What does the inside of a seashell look like? What about an insect, a motorcycle or an iPad? Here’s an app that lets you find out. The app contrasts two images — before x-ray and after x-ray, and every possible gradation between. To move between the views, you swipe with a single finger, from top to bottom. Content includes 26 everyday objects, arranged from A to Z. A double-tap offers a stereoscopic option, or you can pinch to zoom and reveal detail. This app is based on the photography of Hugh Turvey, the Artist in Residence at the British Institute of Radiology. The accompanying text is by author Paul Rosenthal. There are different versions, one for iPad, the other for iPhone or iPod Touch. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Plants HD lets you drag and drop the seven stages of a plant into the correct order: seeds-dispersal-germination-plants and trees-flowers-pollination-fruits. Features of the app include the ability to tap on a stage to learn facts about the process (all text is narrated, a nice feature) and a quiz that lets you earn points. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Helping a child understand long term temporal relationships — things like how a plant grows or how a glacier retreats — has always been a challenge for a parent, librarian or teacher. Now there’s an app for that, and it works. Featuring a very basic design, Painting With Time (called “Paint With Time” in the app store) exemplifies how you can leverage the power of a multi-touch screen to make an abstract concept — in this case time — have meaning. A gallery containing 14 pictures includes such things as A Messy Room (showing how a child’s playroom gets messy over just a few days), Growing a Beard (over 30 days), “Spring Comes to Boston” and “A Glacier Retreats.” Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Transform your iPad into a zany Dr. Seuss horn, with eight buttons, arranged as a whole-tone. Content includes 10 songs, including the soundtrack from The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Hop on Pop and more. There are five horn-style instruments with different voices, and fun effects, including an echo-chamber fish bowl. The GameCenter feature lets you match scores with others. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Loud Crow Interactive and Peanuts Worldwide have partnered to produced a series of digital interactive books based on the cartoon specials. The first in the series, A Charlie Brown Christmas, features narration by Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, along with original scenes and dialog from the 1965 animated classic, and digitally remastered illustrations, animation, and music optimized for your smartphone or tablet. See also “My Charlie Brown Christmas Tree,” a free add on designed to give you a taste of this app; that lets you decorate your own tree. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-charlie-brown-christmas/id484320301?mt=8 Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The Bob Books app is based on the print editions of a popular workbook series (learn more at www.bobbooks.com). The app presents a step-by-step word-building experience, where the more letters you match, the more the picture fills in. Reading Magic 1 contains twelve scenes for 32 words, presented in four levels to provide increasing challenges to children as they play. Also available is Reading Magic 2, with 12 new scenes, different animations and 50 words. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
In the nine-screen presentation, children help Bizzy Bear on the farm, picking apples (dragging and dropping from the tree to a basket), gathering eggs, feeding the pigs and rounding up the lambs into their pen. As in “The Three Little Pigs”, the narration by children is professionally done. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Each of the 12 pages in this app document Grover’s creative attempts to keep Elmo (and your child) from turning the page and getting to the end. He tries glue (you can rub it off), locks (you match colors to solve the combination) and so on. See also The Monster at the End of This Book. Created by Callaway Digital Arts for Sesame Workshop. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Toca Kitchen turns your iPad or iPhone into a virtual kitchen. You start by choosing from one of four characters to feed (a boy, girl, goat or cat). You then choose from 12 food items in the fridge by dragging and dropping the items on the plate. To feed your person, you touch the food and drag it near the mouth. They will either eat it, or refuse it. If it is the latter, you can visit the kitchen where you can cut it, blend it, boil it, fry it, or use a microwave. Each item can be made in many different ways. Each of the characters in the app have specific food preferences, and their reactions are dependent on how your prepare the food. They may refuse to eat certain foods, or they may start drooling even if the food is uncooked. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Stretching the term “non-fiction,” The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library is an ebook adaptation of the Dr. Seuss series, done in classic Oceanhouse Media style, where you can touch any item or word to see it labeled. You can also tap the stars on some of the pages to reveal constellations and see them identified. Other titles in the series will explore subjects including dinosaurs, pets, marine life and trees, each featuring classic characters from the original The Cat in the Hat series. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
As with other editions of Scribblenauts, children use language to unlock puzzles, by typing in the items they need. Need to kill a shark? Type “hair dryer” and drop it in the water, to electrocute it. Want to get through a gate? Type “shovel” and dig under it. Content includes 10 original levels designed specifically for Apple devices, along with 40 fan favorite levels from Scribblenauts and Super Scribblenauts. The more levels you solve, the more Starites you earn, and these unlock in-game achievements. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app features two puzzle sets, each with nine puzzles that start easy (with six large pieces) and become more difficult. A hint system makes trial and error possible. The pirate is playful and it is hard to not complete a puzzle to see the ending. Preferences let you turn off the background music. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Mix-and-match different heads, bodies and legs of animals, in order to make a match. To change a part, you swipe. As more characters are created, more surprises are revealed: kids can poke animals to hear them roar, chirp or tweet; balls bounce; and a lion helps keep count of his steaks. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Noodle Words: Active Words Set 1, is a set of 18 words that wait quietly until you touch them. The trick is that every action is directly related to the word. In addition, the child’s touch is the driving force behind each routine. Tap quickly three times on the word “pump” for example, and you’ll hear “pump, pump, pump” with the word getting fatter, as if it is being inflated like an inner tube. Keep on pumping and the word eventually starts hissing, and quickly deflates, zipping around the screen like a balloon that has been released, startling two little bugs who rest on every screen, waiting to see what you’ll do next. The app was designed by Mark Schlichting (creator of the Living Books) and programmed by KwiqApps using Cocos2d. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
