one of the other languages the app is available in (Spanish and Catalan), but the text often reads like a set of colorless assembly directions: “But the Little Mermaid rescues the Prince. The Little Mermaid falls in love with the Prince.” The ending, closer(ish) to the original tale than the Disney happily-ever-after, is wobbly and strange. After diving into the sea, the Little Mermaid is taken away by fairies and turned into “a beautiful star next to the moon.” The app’s most ambitious feature, “Animate your own tale,” allows users to install a free version of the app on a separate device and build scenes on stage from it. Nothing about the feature is very impressive except the fuss involved in getting it going. Given the number of higher-quality “Little Mermaid” apps available, this one would be better off lost at sea. (iPad storybook app. 4-6)
Plainly descended from a food processor but sounding like E.T. and sporting a “holo-projector” capable of throwing up tiltresponsive 3-D images when tapped, Bobo the robot squires viewers through introductions to 21 light-related topics. These range from the sun (and planets), color and fire to Thomas Edison, the human eye and bioluminescence. Opening either in succession or in any order thanks to a strip of thumbnail images, each single-topic screen features a tableau of animated cartoon figures (Bobo incinerating a marshmallow over a Fire to the amusement of a chortling caveman; a set of movable mirrors and a laser to explore angles of Reflection), a lively musical background track and an (un-narrated) introductory paragraph of basic information. Three-down insets on each screen add such features as a super-slow-mo video of lightning strikes, a touch-sensitive menu of Edison’s most famous inventions, narrated slide shows of neon shop signs and kinds of animal vision and one or more pages of additional explanation or quirky facts. The animations and sound effects are all cogent, comical or both, and from lighthearted opening tutorial to spectacular closing show of nighttime fireworks, there’s nary a dull nor uninformative moment. A (literally) illuminating survey, with exemplary choice and use of digital enhancements. (iPad informational app. 7-10)
WHAT WILL I BE?
Deery, Trisha Illus. by Deery, Trisha Dog Ears Ltd. $2.99 | Aug. 16, 2011 Series: Miss Rosie Red, 1.0; Aug. 16, 2011
GIDGET HAS A GLITCH
A wee Irish lass contemplates what to wear to a birthday party. This storybook app hails from Northern Ireland and is an adaption of Deery’s traditional book that was released in the UK earlier this year. Miss Rosie Red, an adorable preschooler with a ginger complexion, receives a birthday invitation that leaves her wondering what she should “be” when she goes to the party. She sets out with her kitty, Cooper, to try things on for size. Rosie contemplates going as an astronaut, a fairy, a dinosaur and nearly a dozen other things before deciding to simply go as herself. In read-to-me mode, the text is voiced by an Irish 3-year-old with a slight lisp; while her accent may make it difficult for some children to understand her, the sound of it is so precious it’s almost addicting. Deery’s illustrations are warm and cheery, creating a vibe that seems to strike at the very heart of childhood innocence. Befitting the very young audience, interactions are kept to a minimum. Readers can tap individual pages to summon multiple images and the next phrase of text, and Cooper the cat reliably purrs when touched. But it is a shame that Rosie does not move when she “is so excited she can barely sit still.” An endearing tale for tiny tots. (iPad storybook app. 1-5)
von Harten, Gwen Illus. by Hassanberg, Fernanda Frickvon Harten, Gwen Bright Bunny $1.99 | Sep. 7, 2011 1.0; Sep. 7, 2011 This boy-robot friendship story, while missing a few nuts and bolts, runs on bigger ideas: imagination, creativity, determination and hope. Clever Erik decides to create “the best friend ever,” so he builds a robot from scratch. Erik and Gidget are inseparable and go on great adventures until Gidget blows a gasket. Eric is sad that his friend is broken, but he never gives up hope, sets out to fix him and does just that. The illustrations are colorful and wellconceived, with few distractions from the story itself. Simple navigational arrows for turning pages make it easy for parents to find their way. And most of the sound effects—when Erik and Gidget fly around the moon, when Gidget breaks down and when Erik welds his robot back together—give the story imaginative depth. On the down side, the rhyme scheme is stilted at best, which is reinforced by the narrator’s ponderous delivery; choose the read-it-myself mode. The interactivity level is low compared to other apps for this age group, but there’s at least something worth tapping. Moreover, it misses opportunities to extend the story with activities like a build-your-own-robot page or develop other characters, such as Gwen and the purple monster, the “criminals” that Erik and Gidget apprehend. Nevertheless, it is worth tinkering around in, if mostly for the praiseworthy character of its protagonist. (iPad storybook app. 2-5)
BOBO EXPLORES LIGHT
Fusco, Craig Illus. by MacAdam, Dean Game Collage $6.99 | Sep. 15, 2011 1.1; Sep. 26, 2011 It’s science! Presented with plenty of buoyant, eye-catching graphics and cleverly designed interactive fun. 1962
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1 november 2011
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interactive e-books
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kirkusreviews.com
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