Price: $3.99


Download on iTunes

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul

Our Review

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul is a new universal storybook app that includes games developed in a partnership between Ruckus Media Group and Hasbro, bringing the popular series of Tonka Chunk and Friends toys to life in a children’s application.

Options include listening to narration or reading this book to oneself, as well as making one’s own recording, and it is nice that when listening to included narration the words are highlighted when read in order to aid reading skills. Interactive word games are included as well, adding a nice educational touch. There is also a section that nicely introduces the characters found in this story.

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul is a story about cute vehicles and a day-in-the-life adventures as they make mischief and break something of value owned by Chuck’s mom, as well as making a new friend and having an adventure showcasing their different abilities as vehicles.

Throughout these pages, word games are included where the player uses a finger to wipe clean the device of a mud or water spot, looking for letters that make up the word in question. Sometimes a simple memory-style game is used, as making pairs uncovers the letters used in the hidden word. These word puzzles are fun, and older children will enjoy trying to come up with the word that they are looking for crossword-style, using their reading comprehension skills to come up with a word that fits the context and the number of letters available, as well as the letter hints they get as these mini-games are played out.

At the end of this story, one can fill in the blanks of a synopsis of this tale with the words they have earned through these activities in a rebus story that uses images instead of certain words, here the words earned though these mini-games, or choose to use these earned words in question without images, creating a fill-in-the-words story instead. I appreciate how one can read this story again for different words that still fit into the same context of the story as well as use different words in the rebus story to create something entirely new – a nice touch that adds to the re-readability of this app.

These stories are nice-looking with bright colors and with enthusiastic narration that kids will enjoy. I like how storybook pages flow into animated sections of these stories, especially in the second half which includes a lot of action and some interesting perspectives as Chuck and his friends create and play on a large tower and ramp to show off their skills – my son’s favorite part of this story. These tales include some nice morals about owning up to one’s mistakes and cleaning up messes, as well as appreciating the differences in others and good sportsmanship.

This app will be liked by kids who have fun playing with trucks, especially those who are fond of the Chuck and Friends series of toys, as they will enjoy this story even more. My son asks for this app by name, and I think others will like it too. Hasbro has so many great toys, I am curious to see what the partnership between Hasbro and Ruckus Media Group comes up with next.

dataJuly 5th, 2011 by Amy Solomon Share

Application Detail

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul

Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul


Download on iTunesDeveloper: Ruckus Media Group
Released: 2011-06-14 00:00:00
Price: $3.99

Description from the Developer

“Bumpers up!” Join Chuck and his friends as you tap the screen to learn letters and words, play games and watch videos. This interactive reading adventure is ideal for young truck-lovers, fans of HUB TV and Hasbro toys. Read along as Chuck and his pals embark on a journey where they learn about honesty, teamwork and friendship. Bold graphics and bright colors make “Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul” an enjoyable and engaging way to learn to read. Get ready for some four-alarm fun!

Chuck and his friends are playing their favorite game (chasing bad guys) when they encounter Flip, a new vehicle in the scrap yard. Chuck is not so sure about Flip and challenges him to a stunt contest. In the process, the two realize they can work together and become fast friends.

Features
• An original story of more than 70 “pages”
• Narrative-driven matching, touch and reveal and spelling activities progress the adventure and teach letter recognition, picture/word association and basic problem solving
• Read along, play along and record your voice: Users can read the story, have it read to them, or even record their own voice for a personalized reading experience.
• Words illuminate as Chuck tells the story, enhancing basic reading comprehension
• Randomized activities provide multiple learning adventures

Awards:
• 2011 Parents' Choice Award winner
• Editor's Choice by Children's Technology Review
• 2011 Mom's Choice Award winner

"Chuck and Friends is a top interactive storybook app that will engage, entertain and delight your children. More than just astorybook app it offers an original story with top interactive games and videos that helps support kids learning skills with spelling, letter recognition, picture word association and basic problem solving." - Fun Educational Apps

"Overall, this is a fantastic application for children and certainly the age bracket of 4+ is perfect for this title. It brings together a simple but appealing story with plenty of enjoyment and education value." - MyMac.com

"This interactive reading adventure is ideal for young truck-lovers, fans of HUB TV and Hasbro toys.” - IPhone4Kids

"Ruckus Mobile Media does such a good job with children’s books on the iPad. Like with their other books, you can read the book yourself, have it read to you, or record your own version. Chuck and his friends are vehicles – a dump truck, fire truck, garbage truck to name a few – who love to play in the junkyard. There are several games word and matching games to play while reading the story. It’s a cute book." - Savvy Auntie

At Ruckus Media we create apps for mobile devices that entertain toddlers to teens from their fingers to their minds, at home or on the road—and invite their imaginations to grow.

More apps for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch including classic stories told by family-favorite performers from Ruckus Media:
• Spot the Dot by pop-up legend David A. Carter
• Rainforest Survival Challenge
• A Present for Milo, About.com Readers’ Choice and Parent’s Choice award winners
• Andrew Answers, “Best Apps Ever Award" Finalist (from 148apps.com)
• Goldilocks, told by Meg Ryan
• The Three Little Pig, told by Holly Hunter
• John Henry, told by Denzel Washington
• Pecos Bill, told by Robin Williams
• The Velveteen Rabbit, told by Meryl Streep, “Best Apps Ever Award" Finalist (from 148apps.com)
• Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table, told by John Cleese

CONTACT US: support@ruckusmediagroup.com. You can also find out more about us on our website: www.ruckusmediagroup.com. Thank you!

Screenshots

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