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Daddy Balloon is a delightfully whimsical interactive universal storybook app about unconditional love between a daughter and her daddy, even after her dad turns into a balloon and floats high into the sky.

As in many of Touchoo’s recent storybook apps, choices include listening to included narration, as well as making one’s own recording, or simply read the text like a traditional book. Personalization of this application is also an option, which is always a nice choice, as is the use of auto play.

This is a charming story about a daughter and her dad, as one day for no apparent reason, the dad grows bigger and bigger, becoming a balloon with floating properties the equivalent of being helium-filled.

Larger and larger he grows, and I appreciate how the tone of this story changes a few times from lovely and sweet to having a few moments of suspense as well, as the powers that be decide that daddy balloon has gotten too big and needs to be taken down - at any cost.

Luckily, Daddy Balloon has a happy, satisfying ending to this tale that is a little different and surely memorable for young children.

The included interactions are nicely done, adding richness to this quirky tale, including expanding daddy’s belly and bottom with a tap - a fun and witty moment my son really enjoys.

The illustrations are wonderful as well, creating a cartoony, yet sophisticated look that will appeal to both parents as well as children, as will the rhyming style of storytelling in this nicely stylized app. I also appreciate that the interactive hotspots add to the richness of the story being told without any random movements or sound effects found in other apps that can sometimes be distracting.

I have really enjoyed this straightforward, yet sophisticated and unusual story as much as my son did. If one is looking for a cute story that is a little different, this would be a nice choice.

The Sun Goes to Bed is a lovely interactive storybook - a perfect story before bed. Narration is included, as is auto play, but reading this book to oneself as well as making one's own recording are also options. One can also personalize this app with a child's name - always a nice touch.

This is a wonderful story to put kids in the mood to go to sleep, as this charming tale introduces many things found in nature that want to go to sleep as much as the sun does - the main character found within.

I love the other included characters seen doing their nighttime routines, such as flower petals closing their buds for the night, birds blinking tiredly and cat stretching before bed.

There are some other interesting moments, one involving ants on their way home, as well nicely describing how hard the sun works taking care of things that grow and how the sun now needs to rest.

The illustrations are wonderful to look at, with rich, lush colors used throughout, especially towards the end as the sun becomes red while setting, including a beautiful, warm palette of most impressive sunset colors.

Animations are found throughout this simple, elegant storybook that add to the richness of this experience, helping these characters perform their nighttime tasks as they get ready for sleep. Although stylistically different, I often think of the illustrations by Eric Carle in terms similar bright and bold color choices found within this storybook, especially yellow and orange hues of the sun, a character that readers get to know and relate too.

There is a lot to appreciate within this story. Written in soothing rhyme akin to Margaret Wise Brown's gentle style of writing, I have enjoyed this storybook app more than most rhyming apps that I come across that may seem forced and overly obvious for my taste, as the rhymes here are more gradual poetry that may flow over a few pages, keeping readers lyrically engaged as well as to help unwind young readers for bedtime.

For me, the best part of this sleepy book is the yawning that these characters partake in, from flowers to cats and the sun itself. These yawns are lovely, relaxing and most contagious, making it difficult for me, even as an adult, not to yawn myself as I listen to the included, peaceful-sounding narration.

Because of this, families will find this storybook to be an excellent choice for nighttime reading for babies throughout the preschool years and beyond.

It would be nice, however, if an option to remove the progress bar at the bottom of the screen showing the progression of pages in this storybook as it may be distracting for some.

I have been a loyal fan of Touchoo from their first developed app, 1 Little Boy. It makes me happy to see them become a prolific developer, now with many titles within their library. If interested, do check out GiggleApps for more reviews of Touchoo apps. I also look forward to reviewing more of Touchoo’s applications in the future.

Benny the Cat is a simple and lovely interactive universal storybook app giving young children a chance to simulate interaction with a cat named Benny. Please don’t expect an in-depth plot about the adventures of the tabby; instead this book is a nice introduction to cats, including such interactive sections such as tapping to hear the different parts of their bodies, rolling a ball at them in order to play, searching for Benny under pillows and other places, as well as basic care, like what to feed Benny, helping Benny clean his fur, showing him the best place to use the toilet and making up Benny’s bed for him so that he can sleep.

My son loves saying hello to Benny with a tap, as well as the page dedicated to petting this kitty until he purrs. Benny is nicely responsive to the gentle touches - something my son really appreciates.

It does bother my son, however, that on the area where one can tap body parts to have their names spoken, Benny’s “snout” is a hot spot - not nose and mouth separately. It does make sense for the tail not to be included, as the sentence explains that Benny has a tail, and what else does he have, but my son still wishes “tail” were included, and I think “belly" or "stomach” and "back" or "chest" would be a good choice as well,

It’s tempting to want a little more interaction from Benny the Cat, as I would expect Benny to react in some way after being found hiding under a pile of blankets, but I do think that this story and its level of interactions are good for toddlers as their first interactive book because nothing here is jarring or over-stimulating, as it could be with Benny running or jumping in reaction to being found. Still, I do wish that Benny walked to his bed, made up by the reader, either on his own with the tap or drag of a finger. Instead, the next page includes Benny already tucked in.

The illustrations are very nice and colorful, and I really like the way Benny looks with his brown markings, orangey/yellow fur and vivid blue eyes. I am not a fan, however, of a horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen showing the reader the progression in the story, as a marker can be slid back and forth by a child, making this story skip around and losing one's place in this application. I also wish there were a good way of starting this story over again from the beginning, but this option was not given on the last page. Instead, one must re-open the app or slide the marker to the beginning of the story instead of tapping a simple home button or the like.

Even with the notes that I have made, I do recommend Benny the Cat simply because my son really enjoys “touching” Benny and seeing his reactions. I would also recommend this book to kids with special needs who may have issues with understanding empathy and gentleness, and the social “cause and effect” of treating animals kindly and their happy reactions, even with the use of eye contact, as Benny often seems as if he is looking directly at the reader.

Older, more experienced app users may find the story or interactions lacking, but my boy, who is quite exposed to applications (as one can imagine), did not have issues with these applications limitations; he simply loves Benny.

My son has been known to roll around on the floor himself playing with a ball of yarn, pretending to be a cat himself, so I am not surprised at his fondness for this application. If one is looking for a “first app” that is an interactive storybook and not overly stimulating, Benny the Cat is a good place to look, especially if one is a cat fancier or interested in animals in general.

Thumbelina for the iPad is the highly anticipated interactive storybook app from the developers at Touchoo and is based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about Thumbelina and her adventures, meeting interesting creatures along the way.

Each page is interactive, beautifully drawn and a lot of fun. My son is intrigued with my ability to personalize the book with his name, and I think that it is wonderful that Spanish, Japanese, French, and German versions are also included. You can also make your own recording if you choose or turn the narration off completely. A “tips” mode showing the reader where to tap is also an option. A version of this story is also available for use on iPhone and iPod Touch.

I really like the fact that many of these interactions are empathy-based, showing concern for the characters instead of random sounds or movements, but I do wish my son could participate in some of these interactions over and over again, like covering Miss Swallow with a blanket. Right now, I toggle back and forth between pages to make this possible. We love the ambient sounds used among these pages as well, giving the story real mood and dimension, not just for kids but for adults as well.

Serious Andersen fans, please don’t expect a thorough re-telling of the original story, but you will be pleased with how the characters, plot points, and details are woven into this new interactive experience.