WHEELS ON THE BUS HD

Based on the children’s song, this sunny sing-along’s opening screen invites kids to “Poke or slide things on the screen to see what happens!” On the titular bus, the door slides open and closed, windshield wipers swish to-and-fro and school children hop up from their seats; the activities are activated by finger presses and swipes. The sharp, digitally illustrated scenes are aided audibly by versions of the titular song in languages including English (male or female), French, Spanish, Italian or German, or performed with instruments like cello, kazoo and “Gibberish.” There’s also an option to record the reader’s voice to accompany the thin story, which consists of only eight pages. More suited for toddlers who want to get their hands on that iPad than older kids who want a narrative, the app has great presentation, but not a lot of re-read value once all the interactive animations have been fiddled with and the wheels have gone round-and-round a few times. For a truly exciting interactive bus ride, Paul O. Zelinsky’s 1990 pop-up adventure is still the gold standard. (iPad storybook app. 18 mos.-4)