Pango Zoo Review

I am excited to let readers know about a new app by a favorite developer of mine: Studio Pango. As the name may suggest, this is the home of the Pango series of children’s apps starring Pango himself - a friendly blue raccoon - as well as his gang of friends, which is a recurring group of animals with whom Pango has adventures. Here, in Pango Zoo, the gang runs a zoo complete with interactive scenes that young children will enjoy.

Five main animal-centric sections are included within this cartoony, bright, and colorful app. From taking care of the medical needs of a very ill zebra to the care and feeding of a playful group of penguins or a majestic lion, young children will feel a sense of accomplishment as they are led through these language-neutral scenes with prompts found within. This will also hold true as they make their rounds cleaning up the zoo, with such tasks as picking up hippo poop or helping bathe a very dirty elephant. Some of these sections also include a few extra fantastical details, such as a possible nod to Alice in Wonderland as a magic potion is used to turn the big cat into a more manageable house cat - something that will make adults smile along side their young counterparts.

I appreciate how these scenes include simple exercises for children to complete, yet each area of this app progresses nicely among a few pages for a well-paced narrative, making this app include more content than I had thought at the first glance of the menu page where one chooses between animal sections. It is also worth noting that, unlike the Pango books that we as a family have really enjoyed with titles that include text which needs to be read out loud, Pango Zoo is without the need of a narrator and is therefore perfect for toddlers to enjoy on their own. Yet it is enjoyable for most parents who want to spend time with Pango Zoo alongside their children.

Although my nearly seven year old son is currently spending most of his iPad time on math or logic games, he was quite eager to check out this new Pango app, being a fan of this series in the past. He really enjoyed his time helping each of these animals and the witty sense of humor that is included - little moments that added up for the enjoyment of older children as well as adults who will most likely share in the Pango experience with their families.

Those new to Studio Pango should check out their other titles as one can find stylized Pango books including Pango Disguises or Pango Christmas Book 5, as well as a seek-and-find app called Pango Hide and Seek, an app for young builders titled Pango Imaginary Car, and an all-time favorite busy box app, Pango Playground.