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Mog the Forgetful Cat Review

Posted by Amy Solomon on August 15th, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Mog the Forgetful Cat, part of the beloved Mog series of books about the adventures of a forgetful, sometimes misunderstood cat has now been lovingly adapted to the iPad and includes stellar narration, interactions and music, each wonderfully crafted to bring a great deal of richness to this family classic.

Children will feel for Mog who is having a bad day, getting into trouble and taken for granted by her family in a way relatable to children who also have trying times getting into things they should not. The ending is especially charming and a little silly as readers will understand what is happening more than Mog does, as she saves the day very much by accident to the delight of children.

I truly enjoy everything about this application. The narration provided by an older woman is simply terrific, making my short list of favorite voiceovers within an application.

I also admire that the original art from the book is used, now including new interactive moments that match the same style of illustrations that people have been enjoying for decades.


Fans of this book will notice the decision to break down the pages that contain a montage of drawings and paragraphs of text into their own pages - the right decision aiding young readers - as well as highlighting the charming new interactive moments and hidden sounds found throughout these pages.

It is impressive how the added animations work so seamlessly within this application as the original drawings images from the book are incorporated, also including the fun bits of comedic action now charmingly demonstrated, such a Mog's dream of flying with birds as well as the jumping and running around cats are known for.

Adults will be smitten by these illustrations, now containing a vintage charm reminiscent of the time period of 1970, modernized here for the digital age yet staying true to the original look of this story.

Terrific musical elements are also included into these interactions as well as the story itself, creating cinematic moments all ages will enjoy a great deal.

I also really appreciate the choices offered in terms of how to enjoy this story, be it just listening to the narration or pulling open a tab containing the text to read along, as well as reading this book to oneself or make one's own recording.

A few nice extras are also included, such as playing a game where readers select the correct emotion shown on Mog’s face to match a correlating word. Those whose iPads include a forward-facing camera can also take photos with Mog that they can then share. All iPad users can incorporate their own photos from their iPad as well.


A short bio of author Judith Kerr is also included, introducing readers to early sketches which became the drawings for this storybook - a treat for fans, to be sure.


I have truly enjoyed Mog the Forgetful Cat. It is a perfect transformation from printed medium into an application. I hope the other Mog titles can be developed for iPad as well, possibly even as universal applications, letting iPhone users to also have a chance to meet Mog. I also look forward to the release of The Tiger Who Came to Tea - one of the most popular children's’ books of all times, also being developed by HarperCollins Publishers.

Secret Agent Splat’s Mission Review

Posted by Amy Solomon on May 10th, 2012
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Secret Agent Splat’s Mission is a fun game app based on the best selling children’s book, Secret Agent Splat, part of a larger series of Splat the Cat books.

It is worth noting upfront that this app is not a thorough re-telling of the original book, yet this app is a very appealing companion piece to the children’s story which includes three fun action-packed games (a fourth to be included in a future update).

It may be helpful to tell readers that the tale of Secret Agent Splat is about Splat the Cat who is on the case when the toy ducks his dad makes have been stolen, then to be brought back with missing beaks. Fun spy gadgets are used to track down who Splat thinks is taking the ducks. It is here that the tone of this book changes as the real culprit is discovered who meant no harm, this story ending with a warm and happy ending.

A brief retelling of the beginning of this story is offered as a set-up for the included games - a slight disappointment as I think this story as a whole would make a wonderful storybook app in its own right. This, combined with the included narration being excellent, bringing a lot of suspense for this mystery of sorts, and including the wonderful illustration from the book all which add up to create the promise of a great children's application. This is not a flaw of the app itself, really, as it is the reader who may have different expectations from what this app has to offer.

I do think this application will be a huge hit with families familiar with this series of Splat the Cat books, now allowing children to help Splat get his ducks back as well as ducks for their own personal collection every time they succeed at a mission.


Seymour’s Impossible Mission stars Seymour, Splat's mouse friend, as he is lowered into a shaft of some sort looking for the ducks to be found at the bottom. Tilt the iPad to avoid obstacles on the way down.

B-B-B-Boing is an arcade-style game - a variation of Wack-a-Mole where one uses Splat’s secret gizmo, introduced in the book to tap the ducks that pop up from holes in a grass-covered hill. Do avoid hitting Seymour as he pops up from these holes as well. My son laughed out loud when he was the secret gizmo included from the book - a nice touch kids will get a kick out of.

Ducks in the Dark is a variation on a classic memory game where one must use his flashlight to turn over cards in order to make pairs.

Children will enjoy collecting these colorful, whimsical ducks stored together in a personal duck collection, complete with empty spaces and name tags waiting for these ducks to be found, each with a human name associated with these empty spaces - a detail that I think it very cute.

Each of these games includes ten levels of increasing difficulty, and solving each of these levels allows one to achieve a higher rank from “Spy in Training” to “Master Spy,” ultimately becoming a “Super Secret Agent.”


The number of levels included within these three games is impressive, and the look of this app is great with bright colors and many whimsical ducks to enjoy collecting. This is a great app for children who are looking for games for the iPad that parents will appreciate for having a tie-in with a great series of books, possibly encouraging them to read these books as well as to play arcade games.