Parents of toddlers, meet your new best bedtime friend: a well-paced sleepytime story with just enough interaction to keep curious toddlers quiet and still.
Based on the classic English nursery rhyme "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," the Super Simple Learning iPad app expands on its YouTube video (29 million+ views) to build its own serviceably rhyming storybook. Beautifully animated with simple navigation and sound effects that don’t distract, the gentle story follows a playful owl on his nighttime adventure with a wide-eyed, dancing star. The app gives parents three reading options: read to me, read myself and autoplay, which reads the story and turns the pages automatically. (Warning: autoplay may equal auto-snooze for sleepy parents.) The owl hoots and flaps his wings, and the star dings and twirls as children tap their 3D images. A companion mode allows readers to watch the video animation and listen to the song (sung in a child’s voice or an adult voice) without the story narrative. Sure to be a “play again” favorite, this app gives parents a backup plan on the title page, easily reached by tapping “home” in the top left corner. Groggy toddlers can “Count Stars,” 20 stars that light up and spin around when tapped, while the soothing “Twinkle” tune continues to play.
Bedtime may never be the same. (iPad storybook app. 0-3)
