STRIDING BIRD

In a twist on a familiar tale, a small bird decides to give up flying and become a land creature.

Striding Bird envies his four-legged friends, who don’t have to worry about strong winds sweeping them or their homes away. So he tucks away his wings, practices walking and makes his home in a hollow log on land. Striding Bird is quite content until a thunderstorm washes him and his home away. While he is bemoaning his fate, he meets a one-legged bird with a broken wing who is whistling as he repairs his nest. After some reflection, Striding Bird realizes that “real happiness comes with appreciating what he had, instead of what he did not.” The story is predictable and uninventive, although Striding Bird is an appealing character. Interesting interactions liven up the unremarkable artwork. Moving a finger from the center of the screen will cause winds to blow, day to turn to night, lightning to strike, etc. A navigation bar and brief tutorial is accessible on each page. Some minor annoyances include having to press a narration button on each page, not being able to turn off the music without muting the iPad, and some intermittent crashes.

Standard fare with some satisfying interactive features.  (iPad storybook app. 3-8)