It is always exciting to me when a classic Dr. Seuss story has been developed into a universal storybook application by Oceanhouse Media as they do a consistently good job at these adaptations which include sound effects, narration and the zooming and panning of the original illustrations to draw the reader’s eye as well as to sometimes create a sense of movement or action.

Do tap the object and characters within these stories as well, as doing so will label these items with a text as well as narration – great for word association, as is the highlighted text when listening to the included narration.

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! is another such title, based on the 1972 book of the same name, especially exciting to my husband as this was a favorite book as a child, about Seussian character, Marvin K Mooney, who is asked in every way conceivable to “Please Go” by an unseen narrator.

Although a few Seuss-styled words are included, this story in general is a nice choice for young children to read to themselves, written as part of the Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners series for young readers, as many of these same words are repeated for great effect as well as for aiding emerging readers.

As is the case for all Dr. Seuss stories, the pictures are grandly stylized and contain a terrific use of bright bold colors. I enjoy the included sound effects throughout this book as well, adding to the richness of this story now that it has been developed for iPad and iPhone.

It is also interesting to me the choice of using “Hail to the Chief” in the background of this app, an obviously political song, as this story has often been said to be about the desire to get Richard Nixon out of office, even with a 1974 reprint changing the name from Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! to Richard M. Nixon – a detail that adults may pick up on but which will be over the heads of children.

The one note I do have on this adaptation is that the woman’s narration used here can come across as a little shrill which in many ways may fit this story, but I think children as well as adults would have an easier time listening to this tale if the narration, possibly if the narrator chose to go deeper to show exacerbation instead of what can come across as almost whiney to get the point across.

Having said this, I still recommend Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! as a classic story loved by many. Adults always have a choice of reading this book out loud to their children if they choose, complete with the sound effects and background music which can also be turned off if one chooses.

I do look forward to more of these wonderfully whimsical tales brought to iPad and iPhone, but I do hope that easier-to-listen-to narration can be incorporated into other Dr Seuss stories.

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