There are some nice, subtle movements throughout this story with nice effect. Adorned with beautiful illustrations and few moving details as well, no interactions are offered here, nor do I think that they are needed as this story is quite charming just the way it is.

I have enjoyed the science and animal world sections as well, about airplanes and the trails they leave, as well as all about humpback whales. The airplane is interactive, giving the readers a chance to tap speech bubbles and text found that explain this phenomenon. The illustrations used within the humpback whales article are especially impressive and great information is provided about how these creatures trap and eat sardines without being overly graphic, yet full of interesting details that will engage readers of any age.

I like that one can zoom in and out to see the details of the comic area, and that one can watch a video of SamSam on You tube as well. There are kite-themed games and activities also included, mostly well translated from the traditional paper magazine that I imagine this app is based on and it is good that one can save the drawing one has colored, as a coloring book page is also included here. However, there are no instructions as to how to figure out the activity concerned which child is flying a specific kite in one of this app’s sections. I was able to figure out how to maneuver this game after a few minutes, but I don’t know if kids would easily understand what to do, and a hint at gameplay would be a nice inclusion.

Polo is the last section of this app, interesting as this tale that is told in a series of panels much like a comic book and is expressed without words. Here, a dog falls asleep to then be awakened by a yellow, glowing object climbing into his window from a rope. Intrigued, this dog climbs out of his window on this rope which ultimately leads him into space.

The piano music accompanying this section is wonderful, sleepy and even a bit melancholy. I do have mixed emotions about the ending of this tale, however, as it is “to be continued” later. I understand that serial comics and other stories have a long tradition and not uncommon in magazines, and I would be less bothered by this if I had bought a full subscription to a traditional magazine as this would insure that my son would receive the next installment of this story. However, I am not a huge fan of needing to buy additional add-ons or apps to continue reading. I do enjoy this wordless narrative very much though, because combined with the music, it creates an experience very creative and even a little moving, I simply wanted more.

I really enjoy StoryBox as I appreciate the content offered. Other apps like this may be more interactive, but I think the balance between the classic and simple storytelling, both narrative as well as documentary style, along with interactive games, activities, and other areas is nicely done.

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