MadPad, the latest app from Smule (of Magic Piano and Ocarina fame), turns your camera equipped iPhone or iPad into a sound mix board. Instead of using existing songs and beats, it lets you capture everyday sounds, which can be easily recorded and played back or warped with a two finger swipe. To make your first sound collection, you touch “create” to divide the screen into 12 empty squares. Touch one of the squares and your microphone instantly starts listening. A feature called “SoundTrigger” grabs up to about 4 seconds of sound. To make a set you tap any box to start the recorder, or you can import sounds from the Smule server. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Put a science center in your iPad, with this collection of three activities, featuring Sid the Science Kid characters. Following a noisy introduction — just like the show — you tap one of the three Sid characters to start a no-fail activity. In the Collection Inspection, you use a magnifying glass to notice subtle differences in 14 sets of items. Chart It presents seven collections, which vary by shape, color and pattern. You can move them onto dynamic charts. Wrong answers fall back to the bottom of the screen, giving the charts authenticity, and realtime feedback. Time Machine lets you play with time relationships as you freely explore 14 sets of objects such as an apple being eaten, a candle burning or a plant growing. Created by Jim Henson Studios and Carsten’s Studios for PBS Kids. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Inspired by the 1963 book “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown and moved into the age of apps and Facebook by Dale Hubert, a Canadian elementary teacher, the Flat Stanley App is a free download that lets you superimpose a Flat Stanley cutout character over a photo taken with your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch camera. The idea is not unlike a message in a bottle. But instead of a bottle, your image captures your location, and you can type a little story about what Stanley is seeing. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This is part of a series of apps that feature a new Mom-Comm tracking mechanism, that lets you look over the should on what your child does using Facebook or email. Play Maker was created for Fingerprint by Krome studios. After you design a character by mixing and matching heads, bodies and legs, you can record a happy sound and sad sound. Next, you see your character filling the screen with letters attached to them. You are asked to match all the characters holding a number 9 card, and are told not to touch a robot with the wrong number or you’ll loose. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
One of the first ever math facts programs to use augmented reality, Lunch Rush provides an “out of device” experience. Here’s how it works. After you download the app, you must print out a set of cards from the Fetch Lunch Rush web site: http://pbskids.org/fetch/games/hollywood/lunchrush.html. There are nine cards; one per number. You lay the cards around a table (or room) and sign into the program. You’re then given a math problem, such as 14 – ? = 5. To enter the answer, you find the correct card (9) using the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch camera. This also causes a set of food items to appear over the numeral, superimposing computer graphics onto the real camera image. Content includes five rounds of addition or subtraction questions (three per round). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Disney AppMates ($20 for two) are matchbox-sized cars that transform the multi-touch screen into a slippery playspace, where roads and ramps scroll automatically. The base of each car is a pattern of three capacitive sensors that let the iPad “see” each car. Not only does it know the difference between Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater, but it can tell which direction they’re headed and scroll appropriately, with the correct sound effects. In addition, a block of white pixels is used to send light through a window in the bottom of the car, giving it the illusion that the lights are working. No batteries are required. Once you download the app, you can either drive around the scrolling streets of Radiator Springs or complete missions, such as delivering a lost tow hook to Mater while earning hubcaps. Effects include working headlights (you see the beams in front of your car, in real time) and a large mirror where you see a perfect digital reflection of your car. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app is designed to teach children the names of common colors using a hungry but friendly monster. There are 10 language options (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Bobo Explores Light is an example of how an app can let children aged 7-up play with — and better understand – an abstract concept; in this case light. Organized as an ebook, the 21 page (or screen) app covers a range of light-related topics, starting with the sun, and ending with fireworks. Each screen contains three pull tabs that lead to videos, facts, and definitions. The app was created by Juraj Hlavac at Game Collage, LLC., with text and research by Craig Fusco and illustrations are by Dean MacAdam. Game Collage also produced The Three Little Pigs and the Secrets of a Popup Book. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This set of timed maze game challenges is embedded with multiple-choice problems. For example, in order to use a ladder to rescue a kitten, you must “find and tap the number ten” (from four possible numerals) or “find and tap something round” (from four shapes). This is one of the four new free FingerPrint apps created by former Leapfrog executive Nancy MacIntyre. Other titles in the series include Big Kid Life: Veterinarian; Big Kid Life: Fairy Princess; Fingerprint Play Maker; and DoReMi, 1-2-3. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This is one of the four new free FingerPrint apps created by former Leapfrog executive Nancy MacIntyre. See also Big Kid Life: Firefighter. In this title, children are introduced to a story, step by step, and then are asked to remember the main events. