SPLISH! SPLASH! SPLOSH!

A simple story that reads more as a loosely rhyming poem introduces Sophie and her reluctant cat, Sam, who take to the outdoors, splishing and splashing in puddles galore in order to prove that even a rainy day can be enjoyable if you are with your best friend.

At first glance, this text does not appear to take advantage of the iPad platform, but an introductory note points out that tapping or “petting” Sam generates a soft, mechanical purr and that tapping the puddles makes a splashing noise. Curious readers may also uncover several other hidden sounds that will surprise and delight. By default, the text is narrated by a young girl with a British accent, but users have the option to mute narration as well as to choose whether or not to enable the corresponding red highlighting of each word. Each page features a blue background with falling raindrops that streak across the page, including across the text, which causes Sophie to stand out in her bright red galoshes and raincoat. The story concludes with a series of questions that re-engage readers by challenging them to identify and count such elements in the story as umbrellas and whiskers.