"Nevertheless, it's a tasteful and loving adaptation; those who love the original book will find much to admire here. (Requires iOS 6 and above.) (iPad storybook app. 2-6)"
"A quick but satisfying experience for budding artists in or recently out of diapers. (iPad storybook app. 2-4)"
Color by color, a box of fingertip-controlled pastel crayons draw an island, a stranded lad, a passing ship and other details in this animated version of Freeman's 1976 exercise in creativity.
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Automotively named Edsel McFarlan loves model cars and has a thrilling high-octane adventure when the toy of his dreams arrives in this visually zippy app that ultimately fails to kick into high gear on the interactive lane.
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"Too quickly over, but an altogether engaging version of a classic bit of common literary currency. (iPad storybook app. 5-8)"
An arch 19th-century version of the fable, sans explicit moral, is paired to illustrations of silhouette figures flexed in lively ways by barred "Scanimation"-type screens.
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"Appropriately for the audience, there's no story line or dazzling special effects—just a creatively imagined encounter with a song that has universal toddler appeal. More, please! (iPad storybook app. 1-3)"
This toddler app revolves around the children's song of the same name, the first in a planned suite by the illustrator of the now-classic My Very First Mother Goose.
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Andersen's classic text is paired to Zwerger's elegant, subdued illustrations and animated with graceful restraint. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much going on. A page of text appears, with a fish bobbing as if in a slight current at the bottom of the page. It looks as though it has been submerged, light shining through moving water between the iPad surface and the text. When readers advance to the next page, the fish swims across into an illustration as the narration continues. The background sounds are the ceaseless rushing of the ocean depths. Children who touch the screen to find an animation will discover that they can make ripples and splashing sounds while guiding a school of minnows about. This is exactly the right choice for this story. Many pages have several paragraphs (read aloud in a gentle, woman's voice), and the interaction engages readers tactilely, helping them to focus. As the action moves to the ocean's surface, the undersea gurgling is replaced by the wash of ripples, the soughing of the wind and creaking of ships. This being the original story, there is no happy ending: The little mermaid becomes a "daughter of the air," hoping to eventually win an immortal soul. Children accustomed to Disney blandness will find this quiet, subtle app a welcome introduction to a more sophisticated aesthetic. (iPad storybook app. 6-12)Read full book review >
A little girl ponders the secret life of her stuffed bear and attempts to catch him in the act. Based on the 2004 children's book What Does My Teddy Bear Do All Day?, by Bruno Hächler and Birte Müller, the brief story is sweetly told and full of surprises. At first, the app seems to be a no-frills, basic narrative, with painterly illustrations and simple navigation (arrows at the top left and right to flip pages). With only minimal animation—leaves blowing in a breeze or eyes blinking—it's easy to miss the hidden features like a drawing tablet accessible by tapping on papers taped to a wall or the teddy bear's ability to flop left and right with a tilt of the iPad on the title screen. Where the original book relied on readers' ability to catch all the details presented on the page, this app takes advantage of the medium with these interactive touches to provide a full-blown picture of this teddy and his chums' secret life. By not calling attention to those features until a few seconds after the narration is read on each page, then highlighting where to touch, it rewards patient readers while still providing a cozy tale for those who want to speed through. Subtle, surprising and ultimately spectacular. (iPad storybook app. 3-7)Read full book review >
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