Oz Wizard: the Interactive Storybook for Children Review

Oz Wizard is a lovely interactive universal storybook based on the classic children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. Choose to have this story read out loud, or read by oneself. When narrated, sentences are highlighted as they are read - helpful for new readers.

This application is based on the classic story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and varies from the well-known movie, as does the original book. I am excited to introduce my son to this version, which has kept some important details intact from the children’s book that had been changed for the movie. Although simplified, this is a nice introduction to the world of Oz for preschoolers who may not have the attention span for the many chapters of the original book. Being a universal app, this storybook looks nice on the iPhone, but I really enjoy how the watercolor illustrations with slight anime influences look on the large screen of the iPad.

Although not abundant, I appreciate the interactive elements of this book, some allowing the readers to integrate themselves into the story by doing such things as helping the scarecrow get down off his post, saving him, or tapping three times to help Dorothy go home - my favorite interaction of this storybook. Other interactions have educational components such as tapping to hear the names associated with the object being tapped, nice for the youngest of players. I do wish that when the gang faces the flying monkeys, the Cowardly Lion had more of a role in this related interaction to further illustrate this moment of the story - an opportunity that I felt was missed.

Although not as intuitive as some storybook interfaces, I like the choice of highlighting not just the specific word being narrated, but longer phrases instead, a style that I think may helpful in furthering children's abilities to read full sentences.

Passionate fans of L. Frank Baum may feel that a lot is missing from this classic book, but I think this is a good start in getting children interested in this timeless and wonderful children's storybook.