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The contents of this app are based on 26 hand-engraved alphabet prints made by the famous German lithographer Joseph Martin Kronheim (1810-1896). There are three modes: Song, Spinner and Shuffle. The Song mode sings the classic alphabet song with period sound effects and animations. Spinner lets children spin the rattling wheel and test themselves on letters as they come up in random order. In Shuffle, children must reorder the jumbled alphabet by dragging and dropping each letter tile. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This is a narrated version of “The Ugly Duckling” presented Living Books style. There are 15 screens, each with about five hidden hot spots. Sometimes they are sequential. For example, you can press an egg several times before it will hatch. It is possible to record your voice on each page. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This ebook is about a Sleepy Mole who can’t find a place to rest. You help, by choosing a direction to flip the page. If you choose down, Sleepy Mole digs down, where he might meet an angry frog, who might tell him to go away. Content includes four directions to move, with 16 different animals along the way. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This app is designed to introduce children to parts of the body. There are three screens: Learn, Match and Compose. Learn lets children watch and listen; Match lets them listen to the song and choose the image that corresponds to the music; and Compose lets children compose their own song by selecting the pictures they would like to include in the song. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Puzzingo was inspired by classic wooden puzzles for kids. As children play with the puzzles, they learn what the different pieces are, as well as the different sounds they make. After they complete a puzzle, they are rewarded with minigames – including singing the ABC song, popping balloons, swatting flies, and more. In addition, once a puzzle is completed, children will unlock new puzzles to play. All the puzzles come together to build a circus ground. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Adapted directly from the printed Golden Book with the same title, by Janette Debring Lawrey, this is a 23 page, 12 screen ebook (two “pages” per screen). The story — of mischievous puppies getting into trouble — is supported nicely with good interaction, professional narration, and guided exploration on each page. The story is tried and true, and the springy illustrations wait quietly for a child’s touch. It is easy to jump to any page at any time, making this a solid addition to your ebook library. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The series Millie Was Here is a book app series for iPad featuring Millie, a mischievous dog. The first book in the series, Meet Millie, is a free teaser, in the form of an eight page introduction. You’ll learn about Millie’s origin, and see some of her magical powers in action. The second book in the series, Millie & The Lost Key is $4. In it, Millie travels to a far away land in search of a powerful treasure – The Key to Endless Bacon. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Here’s a fun way to put yourself into a book, and create a funny language experience. Note, that you’ll need a camera on your iPad (e.g., the iPad 2). Also note that there are both free and paid version pathways to these stories. This first title, called “The Biggest Pizza Ever,” tells the story of a kid who wreaks havoc on his town with a gigantic pizza pie. The book features simple character animations. Additional titles cost $8 each, or you can subscribe for $4/month. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Designed for older (upper elementary) readers, this 40 page/screen story is about life at the animal film studios, where The Fox is the director. The mystery has to do with finding some stolen jewelry. While there are no text-to-speech features, each page has something interesting to discover, or fun to do to support the story. On one page, you might match various types of lace to different dresses to complete a wardrobe. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This electronic flannel board features four sets of resizable stickers that can be combined, and then “played” on a race track, as a rock riff plays. There are no coloring or drawing features. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This second edition of Bartleby’s Book of Buttons contains 17 pages, each containing one or more puzzles that must be solved in order to unlock the next page. In the page labeled “Whale in the Way”, you must figure out how to get a sleeping whale to wake up, in order to see the door to a hidden cave. This requires playing records on Bartleby’s phonograph (spun with your finger). If you pick the right record (street noises) long enough, the whale wakes up. Other screens have you tilting the screen to steer a bubble and shining a spotlight on various points on the screen. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This letter recognition app is designed to introduce and teach letters in Spanish, based on the Montessori methodology. After each letter is introduced, children can practice writing each letter, one at a time, in upper or lower case by following the prescribed path. If you stay inside the line, you are praised in Spanish. The app is available in Spanish and Catalan. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
The idea behind this alphabet app is to teach children to read and write the alphabet, one letter at a time. Activities include picking the right letter to fill in the blank to complete a word, singing along with the alphabet song as they pop each bubble to reveal a hidden creature, and tracing letters. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Based on the printed book “When I Grow Up” by Al Yankovic with illustrations by Wes Hargis, this 18 screen book deals with the age-old question “what will I be when I grow up.” In this case, the question is answered by the author, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the famous wisecracking comedian/musician. Note that the app was initially released as a book but has since been enhanced with five story-related games. For example, in Haute Cuisine Hero you’re a cook who is supposed to tap an ingredient when it is above a pot of stew. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This is a peaceful story set to the theme of the night, stars (that twinkle) and owls. There are three modes: Read to me, Read myself, and Auto play. You can touch the screen to launch animated events, such as making the owl’s wings flap, or making the owl blink. There is also a counting game where you touch stars (up to 20) to hear them labeled. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.