THE SUN GOES TO BED

This simple bedtime story succeeds with the help of lovely art, soothing narration and well-chosen interactive effects.

The sun works very hard during the day, so when night approaches, it’s tired and ready for bed. As it sets, it looks back on the work it’s done, “[b]eaming rays to help everything grow. / Spreading health through a soft, warm glow.” The poetry is simple but generally effective (aside from a few awkward moments), with the illustrations in soothing purples, oranges and greens providing a big assist. The satisfying interactive effects include turning lights on in dark windows, sending an army of ants scurrying along twisting paths and tucking flower petals in on themselves. At the end of the story, the sun slips under the covers next to a sleeping child. The app provides a handy slide-navigation bar at the bottom of each page and an autoplay option. The female narrator has a soothing British accent, and words are highlighted as she speaks. Unfortunately, an option to record the book with the user’s voice resulted in the app repeatedly crashing, an effect that one hopes will be fixed in a future update.

A comfortable bedtime story that will help send little ones (and maybe grownups) off to sleep.