Moo Said Morris Review

I would like to introduce readers to Moo Said Morris, a storybook app for iPad that children and their parents will enjoy. Meet Morris: a young mouse who is a bit of an outsider. While all the other mice at school and in his town make the traditional squeaky noises, Morris makes sounds that are certainly un-mouse-like such as mooing like a cow, quacking like a duck, and even sounding like a car or airplane - much to the dismay of his teacher and to the disappointment of the community who find his unusual noises disconcerting to say the least. That is until his ability to sound like something that he is not comes in handy at the end.

I really enjoy this story of Morris, a character that children will be able to relate to. The illustrations are delightful, full of details, and with a hand-drawn quality that I am really drawn to. The moments when Morris speaks are simply delightful, with a speech bubble including the image of an animal such as a horse or donkey making noises and complete with the name of their sounds written out, aiding children who may be new to animal sounds as well.

Some of the pages would be considered double-page spreads if found in a printed book, asking readers to scroll to the right side of the page to view the full landscape - which I also enjoy. Hotspots are included that allow children the chance to interact with the auxiliary characters, such as the other mice children seen within the school scenes, and a touch will have them move about the page - be it playing or doing other tasks or triggering their squeaky sound effects. A tap on Morris will allow him to sound off in his other animal tongues - much to the delight of readers as well. Also included is a hidden picture game where cheeses are to be found among the pages of this app. I did find this activity at times a little tricky, so I was happy to find a hints area that lets readers know what cheeses they have missed by page, really helping the process.

Once completed, the area of this app where users record their own personalized sounds is unlocked. Here, meet Morris in a recording studio, saving one’s sound effects for playback later in a lengthy section children and their adults will have fun with as they record themselves honking like a goose, oinking like a pig, or making loud vehicle sound effects as well.

I have enjoyed Moo Said Morris very much as it includes a beginning, middle, and ending - elements of storytelling that are easier said than done. This tale is reminiscent of timeless fables that include nice morals about celebrating differences and is an easy app to recommend.