LOLA & FRED

Wordless and simply told, the app, based on the picture books by Christoph Heuer, is about the airborne adventures of a frog and turtle who dream of flying. Their failed attempts include a kite, a slingshot and a Wile E. Coyote–style rocket. (The first volume is free; four more books that continue the story are available to buy once the app has been downloaded.) The clean, hand-drawn illustrations are funny, as are the characters; they evoke James Stevenson’s gentle zaniness. Shifts in perspective, facial expression and body language do the heavy lifting of storytelling admirably. But iPad owners may wonder whether the app wastes the format. The story is fine without text (or narration, of course), but it lacks even background music, an auto-play feature, touch features or anything else that would suggest it belongs on the iPad. Readers can zoom in on illustrations and view an index of all the pages, but that's all there is. Simple is one thing, but this app begins to feel like an adaptation that could have offered much more. (iPad storybook app. 2-7)