Category: Stories »

A Christmas Carol Drawn & Told is a stellar universal adaptation of the class Dickens tale of the same name.

I am very impressed with the quality of this app which includes more than 300 beautiful drawings, as highly these stylized images are used to illustrate this lengthy story, complete with fabulous narration.

Users simply sit back and listen to this classic story, gazing at wonderful artwork which brings great dimension to this Dickens tale.

These images are often dark, moody and simply gorgeous to look at, making this not just a topical app for Christmas, but ideal for anyone who needs to study A Christmas Carol in school, especially those who enjoy graphic novels as they are often haunting as well as edgy at times as well as beautiful to look at, making this app stand out from other re-tellings of this story.

There is also a slight use of the Ken Burns effect - the panning and zooming of these illustrations to draw the eye - quite effective in the support of this storytelling.

The narration is top-notch in every way, if not spoken a little fast, but not difficult to get used to hearing. A few other voice actors are also incorporated for a great effect which I really appreciate.

I remember reading this lengthy book in high school, and I would have really appreciated this app a great deal. For me, my best comprehension came from both listening to a story at this point from a borrowed set of records from our public library, reading along word for word. This is how I read works like Shakespeare, Catch-22 or Native Son, and it really worked for me quite well.

This app does not include the text, but the illustrations are so very vivid, students of all ages will find themselves engaged, fully understanding and even enjoying this story, especially those students not looking forward to reading Dickens by themselves.

I appreciate that this app is broken down by chapter and allows readers to pick up where they left off as well as including information about Dickens that I found interesting.

I highly recommend this app for all students who are reading A Christmas Carol as well as for teachers in a classroom setting, especially at such an affordable price. I am unclear if this is an abridged version of the classic, but even if so, with almost two jours of narration, there is enough content here to be a valuable adaptation worthy of being used in class to understand the major plot points and concepts.

I would love to see more classic literature adapted this way, as this is a perfectly realized re-telling of a classic story.

iActive Christmas Carol - Unabridged, as the name may suggest, is an unabridged adaptation of the Charles Dickens Classic Tale: A Christmas Carol.

This app is without narration but includes both Victorian-inspired drawings as well as interactions that one can explore when reading this story.

The pages of this app have distressed edges, adding a vintage feel to this app that I appreciate, but the total lack of sound comes across as unfinished. I would rather listen to ambient sounds such as the crackle of a fire while on text pages or the sounds one would expect to find while performing included interactions, such as metallic or subtle ticking sounds one may expect if a watch were bouncing around the page or liquid sloshing sounds as a wine bottle is being tossed around the screen. I also find some of the interactions to be a little on the nose but can be fun to move about the screen.

I do wish page numbers could be included to keep track of one’s space in this book as there is no place-saving included.

It is worth noting that this app will open to the last page if iActive Christmas Carol is left running in the background of one’s iPad. This feature should be included intentionally as well.

A menu of pages is included that one can go through, but from a distance each of the pages without interactions looks the same. Readers can still take a few minutes to find the place where they left off.

Even with these notes, iActive Christmas Carol is worth taking a look at if one is in need of an unabridged version of this story that includes some interactive elements and illustrations.

I can’t say enough about Moving Christmas, a gloriously illustrated storybook for iPad 2 and beyond, with effective animated elements as well as other details and interactions.

This is the story of what happens when global warming makes it necessary for Santa to pick up shop and move to the South Pole, with the help of Frank Duffy, “Mover of the Impossible,” all around nice guy and general fixer, who helps Santa, Mrs. Claus and their band of elves to their new home base.

This is an epic tale that visits places like New York City, also meeting aborigines in Australia before they make it to the South Pole where they discover that the reindeer are too tired to make the flight around the world to deliver gifts, leaving Frank Duffy to work out a solution.

I really appreciate how this message about global warming in this thoughtful story really gets the point across without ever being heavy-handed - a concern I had when reading a synopsis of this application.

