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Elly Book 11 is a charming new universal title in the series of Elly the Reindeer books that my son and I enjoy together.

Elly Book 11 is focused on Elly and the gang as they prepare to go camping. My son really enjoys this story as he does the others, listening intently as Elly prepares for her trip, packing her bags and meeting up with her friends as they start on their walk to Feelgood Forest where they set up camp.

I have always appreciated the structure found within these apps, as Elly is often seen preparing for her outings, always having a course of action as well as organizing among her friends what they need to bring on their adventures - here, fun, thoughtful and practical choices such as food, guitar, and camping stove.

Elly Books have a lovingly simple look to them that children will appreciate as well as adults. Elly is an charming and relatable character for my son who has enjoyed all of these titles, always asking for multiples of these stories every time.

Elly Book 11 as well as the other stories include mild interactive hot spots that children can interact with by using a tap at the corner of many of these pages - an intuitive placement for the youngest readers who may have problems finding these interactions if hidden within the pages.

For the first time, Book 11 includes animated moments as well as the simple sounds found in the other Elly Books - moments perfect for babies' first interactions as well as a nice treat for my seasoned app user.

Another aspect I have enjoyed with these books is the use of very age-appropriate suspense that Elly and her friends experience, always ending well for all. Here, Elly hears some strange noises in the woods that need to be investigated - a moment my son and I enjoy - as well as the conclusion of this moment.

It is lovely that one has a chance to listen to very nice narration, yet my son has always enjoyed listening to me read these books to him - a request that I am always happy to fulfill as I enjoy reading these books out loud myself. They are simple and sweet, fun and always short enough to read a few before bed. Someday soon my son will be reading on his own, and these books will be perfect early readers for him.

The characters from these Elly series include animals such as a reindeer, hare, or owl but they are utterly real in their personalities and wonderful for preschoolers and younger children who can learn a lot from their lovely social interactions.

Elly Book 10, as the name may imply, is the 10th book in the wonderful series of interactive storybooks starring Elly, a most endearing and relatable reindeer - now a good friend of my son’s as well.

Like the other titles in this series by UK author and illustrator, Jon Higham, this story consists of Elly and gang helping a new friend who needs to find his way back home.

One has the option of listening to included narration or reading this book by oneself. Both options here are delightful, as the narration by Rose Higham is lovely as usual, including the creation of different voices used for each of these characters, each cute and charming.

Although the included narration will be a favorite element to other children, reading these books out loud to my son has long been my family's favorite way to spend app time that we really enjoy. These simple books flow really well, are easy to read and will make lovely first readers when my son is ready.

Here, a new character to this series is introduced, Lumi, a lost polar bear who is in need of help in finding his way back to the North Pole. Elly is at a loss as to what to do, so she asks her friends to lend a hand, helping Lumi make his way home, as well as gathering food and building shelter until he is able to make this trip.

Typically, adult humans are not found among these stories that revolve around Elly the reindeer, her animal friends, and her human friend Aapo. I think that it is a nice to include Aapo’s uncle, an explorer who is able to help Lumi go back home, as sometimes adults need to help children with problems that they may face. I am also very fond of how cooperation in general is a theme among these titles as Elly often needs to ask for help from her friends - great lessons for children to learn.

My son loves this story, as he does the other Elly apps. The mild drama of a lost creature in need of a helping hand is very captivating to my son, as his favorite game at the park is saving me - his “baby” - from alligators or hot lava, and now I am sure he will create a game where he needs to help me - as an animal that needs to find its way back home too.

The details from the airplane with skies to the building of an igloo to keep Lumi cool and comfortable were of great interest to my son, but what really fascinated him was the talk of the “magic lights" - a moment especially well narrated as well.

Like the other Elly books, hotspots are found in the corners of these pages, nicely marking where to tap, making it easy for the youngest children to explore these included sound effects. Although my son has access to the most interactive apps available, these lovely storybooks are still quite dear to his heart, also loving these simple additional sounds found throughout, tapping each one as I read these pages.

