Will and Kate Review

Will and Kate is a cute and lovely iPad storybook both my son and I really enjoy. When I first saw the title “Will and Kate” my gut reaction was that I was rather royal weddinged-out, but as I do with all the apps I come across for GiggleApps, I gave this app a second, closer look. After seeing that it is a storybook for iPad, my feelings toward this app brightened considerably as I am very fond of storybook apps in general, but I was still concerned that Will and Kate was going to be too topical and trendy for my liking.

Well, these fears were put to rest as I read this story for the first time. It is delightful, witty and has great appeal well beyond the recent wedding of Prince William. What I like most about this story is that it works well as a modern fairy tale, avoiding a common pitfall I come across in many classic stories. I really like here how it is made clear that Will and Kate were really good friends who knew each other well before he proposed. I have often been irked by stories where a woman agrees to marry the prince or king because he is simply nice-looking and seems kind, without knowing anything really about him. It has been argued that in the time that these tales take place, life expectancy was short enough that marriage was not the same commitment that it is today, but this still has always bothered me, especially in Rumpelstilskin where the poor female protagonist marries the king and has his child after being enslaved by him and threatened with death if she does not spin straw into gold.

I really like how in Will and Kate, this young couple meets in a library, reading together at a desk full of books, as they did meet in college, and I appreciate how Kate here seems very much Will's equal, something I would like to see more of in princess stories. I do wish, however, that when Kate is described as “terribly pretty,” somehow “smart” or “well-educated” was also used as part of her description. I also think that the use of the “chi-ching” sound heard when the engagement box is opened to be not the best sound choice. I am sure it is meant to explain to children how expensive this huge sapphire ring is, but this sound of a cash register struck me first as meaning Kate’s payday in marrying into a royal family - not what I assume is intended.

The look of this app is darling, with real photography sometimes used as backgrounds with lovely hand-drawn characters placed over these photographs for a very cute effect, and I am glad the drawings of Will and Kate don't specifically look like their human counterparts.

I love the interactions found among these pages, as one can tap various animals as well as other interactions such as setting off fireworks, helping Will and Kate go up high in the sky in a hot air balloon and helping Kate choose a wedding dress. My personal favorite is helping the wedding guests dance at the reception as the reader is looking down at the dancers as if one were looking down at them from a balcony. A tap helps these guests move, and I simply love seeing the ladies' dresses expand out in a circle as they dance. The classical music here in this scene is also wonderful, and I greatly appreciate how this lengthy waltz selection is looped perfectly, allowing one to listen to this music as long as one wishes - very well done and a very nice touch.

I am happy to say that adults will enjoy this story as much, if not more than children will. I smiled as one can tap through Will at different ages, where as a young boy he is playing a rubix cube, later as a teen he is listening to a walkman, and as an adult he is now sitting on a royal throne. A wonderful, timeless quality is added as these developers chose to use the royal wedding details with a very soft touch, a wink, and a nod, my favorite being how “after the wedding, Will’s grandmother threw a huge party at her house (She had rather a lot of space.)" It is also super-cute how one must part the crowds of onlookers at the wedding to see Kate enter Westminster Abbey. Other details will make kids smile as Kate’s favorite sheep and Will’ s royal dog arrive at the wedding being carried on pillows and are by couple’s side as the vows are read, be sure to tap them for a chuckle.

It great fun to see the couple go on their honeymoon to various locations through photos in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, riding a Vespa in Rome, or water skiing in Honolulu, but it would be nice if these location names were narrated when tapped, along with the “wish you were here” at the bottom of the photos for pre-readers to enjoy while listening to this book with narration. One can also choose to read this book by oneself.

I simply love this cute and sweet storybook. My son who knew nothing about the recent wedding enjoys this book as well. Personally, I got a kick out of seeing the wedding photos of the developers on the credits page of this app. I hope I see more apps coming from this creative group of developers.