:: DARLING INTERACTIVE STORYBOOKMillie’s Book and Tricks or Treats is a application starring little dog Millie, now in a Halloween-themed interactive activity book, part of the “Millie was Here” series of apps that children love - here a universal application.
My son and I have had a lot of fun with the first two apps in this series, each wonderfully juxtaposing tall tales about Millie’s greatness with photos and video clips of the simple and sweet truth behind these grandiose claims. Having heard about a new Halloween-themed app from this series, I knew this was something I wanted to review based on how much my son enjoys Millie’s adventures.
This app is super-cute, and it would take a person with a heart of stone not to smile at this application. Here, help Millie fill her bag of treats as she goes door to door trick-or treating in her neighborhood. Each door visited is nicely decorated with Halloween decorations that children will enjoy, each with its own theme such as witches or vampires that have some fun, visual elements but are never remotely intense or scary.
It is really fun to knock on these doors or ring the doorbell, prompting the door to open to a spilling wheel-of-fortune which lands on a thrilling “Tricks" or “Treats” that Millie performs which kids will enjoy. A "trick" typically entails a trick that Millie has mastered, in her own silly, stylized and lovingly absurd way, such as mooing like a cow, running faster than a cheetah or drinking through a straw. Treats here focus on Millie’s favorite food, bacon, such as a bacon picnic or a birthday cake (with bacon). I love the use of video clips within these apps, as these clips found behind a closed door to be opened truly make Millie look as if she is within these apps with great effect. It is also good to know that over 40 video choices are included within this app that takes MIllie to 10 homes in her neighborhood, creates an experience with this app is never exactly the same - great for re-reading this interactive tale all year long, well past Halloween season.
Also nice is that every page there is also a photo to discover of Millie wearing one of her Halloween outfits. Uncover this image by scratching the top surface with the swipe of a finger to find this mystery photo.
Stickers are found on every page as well. Search high and low, tapping all over to find them, and note that in a pull-up menu from the bottom of the screen, one can see a simple outline one is looking for. Even with this information, I was not able to find all of these stickers, kind of a bummer, and it would be nice in a future update to add a hint option among these pages.
Like the first two apps, the included narration is wonderful, as is the music used - both elements wonderfully found in the first two apps - but here the music has a fun Halloween sound as well, in keeping with the theme of this book. It is also good that the narration explains exactly how to use this book - already an intuitive experience that kids will adore and have no problems exploring on their own, and it is nice that a menu of pages is included here as well.
Another interesting feature is that each app in this series includes a “Bedtime Mode” that silences loud noises and dims the screen a bit to create a less-stimulating experience when used as a bed-time story - a very thoughtful inclusion to say the least.
I can’t imagine a young child or dog lover who would not thoroughly enjoy this or the first two “Millie” apps. This is a simply delightful series of apps that all ages will enjoy, and a Halloween app one can buy with confidence knowing that there is nothing included here which could remotely scare the youngest or most sensitive children.
Millie & the Lost Key - Millie Was Here, Book Two is the latest installment in the “Millie Was Here” series of apps about a lovable dog and her larger-than-life adventures, here looking for the lost key - a key to endless bacon, that is.
As one may have read from an earlier review of mine, I am a fan of the “Millie Was Here” series, having enjoyed the first app, Book One: Meet Millie. Many of the elements that make Meet Millie such a fabulous experience are found throughout these pages as well. Although one could read this book on his own, most will not be able to resist such fabulous, pitch-perfect narration that is included within these series as this narrator sounds so very rich and resonating, adding fun drama to this fun and whimsical app.
In reality, this is a story about a day in the life of little dog Millie as she goes on a walk in New York City’s Central Park, but here this simple act takes on a world of its own
Whereas Book One - Millie Was Here - contained a wondrous carnival tone, Book Two contains a fun and creative adventure theme, with cute details included such as styling Millie like Indiana Jones, complete with brown leather hat and satchel as well as transforming the bag in which Millie is being carried into a period airplane, adding vintage feel to this story as well as setting the stage for a fun, flying interaction.