The overall quality of this app is excellent as well, including illustrations both reminiscent to me of vintage Christmas specials such as Rudolph, yet maintaining a style that is also thoroughly modern and simply fabulous to look at. The narration and other voice characters could not more perfectly realized in an animated Hollywood feature, this also being true for this story's dramatic structure.

It impresses me how much work must have gone into this app during pre-production as well as this lengthy story is tight and cohesive in a way that is easy to take for granted yet very hard to produce.

Also of note are the creative use of fonts, as different sizes, colors and styles are used to a great effect, as is the placement of this text within these pages, making this story of interest to children of all ages as well as make graphic designer adults smile.

The main note I have about this app is that the included interactions could easily be overlooked, even with subtle twinkle effects marking hotspots as well as a hint that is given about how to see a 360 degree view of the Macy’s Day parade - a great scene - yet I overlooked this subtle hint the first time I enjoyed this story myself.

I would love to see a glossary of pages with the interactive elements highlighted so that children will not miss out. On the same note, I did not find all the included Easter eggs hidden in this app - something that disappoints me, a huge fan, that I might not be privy to more included content. I understand this is the way Easter Eggs work, but in a children's app, it would be nice to have the option of clues to find these extras as well.

I would also like to see a way to simply turn back a page in this book as only forward arrows are included. The menu of pages has also been a little glitchy - both technical notes that can be looked into which do not affect the value of top-notch app.

I am very curious to see the new Frank Duffy app as well, as there was a tie-in on the last page of this app - not a surprise that I would spoil for readers. I would love to see more Frank Duffy apps, as the developers at Trusted Cape have proven to be able to create great characters, story and a terrific overall sense of style.

Please note that a published version of this story is also available. Although I have not seen this version, my experience with this app leads me to believe that this book is worth checking out as well.

Elly’s Christmas is a new title in a series of Elly the Reindeer apps - personal favorite stories of my son.

Here, Elly is focused on preparing for Christmas Day by decorating her tree, wrapping gifts for her friends, decorating cupcakes and preparing a snack for Santa and his reindeer.

Also included is a mysterious visit in the middle of the night that surprises Elly, but all ends well in this cute and sweet story.

I have always loved how the Elly books deal with the process of preparing for a big day - interesting details that I think are important in order for my son to stay grateful for what he has and the fun things he may experience. I have also really appreciated the relationships seen in these books as they exemplify healthy friendships between peers.

The act of getting ready is further emphasized nicely by the ability to tap on interactions found in the top corners of these page spreads that show Elly decorating, wrapping or preparing snacks as well as other details and sound effects in a way that both parents as well as children will think is charming as well as simple to navigate as these hotspots are not hidden - and helpful to the newest app users.

Very good narration is also included and also the ability to read this book out loud - the way my son and I love sharing these stories together. Soon, my son will enjoy these tales in a new way by using them as early readers as well.

Wubbzy’s The Night Before Christmas is a universal interactive app, a Wubbzyfied version of the classic Clement C. Moore tale, "The Night Before Christmas."

Fans of the Nickelodeon show may appreciate this app, starring Wubbzy and gang, including its high energy derived from the bold interactions found among these pages.

Not knowing a lot about the show or these characters, I did feel as if a few references were over my head as this app is re-written in spots to include show and character details, but the cuteness of this bright, cheery app was not lost on me.

Children - especially fans of this series - will enjoy Wow Wow Wubbzy’s Night Before Christmas as it also includes a simple arcade- style game as well as the ability to decorate both a Christmas tree and a snowman.

There is a grownup’s corner which includes a few topics for them to discuss with their children to enrich the experience that parents of Wubbzy fans may also enjoy.

Ansel & Clair: Paul Revere’s Ride is a splendid educational app for iPad 2 and beyond that does a thorough job of explaining the American Revolution and the details of Paul Revere’s ride.

Ansel & Clair: Paul Revere’s Ride is a new app in a series of Ansel & Clair apps that revolves around intergalactic travelers Ansel, a travel photographer from planet Virtoos and Clair, the Virtoosian robot who accompanies Ansel to Boston at the start of the American Revolution to take historical photographs used to teach other Virtoosians distant history.

