First a poem, then a lullaby, often a book and now an app—how we wonder what you... will be next.
Taylor’s classic English nursery poem is narrated in a British accent and set to gentle background music befitting its bedtime-book status, but the real stars of this app are Hague's richly detailed illustrations, which show beautifully on the tablet screen. Set on a blue fabric backdrop, the “book” opens up to reveal his characteristically detailed compositions, here consciously echoing picture-book masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Full of multiple touch-activated images that evoke childhood's dreams and fairy tales, the pictures lead readers through the evening's journey. Two children sail their little wooden boat across the night sky, where interactive features are plentiful—children swing from the moon, seahorses neigh and babies giggle, just for starters. A 3-D effect enabling the reader to tilt and turn the "book" adds to the dreamy feel. For those who prefer a lullaby, the interactive features also include versions of the song sung by native speakers in Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Italian, Nigerian, Russian, Spanish and Welsh but alas, despite the melody's Gallic origins, no French.
That readers will be introduced to several more verses than the usual first four is just icing on this particularly luscious cake. (iPad storybook app. 3-7)