For the first time, an animated element has also been included, bringing the Northern Lights to this story as they magically appear in the sky for Elly and friends to see as they bid their new friend Lumi good night a long way away in the North Pole, and my son had a real moment watching the aurora borealis flicker across the last page of this story, making this a perfect bedtime story that gently introduces the idea the the world is bigger than one's backyard.

My son’s face beamed throughout as I read this story to him. At the end, he asked my to read it again - high praise as he typically requests a variety of apps instead of a repeat performance the way he does with this darling polar bear story.

I am really happy that this series of Elly apps has included so many titles, allowing my son to get to know these creatures as they demonstrate true kindness and friendship. As a parent, I would be happy for my son to emulate these relationships. I hope more Elly books are to come.

Elly Book 9 is yet another charming and delightful universal interactive ebook about Elly the reindeer and friends as they get ready for a costume party. Very nice narration is included as well as the option of reading this book to oneself and some fun interactive hotspots are also included, adding fun sounds to this lovely story.

My son is a huge fan of the Elly series, and this book is no exception. Halloween is right around the corner for us, and my son has been waiting to go trick-or-treating since the end of Halloween last year. This app is a cute and fun story about Elly and friends as they get their costumes ready for a party later that night, and it is very sweet indeed how these friends help each other out with home-made costume ideas. I love that these characters are each trying to dress up specifically in spooky costumes, iconic of the Halloween season that contain a perfect level of spookiness which is great fun but not at all scary.

Oftentimes there is a momentary bit of suspense within these tales; in this story, Elly comes across a bat she thinks she does not know, but it is in fact her dear friend Owl dressed up in a bat costume - a moment that my son really enjoyed as he at first became a bit quiet as he sees Elly come across the bat on her way to a friend's house, but he really smiled as he understood who this was and the costume that Owl was wearing.

There is always a wonderful social aspect to these stories, sharing and warm feelings in general towards each other are common themes in these stories. Here, Elly and the gang share fabric among themselves so that everyone can make a nice costume for the party. I like how Elly’s quest for a costume idea is not instantly figured out but is a work in progress throughout these pages until the end, as Elly takes her time to figure this out. She is not instantly gratified with an answer to her problem and is willing to graciously ask for help from loving friends, concepts I am happy for my son to be exposed to. It is also nice to see her help a friend with his costume as well.

Having made a pointy black hat early in this story and having gathered some black cloth as well, parents will not be surprised to see Elly ultimately dressed as a witch, but I think my son was wrapped up in this story, not knowing for sure what Elly’s costume was going to be until the end, which satisfied him nicely. Jon Higham’s illustrations are always darling, but I especially enjoyed seeing old friends dressed up in these very cute costumes, nicely disguising these familiar characters in ways that adults will appreciate - possibly even more than children will.

The narration delivered by Rose Higham is very nice as well, no surprise as I have been impressed with her narration of these “Elly”’ books before. However, I have to admit that my son still will have nothing to do with anyone but me reading him these books as he loves his “Elly time” that we spend together and is not looking to mix it up with another narrator. I would not be surprised, though, if he listened to this option when alone with the iPad or iPhone.

As with the other “Elly” stories, sound effects have been added, easily found at the outer corners of these pages. Although I enjoy hidden hotspots as well, I appreciate knowing where one can tap to hear these sounds as searching for hidden sounds can also be distracting, especially for younger children. It is also super-cute that the "Elly's theme" has been re-vamped here to have a spooky Halloween feel to it as well.

As with the other “Elly” books, Elly Book 9 would make a lovely first reader as well, especially to read to a younger sibling or friend. My son considers himself a great personal friend of Elly and her her cohorts as he has read many books about this gang and their adventures. I hope that as my son grows older, he has a group of friends like the characters found in these stories; truly nothing would make me happier.

The Witch Has an Itch is a lovely universal storybook app that kids and adults will enjoy. This app, based on a published book of the same name, is about an evil witch Gromelda who discovers that she has become allergic to her evil spells and dark magic. The ending of this story is especially nice as a lesson is learned about the possibility of changing one’s behavior and the concept of choosing positive attention over negative.

The illustrations used here are lovingly hand-drawn and look excellent. Although the words “evil” and ”dark magic” are used here, and this witch is definitely a not so nice witch, this story is still appropriate for kids as there is nothing violent or intense on these pages, and humor is used throughout as well as a fun and catchy rhyme which describes the terrible itch this witch develops.