During their visit, children, along with Ansel and Clair, will be led through a collection of scenes that bring much life and detail to the American Revolution through a variety of interactions, such as the ability to take photographs of important people and events or meet key characters who explain the issues of the day such as the Boston Tea Party in ways that will stick with children.

Children will also be quizzed on what they have learned along the way as well as incorporating puzzles, mini-games, poetry and art, all bringing great richness to this experience.

I have enjoyed Ansel & Clair: Paul Revere’s Ride a great deal, learning a lot of historical details I had forgotten many years ago, and I am sure this app would educate children about the American Revolution as they are kept engaged and entertained. An excellent use of music is also present, creating a lot of drama and suspense that will keep children engaged as they learn about American History.

I also really appreciate the mild science fiction aspect to this story when Ansel & Clair are discovered and are allowed to tag along as observers as long as they do not affect the history unfolding, bringing another layer to this experience.

Multiple players can keep create accounts holding their space through this lengthy application - a very nice touch.

There is so much to say about all the details included within this Ansel & Clair app that reviewing it is a daunting process, but I do feel very excited to recommend this app to all ages of children - older preschool through fifth grade and beyond.

As the weather gets cold and families travel, parents begin looking for applications to entertain their children for long stretches while feeling good about the screen time their children are exposed to.

Ansel & Clair: Paul Revere’s Ride consists of many hours of historically accurate information and a sizable amount of interactions and activities that will leave children with a greater sense of understanding of American history after they have completed this app, making the time they have spent with Ansel & Clair: Paul Revere’s Ride well worth it.

Do be aware that this app would also make a wonderful gift of substance for other families as well as those who have access to an iPad 2 or higher.

Ansel & Clair: Paul Revere’s Ride is a stellar choice for the educational setting, as this information is delivered in a way most multi-sensory, making great use of iPad technology, especially for students who may be reluctant readers who would thrive on meeting the historical cast of characters who talk about their lives first.

I sincerely hope Cognitive Kids continues to add applications to this series as Ansel and Clair apps are perfectly realized educational apps every child could benefit from.

Don’t Open Before Christmas is a wonderful interactive storybook for iPad, a cautionary tale about the chaos that ensues if children open their Christmas gifts too early.

I was super excited to review this application when I realized it was from Crab Hill Press - the same developer of Nash Smasher, another favorite storybook of mine with a great sense of style and humor.

The same can be said for Don’t Open Before Christmas which includes terrific illustrations, bright and colorful, with a look to them that is both a nod to both a vintage drawings as well as the animated work of Genndy Tartakovsky seen in shows like The Power Full Girls or Dexter’s Laboratory.

I do greatly enjoy this perfectly realized story about a boy who is left home with his Christmas presents. Although he is asked not to, he can’t resist opening them to take a peek, and finds out the hard way that the toys, like eggs, need time to hatch properly or things will become quite discombobulated.

Fun interactive hotspots are found on each page as well as tabs one pulls or dials one rotates, each in its way creating a detail that is utterly tactile, may deliver extra lines of text and narration, animated moments, sound effects or other nuances that add to the overall style of this app, creating a really fun dichotomy of vintage popup slider book with the technology of applications.

There is a lot going on in Don’t Open Before Christmas in terms of slapstick humor as the boy tries to get the toys back into their boxes. I really enjoy all the sights and sounds from the home of this boy as it becomes quite destroyed in the process while maintaining a good, tight story - a detail that is often overlooked in other interactive story applications.

I was also really pleased to see that a subtle message is also included about patience, as the main character is now OK with waiting for his toys as his parents make him wait extra time to open them because he first unwrapped them early - a nice moment about consequences that I appreciate a great deal.

The included narration is also pitch-perfect, clear and engaging to listen to, yet can also be silenced if one wishes to read this story out loud to themselves.

There is nothing I would change about Don’t Open Before Christmas, as this is a very creative and unique story based on an identifiable desire to open presents before their time - a great seasonal app especially as parents now may have bought and need to store presents before the holidays a few weeks away.

