SHOULD WE GO?

There’s a nugget of a great idea—though not a terribly new one—in this app: a story tool that allows readers to pick characters, clothing, setting and mode of transportation. The result should feel like putting on a little play or directing your own movie. But in the execution, the results feel sloppy, slapdash and crude. That may be the aesthetic the developers were going for: The six available characters readers can send to such locations as the Moon, the beach, the zoo and the North Pole are literal stick figures, their clothing simple bow ties, ball caps or the odd astronaut costume. And the trips are to generic places for adventures that are over almost as soon as they begin. A kid who’s fast with a screen-pressing finger can get to the Moon and back in less than two minutes. It may be that it’s meant to be an imaginative exercise, but how to explain sound effects—like a busy signal that’s meant to convey a space shuttle countdown—that sound like they were pulled off a cheap sound-effects library CD? It’s a mildly interesting diversion, but even exploring every option the app offers takes about 10 to 15 minutes; it’s not exactly built to last. You can certainly go with this app, but should you? Probably not. (iPad storybook app. 2-6)