Farm Animals : Story and Games Review

Farm Animals : Story and Games is a simple, cute, and nicely done app which teaches about farm animals and includes some lovely puzzles and an animal sounds game as well. Options for the book include reading the book to oneself or having it read with friendly, well-done narration.

I appreciate the look of this app: the illustrations are well-drawn with lots of bright colors, and the animals always have great whimsical expressions on their faces. I like that animal sounds have been included, as well as some cute hidden interactions that are marked on the page, giving the youngest players an idea of where to tap, a nice touch. It is also nice that the phrase “what’s that sound?” is repeated throughout the book before each animal is introduced, along with other facts about the specific animal.

I also enjoy the puzzles included, as well as the animal sounds game. To start the a puzzle, give the iPhone a good flick of the wrist to separate the pieces in the interest of putting the puzzle back together. The sound of these pieces rattling as they fall away from the jigsaw is very satisfying, but I do wish instructions were included regarding how to do this; it took me a while before I shook the iPhone in order to separate these pieces. The animals sounds game is a simple and straightforward activity of guessing what animal is making a specific sound, reinforcing the sounds learned in the storybook.

I have a lot of fun with all the elements of this book, as does my son. I think it would make an especially nice book for young children. If interested, check out the K-Magic series by the developers at PAKA, which have been long time favorites of my boy. I hope these developers continue to make lovely educational apps.