Aesop’s Wheel of Fables Review

Aesop’s Wheel of Fables is a book app for iPad in which a collection of twenty Aesop’s fables are combined together. Spin a wheel to choose a story to read, and unlock the “find the difference” games by reading enough fables. Japanese, Chinese and German versions of the text are also included, and both English and Chinese narration is available.

I like the idea of a collection of classic Aesop’s fables available conveniently on the iPad. I also like the idea of spinning the wheel in theory, and my son thinks is really fun, but I found it to be sometimes problematic because it can be difficult to find a specific story request. It would help if a simple table of contents was also accessible so I can plainly see what stories are available and be able to make story choices more easily.

Each story is illustrated very nicely, and I am glad to see that my old favorites are included, but I was disappointed to find the phrase “pretty love-making” included in “The Rose and the Butterfly” story in an app designed for pre-schoolers.

Although the “spot the difference” games are fun and nice to look at, I very much disliked the ticking sounds added to count down 30 and then 15 seconds left to the game. These noises are overwhelmingly stressful, making it impossible for these games to be relaxing or fun for us, and I don’t understand why there needs to be a timer at all. They also don’t show the differences missed when the timer runs out - very disappointing.

In the future, maybe an index could be added, the timer and the countdown sounds could be easily turned off and one could choose to see the differences they missed in the games. If so, I would be able enjoy the stories and games of my choosing in a relaxed manner.