The included narration is terrific as well, engaging and fun to listen to with an older woman narrating - a nice choice. Although perfect for Halloween, this story could easily become a family favorite long after this holiday has passed.

My son and I enjoy this book a great deal, and although without interactions, my son found it engaging as a story with a lot to tap on. When we read this book the first time, we had also looked at some interactive apps as well. Interestingly, when I told my son that this book has no hotspots, he seemed almost relieved, content to sit, watch, and listen to this most enjoyable story.

Will all the highly interactive apps available, I hope parents don’t overlook more traditional storybook experiences like The Witch Has an Itch as this app is simply charming and has a lot to offer.

Elly Book 8 - “ the rainy day” is the latest delightful universal storybook, part of the “Elly the Reindeer” series of books. My son and Elly have been great friends for a long time now, and there is no greater surprise for my son than to be told I have a new “Elly” book to read to him. Marked Interactive hotspots are included with various sounds, bringing an added level of richness to these stories. For the first time in the “Elly” series, narration is included and is a nice choice to have, making this story accessible to pre-readers when looking at apps by themselves. Of course, this book can also be read out loud by a parent and would make a good first reader as well.

For those who do not know, the Elly books are simple, wonderful stories involving Elly the Reindeer and her tightly knit group of friends, both animal and human, as they have adventures together. I am glad that these stories revolve around the same group of friends, really teaching about friendship and socialization - important things to emphasize as my son will be going to preschool soon.

Here, Elly ventures out into the rain to look for her friends as they do not answer their phones. The ending is very sweet and speaks much about their tender friendships since the group finds their friends outside looking for each other as well.

When I first heard that Elly was going to have narration included in future books, I was honestly a little concerned that the narration was not going to meet my high expectations relating to everything Elly. I am very happy to report that the narration, performed by author Jon Higham's niece who is a drama student, is excellent and hits all the right notes, especially with the use of suspense clearly in her voice as Elly does not recognize a friend right away, and is aware that she is in the company of a possible stranger.

As my son gets older and ventures a few steps further on his own, without holding my hand, I plan on focusing on this moment of the story as Elly is being true to herself and her sense that something may not be right - even if just for a moment before all is well.

My son, in all honesty, has not allowed me to play this thoughtful narration for him. In no way is this a reflection of this app - simply that my son loves hearing me read the Elly books myself, and he does not want the precious time together to change. Like with all Elly books, one book lead to a full Ellyfest, reading many of her books back-to-back. My son did not say much as he listened to these stories about good friends and good times, but he had a huge smile on his face throughout these books and listened intently as I read. My boy finds these simple and sweet stories utterly satisfying, and I enjoy them as well.

Elly Book 8 - “Rainy Day” is a wonderful addition to the Elly library. I am happy to see such nicely done narration offered as I am not always around to read to my son when he wants me to. I hope there are more Elly stories to come; it is by far my son’s favorite series of ebooks, and he has decided that Elly lives in the park by our house and we now visit her often. Elly is family. We can’t wait for more.

Update (3/28/2011): I was just notified by Elly herself that narration is included in this delightful story book! If interested, turn narration “on” found in the settings, top right side of the home page. Thank you, Elly for letting me know! I am sorry I was mistaken.

Big Red Barn is a lovely universal app from the writer and developers of the "Elly" series of story books. Here, this app teaches number and animal recognition, as well as the various sounds that these farm animals make.

My son is a huge fan of Elly the Reindeer, his good friend and favorite reindeer of all time. I could not resist telling him that these farm animals are also friends with Elly and her gang and doing this got the ooohhhs and ahhhs that I expected. We both enjoy this app a great deal, as the illustrations and content are so very cute and inviting. Just about all the animals one can find on a farm are here, and we learn about numbers from 1 to 10 along the way as well.

As with the Elly books, the text is not narrated, making this a lovely book one reads out loud to children and would also make an excellent early reader book as well. Kids will delight in tapping to hear the number spoken or to hear the various animals make their animal sounds incorporating both interactions as well as a classic reading experience. We also love to count the different animals on each page as well, making it an even more engaging. The animals sound very good here and I really enjoy how one can layer different animals together to make this app sound just like a loud and crazy barnyard if one wishes to do so.

