A Duck in New York City Review

A Duck in New York City is a delightful animated storybook that children of all ages, as well as adults will enjoy and includes a video interpretation and great song that can be listened to or sung along.

This story, based on a book of the same name, is about a little duck with big dreams of dancing on Broadway. Unfortunately, his duck friends are not very encouraging, but this duck has a great, “yes, you can” attitude that parents will hope will rub off on their children as this duck makes his way to New York City with the aid of a trucker, Big Betty, a terrific, supportive character that also subtly tackles gender issues as a woman trucker is not what many children would think of first when it comes to truck drivers. This is an inspirational story with a great, positive theme children will benefit from being introduced to.

I also appreciate that this duck does not only have a dream of dancing on Broadway, but we see his hard work as he dances his way to the city, making a name for himself, as the jaded side of me often silently scoffs at other well-meaning stories about lofty goals that leave out the hard work one needs to make these dreams possible.

It is also a nice moment when Big Betty and duck go their separate ways - duck now relying on himself to make the last leg of this trip. Although short, this is a great title that is sure to become a family favorite for all.

This book can be enjoyed as a storybook including narration or not. The included narration is superb and a real pleasure to listen to. It is also nice that the words spoken are underlined in yellow when read - a style I enjoy, possibly more that the standard highlighting of the words themselves.

While the narrated book includes a thoughtful use of sound effects and music, the book while read to oneself remains silent except for the sounds of the pages being turned, making this experience much like reading a traditional printed book, and included the thoughtful inclusion of a magnifying glass feature, enlarging the text and changing the font to make the words easier to read, is a very nice touch that I appreciate.

A video of this story is also included, with some lovely animated effects. This video will appeal to all, but it is especially nice how the images here have have articulated elements - moving pictures lovingly stylized but not fully animated in the conventional sense, something that may be especially appealing to some parents who may avoid some book videos as they can be to reminiscent of simply watching TV.

The illustrations found throughout this story, in both storybook and video sections, are at top form for any printed or digital storybook, with a lush color palette of warm, rich colors that make this app stand out among the sea of other story apps available on iTunes.

From what I understand, this published book is sold with an included cd of corresponding songs, one of which is included here, allowing children to listen or sing along. This song is cute and charming for parents as well as children, with certain details are included for the enjoyment of adults pertaining to New York City that made me smile. Other music can purchased from iTunes as well, details included within this application.

Until now, I was unaware of this book or the other stories from The Secret Mountain, and I am thrilled that this book has been turned into an iPad application. This is the first of a series of apps to be released, and after taking a look at The Secret Mountain's web site, I am impressed by the selection of books available to buy with included CD or as an MP3. From what I have seen, each of these titles looks amazing with fantastic cover art utterly unique to themselves. I hope more of these stories found within this site are developers in to applications as well.

The intro to this book for the Secret Mountain was impressive as well, involving a lush, tropical garden and including an impressive sense of depth, enviable 3D effect and wonderful, greatly effective music. This short intro really put The Secret Mountain on the map for me, and I will be watching closely, waiting for new apps to be released. My only note would be to consider making these apps universal applications to reach a wider audience of both iPhone and iPad users.

A Duck in New York City should be on the radar of any family who enjoys a well-done story. This app contains no interactions, which my son did not miss as he enjoyed this story very much, as do I. It has been my pleasure to introduce readers to this storybook and soon-to-be series of apps. It is also worth noting that this story is written by a Canadian folk singer/song writer, Connie Kaldor who also narrated this story, and her narration is perfectly realized in every way. I hope to read and hear more of her stories in the future.