I highly recommend this app to all families who have an iPad, as this is a tale that can be enjoyed by toddlers and up through grade school, with narration that reminds me of The Christmas Story, high praise to be sure.

For those interested, I also greatly recommend Nash Smashed also by Crab Tree Press which includes the same sense of style, terrific story telling and interactions, as well as a teachable moment that I did not expect from this silly children’s app. Do look for more details about Nash Smasher in iTunes if interested.

I have enjoyed these two apps immensely and I hope to see more interactive storybooks from Crab Hill Press in the future.

Matias the Rebellious Chicken is a thoughtfully written universal interactive storybook with a great sense of style as well as a moral children can learn from.

Matias the Rebellious Chicken may remind parents of the Fractured Fairytales from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, modernizing traditional fairytales as well as being quite witty and stylized.

This application also has a great look to it, with an interesting, limited palette of earth tones and white, as well as the bright, contrasting yellow from Matias, a young chicken with an attitude who does not know what he does not know and who goes on an adventure, learning that he is still in need of guidance from others.

I find the use of white as an outlining color a great choice instead of the traditional black used in other illustrations, making these drawings simply top-notch, with wonderful yet simple details that will make artists and graphic designer parents smile possibly more than their children will.

With nuances from Little Red Riding Hood and other classic fairytales as well as traditional fables, adults may enjoy this lengthy story as much as their children will, with excellent narration also included, both in English and Spanish, as well as modest yet highly effective interactive moments while tapping the characters to hear sound effects or watch animated moments.

Also included is an alternative ending that allows Matias to keep his black leather jacket and sunglasses, which I appreciate, as I did not feel the need to strip Matias of his individuality for him to learn a moral. This alternative ending, however, is not narrated - which I would also love to see in an update. Readers can also create their own ending to this story as well which can be saved to their devices - a nice touch. A few coloring pages are also available but are not the focus of this application, and their resolution in general is on the rough side.

This is the second application from the Brainy Fables series that I have been fortunate enough to review, and I can say that I have enjoyed this title as well as Mirta the Super Fly a great deal, also consisting of the same perfectly realized illustrations and terrific narration that I find utterly appealing. For those interested, the narration can also be silenced in order to read this book by oneself.

Readers interested in quality storybook applications should check out this series. From a lack of iTunes reviews, I don’t know how widely known these stories are, but from what I have seen, they are consistently of a very high quality.

There may be more interactive storybooks in iTunes, but Matias the Rebellious Chicken as well as Mirta the Super Fly have hit all the right notes in terms of illustration and storytelling. I hope readers check out Brainy Fables, and that more of these applications are developed in the future.

Trucks - Byron Barton is a delightful adaptation of the book of the same name, part of a series of books by Byron Barton.

This interactive app boasts bright colors, lots of big trucks and relatively few words.

Published originally as a picture book, titles such as this which used to be favorites of my son are now books that instead of me reading to him, he prefers to show his dolls or animals as he pretends to be a good dad or brother, slowly outgrowing these kinds of stories with the simplest of sentences.

Because of this, I am always intrigued by how engaged my son is with this series of Byron Barton applications, especially Trucks.

I am sure this has a lot to do with the included movements of these large vehicles around the page, especially as my son has the chance to move these trucks himself with the drag of a finger.

Fun, realistic sound effects that demonstrate backing up or driving forward and honking and other industrial noises are included as well, such as the truck vibrating as it idles on the title page of this interactive application - a really nice touch.

We have spend nice amounts of time working with all the moving aspects of Trucks, dragging trucks into tunnels or over bridges as well as moving workers as they perform tasks that are associated with trucks such making deliveries of bread, newspapers or oil to a home with a tanker truck, as well as moving garbage men around the page as they make their rounds or men fixing street lights with the aid of a bucket truck.

I also really enjoy the added dialogue that can be heard associated with these scenes, as readers can overhear workmen mixing and pouring cement, working construction with the aid of a dump truck and loader, or the banter between movers carrying furniture from a moving van.

