GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS FOR iPAD

Curiously drama-free for a story about a young girl's encounter with three bears, this take on the classic porridge-for-thought tale feels too slight rather than just right. The illustrations are simple, colored- or collaged-in line drawings that are pleasant enough, in a bygone-days-aesthetic sort of way, but not surprising or eye-catching. The text is problematic; it's got distracting spacing issues, and at least one page ends with incorrect punctuation. The read-along narration is poorly synced with the highlighted words in the read-to-me option, but those readers who want to go it alone will miss essential parts of the story. Aside from the aforementioned narration, a few finger-activated animations and some sketchy navigation (some pages allow you to access actions with a tap; most don't), the story of Goldilocks and her foray into breaking and entering has rarely felt so unexciting. This was one app that could have used some fleshing out and more interactivity to liven up a limp adaptation. At least the bears, drawn as more Teddy than Grizzly, are cute. (iPad storybook app. 2-6)