Tag Archives: children’s apps

App Review: Grimm’s Red Riding Hood ~ 3D Interactive Pop-up Book

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Grimm’s Red Riding Hood ~ 3D Interactive Pop-up Book is a mouthful of a title, but it’s also a rich storybook app that children will enjoy tremendously. The app takes a few liberties with the traditional story, but that makes it a bit more accessible by kids, and like other apps by the developer, it’s wonderfully illustrated and filled with fantastic interactive pop-up pages. This time, though, those activities are integrated into the story, making kids feel like they’re part of the tale being told.

Users can have the story read aloud to them (with them choosing the pace of the page turns), read it themselves, or watch the story in autoplay fashion. It has more violent elements than other children’s stories, but they’re muted enough that kids won’t be frightened.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App Review: Build A Car

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Build A Car is a trainwreck. It is a buggy, uninspiring, slapped together piece of software that would be a waste of your time if it was free. As it stands, though, it’s a waste of both time and money. The controls are sloppy. The magnetic qualities of elements is baffling (hover a wheel or another vehicle body over one on screen and they stick together and cannot be separated). And even if you do create a fun vehicle, all you can do is stare at it, then trash it and start over. This app is simply not worth a moment’s consideration — no matter how much of a vehicle enthusiast your little one might be.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook

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Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook is a blueprint for interactive children’s books. Each of the app’s 32 pages has entertainment elements, with dozens of hidden surprises. For instance, touch Jack enough on one page and he’ll break into song. On another, touching the right onscreen picture opens a memory game. Phrases, rather than words, are highlighted as the story is narrated; users have the option to turn highlighting on and off, giving the app a wider range of potential users. The app is dense with kid-friendly features, and will make a nice virtual library addition.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

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While it might be a little jarring to hear Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed presented as a story rather than a song, Oceanhouse Media (and author/illustrator Eileen Christelow) pull it off. Children will love seeing the song presented with quality artwork and the pages pan and zoom to help bring the story to life. The app also is a good learning tool, offering a variety of ways for users to experience it and utilizing picture/word association to help teach children (words zoom and are spoken when an item is touched onscreen). The story’s simplistic, and older kids might get bored quickly, but young children will be captivated.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: The Three Little Pigs, told by Holly Hunter

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Ruckus Media does a great job with children’s tales, and this version of The Three Little Pigs, told by Holly Hunter is another winner, but comes with one concerning factor. On the plus side, Hunter’s reading of the story is charming and engaging and the artwork that accompanies the video is wonderful. The ability to read and record the story in your own voice is another smart addition — as it lets parents tell a story to their kids even when they’re not around. The concern arises from the wolf’s smooth-talking come-on lines to the pigs, which are followed by his violent reactions to their rejections; and could bring to mind some thoughts of an abusive suitor. It makes this book not quite perfect.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Nash Smasher!

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Nash Smasher! is a fun, funny story that’s also surprisingly effective as a lesson in social skills for youngsters. The book is written by Bill Doyle of television’s Sesame Workshop, who has some experience communicating lessons to young children in an entertaining fashion — and knows how to keep adults interested simultaneously. In this case, that’s done via the story’s interactive elements, which are full of surprises and really make the book app something that’s fun for families.

Read more at Common Sense Media


App review: Grimm’s Rapunzel – 3D Interactive Pop-up Book

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Grimm’s Rapunzel – 3D Interactive Pop-up Book is a superb interactive version of the classic story that features all of the bells and whistles you would expect. Users can have the story read aloud to them (with them choosing the pace of the page turns), read it themselves, or watch the story in autoplay fashion. The pop-up elements not only let children explore the pages at their own pace, but also offer tasks to complete, such as planting and watering seeds to grow flowers or picking flowers. Young children will love the story, which is less frightening that many other Grimm fairy tales.

Read more at Common Sense Media


App review: PopOut! The Night Before Christmas

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Following its charming PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Loud Crow Interactive turns its talents on this Christmas standard in terrific fashion. Besides being a good story, PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit is also a good learning tool. And the pop-up elements are wonderful additions to the story, using sound and movement in terrific fashion. Each page has several interactive elements that encourage poking the screen or tilting the iPad. Finding them is half the fun. The narration and music are festively appropriate and calming (which isn’t a bad thing at this time of year). This is one of the best holiday apps this season.

Read more at Common Sense Media

App review: Food Fight! – An Interactive Book by Glenn Melenhorst

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Food Fight! – An Interactive Book by Glenn Melenhorst has some charming elements, but ultimately doesn’t stand up to the best interactive book apps — especially with its $1.99 price tag. The story’s message that vegetables can actually be tasty and shouldn’t be avoided simply because they are vegetables is laudable, particularly with the obesity epidemic, but the app’s interactive elements are just so-so, generally made up of brief sound effects and minor animations. Being able to zoom in on the story’s pictures is nice, but serves little purpose other than to better search for hidden stars, which unlock a less than impressive locked page at the end of the book. The app is fun, but it is not great when compared to some of the other excellent storybooks available in the iTunes store.

Read more at Common Sense Media


App Review: PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit

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Loud Crow Interactive hits one out of the park with their first app. PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit is one of the best children’s book adaptations we’ve seen. The reading interactive elements are stellar — but what makes the app really stand out is its detailed use of sound and movement with the pop-up elements. Every image is filled with several interactive elements that will enthrall children and adults. Flick the leaves falling from trees in the artwork and they’ll come floating out into the book. Touch Peter or his siblings and they’ll giggle with delight. The narration and music, meanwhile, are soothing and bring Beatrix Potter’s classic tale to life. It takes the children’s book app to a new level – and is worth every penny of its higher-than-other-book-apps price tag.

Read more at Common Sense Media