I do have mixed feelings, however, at the topical nature of the bread man making a delivery to “Miss Daisy” as to me this makes me think of Driving Miss Daisy in a way that is too topical and out of place where no other person has a specific name used - an issue that goes over the head of my son as it would other children.

I also have noticed that the only workers portrayed are men, with the only female character to be seen is a woman buying ice cream along with a dog and her male companion towards the end of this book.

This app is a faithful adaptation of the book published in 1986 which also did not have any female workers. Yet with the ability to move these figures around the page - a favorite detail for my son and me - it may be nice to modernize this simple book with female characters as workers as well, even if it’s hearing female voices among the men found among these pages. This would allow children to use their imagination about female workers who may be in the truck or working underground so that the classic illustrations would not be altered.

Having said this, I am impressed by my son’s enjoyment of this application, as my boy has also shown interest in tapping objects in the pages to see them labeled with both narration and text - standard elements for Oceanhouse Media apps that often go unused when listening to longer, more involved stories.

I have been uniformly impressed with the apps based on the works of Byron Barton. The colors found throughout are vibrant, and the illustrations are stylized with the subtle vintage appeal adults will appreciate.

The narration, which can be silenced, is upbeat, clear and engaging. One also has the ability to read book by oneself, possibly as a first reader.

As Byron Barton is a prolific author and illustrator, I do hope to see more of these titles turned into applications in the future.

Animal SnAPP: Farm is a series of six delightful tales about animals on a farm, also including a wonderful way of story selection, as children complete a slider puzzle of each animal they would like to choose.

Starring animals such as a lamb, goat, pig or dog, these stories are as bright and colorful as can be. Each of these stories are charming to read and often including the foibles of children seen within these anthropomorphic animals such as a sheep missing his mom after getting lost, a cow in need of sleep, or a moody pig, making these tales relatable to children and their parents can relate to.

As with other apps by Nosy Crow, children have a choice to Read and Play which allows children to read along with highlighted, charming narration by children and allowing them to tap animals in this book to hear them talk additional lines of text as long as they wish.

Read by Myself allows children to thoughtfully choose the length of time that text on the page will be available before moving on, adapting the flow to text to be read by children on their own, set to their own reading abilities.

Although I often find stories written in rhyme forced and awkward to read, I do not find this to be the case with the tales from Animal SnAPP: Farm, well-written by first-time storybook writer Axel Scheffer, celebrated illustrator for children’s books such as The Gruffalo.

The girl or boy who narrates these stories does a very good job as well, with inflections nicely helping these tales along - always important, especially within a rhyming story.

The only note I do have is that I would love to see a choice to add the highlighting on the background animals who have something to say with a tap, helping young children fully explore this app.

Although I appreciate the need to double tap the page turning arrows, reducing the accidental page turning, I would also love to see a highlight of sorts letting children know when all the action of these stories has played out, and it is safe to turn the page.

These are minor notes in a universal application that will be enjoyed by a wide range of children as well as their adults, but I would love to see users of devices before IPhone 4 and iPad 2 have a chance to enjoy this application.

Before knowing this limitation, I did try to install Animal SnAPP: Farm on my iPad 1 as this is the iPad we feel comfortable leaving alone with out 4.5 year old son. Unable to install this app, it was stated that Animal SnAPP: Farm only worked on devices with a forward-facing camera, yet I have not been able to find any extras that include the camera technology.

I do hope an update could include older models of iPhone and iPad apps, as from what I can tell, what this app has to offer would translate well onto other devices as well.

Ice Is Nice!: All About the North and South Poles is a very enjoyable as well as educational app adapting the book of the same name, part of The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library.

As the name may suggest, Ice Is Nice does indeed give a lot of great information about the earth’s North and South Poles, as well as animals found in these areas that children and their adults will enjoy a great deal.

As with the other titles from this series, go on an adventure with The Cat in the Hat, Dick and Sally as well as Thing One and Thing Two, who are all here to learn such topics as the harsh temperatures found at the Poles or why there are six months of darkness or perpetual sun.