My son enjoyed making all the animals sound at once, something easy to do thanks to the last page that brings all the animals and numbers together for the sake of happy tapping. After he was finished here, he also looked at two other farm-themed apps he had not shown interest in for some time, showing me how Big Red Barn nicely peaked his interest in farm-related things. This app is a must-have for animal lovers who are at an age where numbers are new and different, or for older kids who just want to hear the bleating, mooing, and oinking from the tap of a finger. As with the Elly series of apps, one cannot go wrong buying these for baby/toddlers' first apps, as well as beyond.

Elly Book 7 is yet another lovely storybook about my son’s favorite reindeer, Elly. The “Elly” series of story books is written without any narration and is designed to be read out loud to children, thereby also making excellent beginner reader books as well. In this book, lovely musical as well as other sounds have been added and it is nice that the areas to be tapped are marked clearly and are very easy to find?. Having these interactions not be hidden keeps this app very baby-friendly in terms of finding where to touch, especially for the youngest viewers new to interactive applications.

One of the aspects I have always loved about this series is how warmly Elly and her friends treat each other. This book is no exception, as Elly and her friends find musical instruments and decide to play a song for their friend Owl who loves music, but in this story Elly makes a faux pas by waking up her nocturnal friend during the day and feels embarrassed doing so. As my son enters the world more and gets ready for pre-school to start, I am sure he will make a few mistakes of his own and this story gave us a chance to talk about how Elly felt embarrassed and why. I also appreciate how, although all the individual musical sounds sound very good here, the first time the gang plays together they don’t sound quite right until they get some help from Owl who has experience being a conductor. This adds another educational element about playing music, but also the social aspect that the gang needed instruction and help to be able to sound the way they want. It is especially cute that the song they learned to play is “The Reindeer Song,” which is also the theme used among this series of books, the earlier books being updated to include this theme as well.

My son and I hope to see more from Elly and friends in the future. These books are welcome breaks from the highly interactive apps that he also loves. I not only recommend this book, but the whole series as well.

Elly Book 6 - “Snowy Day” is the newest story in the Elly the Reindeer series of illustrated books for both iPad and iPhone. Like all the Elly books, this story has lovely, stylized drawings we have come to love and expect from these apps. New to this book are endpages and a simple and sweet musical theme which will also be added to the other books through updates.

In Book 6, Elly and her usual gang of friends enjoy a cold winter day together and have a snowman or snowbeast-building competition. I am a fan of these stories in general, and I really like how in this book, good sportsmanship is shown between all those who take part in the competition, with a happy ending for all. These books don’t claim to have any profound messages, but the warmth and grace these characters show each other are things I am happy to expose my son to, and I feel that to some degree this rubs off on him as I see him interact with other kids with great kindness.

Like all the Elly books, Elly Book 6 is designed to be read to children and would also make a great first reader for kids. Among all the highly interactive apps available to my son, he asks me to read his Elly books often and simply loves the snowbeasts from Book 6.

I did notice that some of the dialog of Elly’s at the end may be a more British than an American way of speaking, but this is a minor point that did not overly faze my son, who has decided that he is Elly’s older brother!

“Elly Book 5” is a simple and sweet children’s book, part of the “Elly the Reindeer” series of illustrated story books.

In “Elly Book 5,” Elly the reindeer and friends go on a trip to the seaside for the day and have an adventure. The illustrations are colorful and pleasant to look at, and the story is gentle and sweet. Although short, I found it satisfying that the story takes us from morning to night, spending the day with Elly until she’s tucked safely in her bed at home. My son enjoyed both the story and illustrations.

There is no narration, music, or sound in the “Elly” series, so the experience is much like reading a traditional book to a child.

I think “Elly Book 5” and the entire “Elly the Reindeer” series in general are wonderful choices to read to even the youngest child who may have a short attention span or be overwhelmed by sounds, movements, and the tapping you find in other apps. Older children like my son (2.5 years old) will still find these stories fun and entertaining, as do I.