ANA LOMBA'S SPANISH FOR KIDS: CINDERELLA / CENICIENTA
(reviewed on February 15, 2011)
More textbook than storybook, this modern take on "Cinderella" is part of a series of language-study apps from educator Ana Lomba. The story of the neglected stepsister-turned-princess is presented as a set of 10 scenes to be listened to in one language, repeated in a second language (here it's English and Spanish) and acted out by the reader as a form of immersion learning. Some of the original tale's timeless magic is lost in translating; Cinderella doesn't just do laundry; she does it at 9:00 with modern washer and dryer. She buys groceries for her keepers, specifically $34.17 worth of potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes. The vocabulary-building list-taking isn't great for the story's narrative, but it's a novel approach to educational storytelling. Less innovative is the app's cluttered, busy design, which puts too many distracting buttons above and below the text. At 51 pages, however, the app doesn't skimp on content. Its narration is well-acted, including distinct tone changes for character dialogue in both English and Spanish. The amusing present-day touches (the stepsisters do Pilates; Cinderella arrives at the ball in an orange Maserati) don't hurt, either. (iPad storybook app. 4-10)