I also really have enjoyed the information about the animals found in this book, such as how certain creatures are camouflaged with white to blend into the snow, and then become darker to hide in nature when the snow melts and flora blooms as well as great details on different types of penguins.

The author took a little bit of poetic license in the interest of Seussian rhymes, explaining how polar bear hide is made of hollow hairs, while the definition of hide is the skin under the fur. Yet this information, while a bit askew, does a nice job of showing how these animals stay warm in treacherously cold temperatures in spite of the slight misuse of the word “hide” - not a huge flaw in this science app.

Fans of Dr. Seuss books will appreciate how the original illustrations are always included within these applications using pan and zoom technology to draw the reader’s eye. I also enjoy how the books from The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library often contain mild moving elements as well as items one can move around the page for a nice effect.

Simple animated moments are also included within Ice is Nice, thoughtfully explaining the earth’s orbit around the sun, demonstrating this in a way that will become quite clear to children, possibly more so than just seeing this demonstration in a single drawing.

Also included are a few words found in bold text that after being tapped, a dictionary entry is both seen as well as heard to further explain these complex words - a really nice touch and a way of including the glossary of words sometimes found at the end of these children’s books.

Although one has the choice to read this book to oneself, it has been my great pleasure to listen to the wonderfully conversational narration by John Bell, a narrator who really understands what he is reading, with a pitch perfect cadence, making this accessible and easy to understand. I hope to continue to hear more of his stellar work in the future.

As always with Oceanhouse Media apps, Auto play is available, allowing young readers to simply enjoy these storybooks without having to turn the pages - always a nice touch.

Ice Is Nice!: All About the North and South Poles is a great book choice for children as well as adults who may have been confused about whether it is warm at the South Pole as opposed to the North Pole, or the Arctic Ocean with Antarctica, wonderfully explained in this fun and cute science book for children of all ages.

The Grumble Noise is a charming interactive storybook app for iPad about the vivid fantasies of a young boy as he hears grumbling noises coming from the room that he shares with his brother.

There is a lot to enjoy about this app, as the illustrations used are very nicely done, with a few bright colors that really pop on the darkened backdrop of these boys' bedroom at night.

I especially enjoy the monsters this younger brother creates to put a face to the creepy noises he is hearing such as a fire breathing lion or two headed dinosaur, reminiscent to me of creatures found in Greek mythology, yet always successfully walking the fine line of what will bring excitement to this app without any issues of over stimulation or scary elements to this story itself.

I also admire the basic storytelling with a beginning, middle, and ending, as telling a simple story can be difficult. The ending, demystifying some of the concerning ambient sounds one may hear is also a cute and fun ending children will appreciate.

The narration is also quite good here as are the included sound effects. Readers are also given the option of reading this book themselves.

Interactions are included on every page which add a nice level of richness to this story. Only a few main hotspots are added per page, making these elements quite effective as well as never distracting or unnecessary.

Best of all, this app is free, yet worth a whole lot more. Not only does it showcase the talents of developer Erik X. Raj, but consider it a gift from this developer who was himself afraid of the dark as a child, making this a very easy application to recommend to all families with young children.

You Can’t Scare Me! is a simple, cute and fun rhyming story about a girl getting ready for Halloween who tells all the kids dressed up in costumes she encounters how she can’t get scared, until she gets a fright while looking in the mirror. Versions are available for both iPad as well as iPhone.

Parents may have interest in sharing this app with the youngest members of the family, as babies and toddlers can enjoy the children dressed up in costumes, as well as the bright colors and mild interactive hotspots found within this book.

The collage-like illustrations contain photographic elements that will be enjoyable to young children as they pop among the other elements.

Parents will notice the heavy use of photo editing tools and other graphic design tricks to create a stylized effect that may come across as new and dynamic to very young children while introducing them to the classic characters found at Halloween.

Narration is included, as is the chance to read this book to oneself, and it is nice that the words, highlighted when listening, can be tapped individually to be heard when reading this app independently.

