3 LITTLE PIGGIES

Safe, serviceable and completely dull, this soft-edged version of the oft-adapted pigs-in–real estate tale doesn't distinguish itself amid the dozens that also tell the same story.

Though it does a fine job of presentation, with cute, brightly colored, clean art and animation, the three little pigs in this story seem to have one mode: grinning toddler. They squeak and giggle like very young children, instead of appearing worried, as hunted homebuilders should. Even their cutesy names are enough to make readers’ foreheads furrow: Sniff-Sniff, Snaff-Snaff and Snuff-Snuff. Like many apps, this stuffs the screen with objects that animate when pressed: a pig scarecrow, the three houses and the interior items of Snaff-Snaff's spiffy brick abode. There are a few annoyances: Each page turn pulls up a "Loading..." screen that only lasts a second or two, but that really shouldn't be there at all. Extra options are limited to male or female narrators, and there’s no way to skip to a specific page. But the app's biggest problem isn't in design or execution, it's in competition. As a public-domain work, "Three Little Pigs" has become the go-to story for children's storybook-app developers to tackle, and the market is well beyond saturated.

As it stands against the huff-and-puff of the App Store's inventory, it may as well be made of straw. (incompatible with iPad 1) (iPad storybook app. 2-5)