I love these apps for how they bring such creativity to everyday activities, much like the mind of a child would. A walk through Central Park turns into a journey through a mysterious and dangerous jungle island, complete with pop-up areas to investigate. This adventure continues as Millie takes a ride in a rowboat that one can rent in order to explore the park’s lake, full of pirates, piranhas, and other “scary stuff.” I especially like Millie's ride on the park's carousel as she tries to outrun pirates, parrots, and piranhas.
I enjoy all the various interactions and mini-games within this app as well as the added fantasy illustrations transposed over the real life photos of Millie. I find it quite charming to be able to see the simple truth behind the wild tales spun by the text and narration, loving this tongue-in-cheek style, but I was confused as to whether or not Millie jumps from the rowboat into the lake as she travels to the cave in this story to look for the key to endless bacon, a little problematic for me as I greatly enjoy seeing what is really happening on Millie’s simple adventure in the park juxtaposed over this dramatic tale, and here ambiguity is not this story's friend.
I also like that Millie’s friendenemy “Kitty” from Book One also shows up in this app, a fun inclusion, especially for those familiar with Book One - Meet Millie. Of course, Millie ends on a positive note and there is a super-cute moral to this story that adults may enjoy more than their children.
All ages will really enjoy this series of “Millie Was Here Apps” as we do. My son loves Millie and all that there is to look at, explore and touch within these apps. They are very well done and include very nice music to listen to. I look forward to seeing new adventures of Millie in the future.
Millie Was Here is a super cute iPad app that introduces children to the character of Millie the dog in this highly creative interactive experience.
The moment the narration began within this app I knew that I was going to enjoy this immensely, as the quality of this narrator’s voice is rich, resonating and dramatic. I don’t know the exact way to describe the sound that is emoted here, but this style is my very favorite when it comes to narration, as to me it is the perfect radio voice and I appreciate the mood created here, starting this book on a wonderful note.
It nice that these words are highlighted as this book is read out loud, and this app can be read by oneself as well. A very nice "Bedtime Mode" is also included, a nice feature that dims the screen of the iPad, helping children transition to sleep.
I love the epic tale told here about a one-in-a-million dog with special powers. The buildup is powerful and I love the stylized look of this highly interactive app, reminiscent of Victorian penny arcades and vintage pop-up books with an abundance of levers to pull or slide, dials to spin and buttons to press on. A beautiful wood grain detail is also used throughout this app, this detail peaking out from the bottom of the pages where the forward, back, and menu buttons are found, as well as other areas, adding to the vintage feel of this interactive ebook. The carnival music used throughout this app also adds a great deal of charm and style to this sweet, clever and inventive application.
My son really enjoyed the great reveal of Millie herself. Much like seeing the Wizard of Oz for the first time, it may not be what one would expect as this one-in-a-million dog is actually a modern little dog, ordinary in many ways, creating a lovely juxtaposition to the larger-than-life description and story told about this animal. This tale continues, giving details about
Millie’s daily life, wonderfully spun to make her seem out of this world and includes photos and videos of the real Millie, demonstrating what is being explained from her more humble point-of-view. Stickers can be found in each page, and I appreciate how a metal claw reaches into the page to save the sticker for later, also nicely stylized and with a carnival feel. Some fun mini-games are included within this application.
This is a free app worth the download and although not as lengthy as some paid books, contains an abundance of style and interactions. My son really enjoys this app and it works well as a stand-alone experience.
The last page introduces the next book in this series, a paid app named Millie and the Lost Key, but this application is much more than a simple teaser, something I greatly appreciate as many “lite” version of an ebook that contains only the first few pages, often stopping abruptly - many times at a cliffhanger.
Children will simply love Millie, and parents will greatly appreciate all the stylized details and whimsy that are within these pages. If interested, look for my review of Millie and the Lost Key - Millie Was Here, Book 2 to be published later at GiggleApps, available for purchase at iTunes.