Another interesting feature is that readers can not only record their own narration, but also include added lines of text. Although I don’t think this new feature will be implemented in many of the other Auryn apps based on narrative-adapted storybooks, I can see that older children would enjoy including their own lines of text, be it scary or silly, as well as creating their own narration.

Two extras are included, a matching game where players flip over tiles to look for matches, as well as a Spot the Difference section.

A magnifying glass is included in the matching section that can be used when a single title is turned over, as a tap of this icon will highlight a handful of tiles where the corresponding piece is hidden, making this game simpler for children.

The Spot the Difference section contains three puzzles. As is typical, an image is duplicated on each half of the screen, but there are ten details that are different from one side to another.

I appreciate how one can tap either side of this puzzle for answers to register, and that a hint button can be tapped as often as needed. I did find an occasional object to be tricky, however and the hints, when needed, can be rather vague. I would love to see a continued tap to narrow down the area one should look at.

Having said this, this app is cute and fun for babies and toddlers. Although being scared is the theme of this tale, nothing included is scary, making this a good choice for the youngest app users. Older children in preschool will enjoy the extra activities, and siblings can also have fun recording their own text and narration.

Bus to Booville is a cute and fun Halloween story that children will enjoy. Both iPhone as well as iPad versions are available.

Illustrated with collages containing photo elements of children dressed up in creepy costumes, this is the simple story of a bus driver scared of the costumed children whom he picks up on his route.

Written in rhyme and including the counting elements of the climbing aboard of one skeleton, two ghosts and three witches, this is a tale suitable for babies, toddlers and young preschool children.

Although these children are dressed up in spooky costumes, and Halloween sound effects as well as other noises can be heard with the tap of audio hotspots, this app never ventures into truly scary territory, making the pantomimes of the driver, afraid of these children, all the more silly.

Each of these pages will scan slightly to the right where one will find the included text - narrated when accessed. This is an effective way to tell this story, but children may enjoy scrolling back to see the illustrations while listening, which is not possible as the scrolling silences the narration. I would like to be able to look back at the other side of this spread while still listening to the tale if at all possible.

I do like, however, the surprise ending where the driver removes his disguise, revealing that his is in fact an alien himself as he tags along to the Halloween party the kids are going to.

Although narration is included in this app, so is the chance to make one’s own recording as well as to personalize the text of this story if one sees fit, allowing older children to add their own take on this story as well.

Extras are included, such as a matching game where one flips over tiles in order to make pairs as well as a Spot the Difference section.

While the matching game includes a hint which narrows the choices of tiles one needs to flip over to make a match, I did find the Spot the Difference rather difficult at times, especially for the age level that will get the most out of this story. Hints are included here as well but are more vague than I would like. It would be nice if in the future, the hints could zoom in to the exact location of the difference if additional help is needed.

Having said this, Bus to Booville is a cute adaptation of the book of the same name. I enjoy the ending, with a nice twist that remains utterly child-friendly.

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, a universal interactive storybook, is a lesson in embracing the differences in others. Taking place in a pumpkin patch during a severe storm just before Halloween, Spookley, a pumpkin formed in the shape of a cube (or “square” as this book likes to say), uses his unique shape to save they day as he plugs a hole in the fence, keeping the other pumpkins safe.

Adapted from a previously published book of the same name, I like how not only panning and scanning is used to draw in the reader's attention, but the scrolling of these pages left to right is also incorporated to maintain the look of double page spreads presumably found in the original storybook.

The illustrations are charming and colorful, as well as including expressive anthropomorphic pumpkin faces children will find appealing. Do tap these pumpkin characters and other areas of the page as a few extra words of dialogue or sound effects are also included, adding a little something extra kids will enjoy.

There are moments, however, that the other pumpkins laugh at Spookley for being different that parents may want to discuss with their children.

Although one has the chance to read this book to oneself, I really enjoy the terrific included narration which creates drama and importance in a way that I really appreciate.

Stormy sounds effects, also heard when the narration is muted, are also very good, taking this app to the next level of experience.

Young readers will also enjoy the highlighted narration and the ability to hear individual words being spoken, making this an app that could be enjoyed by a wide range of children.