Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Kidztory animated storybook Review

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is another lovely Kidztory interactive storybook by Stepworks designed for both iPhone as well as iPad. As with all of the Kidztory classics, choices include reading or listening to this story; be sure to tap around to look for the hidden interactive hotspots, my favorite being tapping to break the littlest chair as Goldilocks sits on it.

This classic story is one that is commonly turned into a storybook application, and my son and I have experienced many versions of this story, both in ebooks, as well as in classic book form. Although it is a favorite among children, some adults don't appreciate that Goldilocks learns nothing from her bad behavior of breaking and entering, theft of food, destruction of property, and general chaos that this girl causes an innocent family of bears. I am a huge fan of the whole library of classic Kidztory apps, and I appreciate the way the developers at Kidztory took on this tale, keeping in mind the children who will read this book and teaching them something along the way.

As with all Kidztory classics, this story is bright and fun in the style one would expect from this series. Here, it is explained that Goldilocks came across the bear house, was curious as to who lived here, and opened the door to see if anyone was home. I love the perspective of how the three bowls of porridge are large in the foreground with Goldilocks in the background. Touch the bowls and listen to them make beautiful chiming sounds. The art direction here does a great job of showing how these bowls call to Goldilocks who, being young, lacks impulse control. I prefer this version of Goldilocks as opposed to others where she seems vapid, bratty, or just plain mean.

I also really like the bears here, especially baby bear. Of all the versions we have experienced, I think my son empathized the most with this sweet little bear as he cries over his family's predicament, at one point whimpering "mama" when tapped, a moment that really resonated with my son. Above all else, I really enjoy that like all of their classic books, this tale ends with the lesson, here specifically about always asking before using other people’s things. I think my son has taken this to heart, seeing how upset baby bear was and I think this is a great lesson for my three year old to learn. Another great classic story from Kidztory, I hope they continue to create more stories with great messages.