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THE RABBIT AND THE HEDGEHOG by Viking Informatics

THE RABBIT AND THE HEDGEHOG

developed by Viking Informatics

Pub Date: Aug. 8th, 2011
Publisher: Viking Informatics

A wordless, simply illustrated version of “The Tortoise and the Hare” with some character switching.

Not to be confused with the rather gruesome trickster tale by the Brothers Grimm, this rendition pits a scornful white bunny against a humble hedgehog, who wins the race with a slow and steady waddle. Along with a background track of chirpy birds, several items in each uncredited cartoon scene respond in various ways to taps. Clouds and an airplane float across the sunny sky, the rabbit and its carrot both chortle at the grumbling hedgehog, a particularly goofy-looking toad fires off the starting pistol, cabbages that dot the landscape twitch and, in the 11th and final scene, the hedgehog laughs snidely at the droopy lagomorphic loser (as a tortoise looks on, perhaps considering trying its own luck). A tag at the bottom both opens an index of thumbnail images and reveals a button that brings up fingers pointing to the interactive elements in each scene. The plot is easy to follow despite the lack of text or audio narrative.

A toddler-friendly variation on a familiar Aesop fable.

(iPad storybook app. 2-5)