The Nativity Story - Popup Deluxe Edition Review

The Nativity Story - Popup Deluxe Edition is a lovely interactive app for iPad that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ with the use of vintage-style images and mild but effective pop-up elements that children will enjoy.

An option is included for children to listen to narration while reading rhyming text, which sounds very clear and inviting with the perfect radio voice of an older man as well as hot spots included where one can tap to hear the characters talk, adding more depth to this app as Mary and Joseph look for a place to spend the night. I am not always a fan of stories that rhyme, but the words flow nicely here which I am glad about.

The look of this app is quite nice and colorful as well as yellowed and distressed, highly stylized with a period pop-up look that creates a subtle but effective layered look to this app complete with shadows behind the characters and scenery for a very nice vintage paper art effect.

I like the level of interactive pop-up elements keeping this app focused on the story without many distractions - a plus for fans of this religious story, I am sure. There are a few interactive areas which are nice, such as helping angels play instruments, pulling Mary on her donkey throughout Bethlehem, as well as knocking on and opening doors by various means, but adults expecting interactive elements that may rival those found in other specifically pop-up apps may feel a bit disappointed - a note worth making - but I do believe that this app has just the right amount of interactivity to keep children entertained, focused and engaged.

Although my knowledge of the Bible ends with the Old Testament, I was impressed with the quality of this application as every aspect of the illustrations, narration, interactions and music are of a very high quality. I especially appreciate how the birth of Jesus is captured, as readers are brought to a shot of a full moon glowing in the sky until the sounds of a baby can be heard - a thoughtful, cinematic moment that I found quite moving.

It is also worth noting that this app is available in English, French and Spanish. Scripture verses are also included for children and parents to be able to read the original text as well - a nice touch.

The Nativity Story - Popup Deluxe Edition would be a great choice for religious families looking for a Nativity app for their families. Every element is perfectly realized for the app these developers are trying to create, and for this reason I can highly recommend The Nativity Story - Popup Deluxe Edition.