Category Archives: interactive book apps

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Wubbzy’s Night Before Christmas

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Start your holidays with this cute Christmas app. FREE for Thanksgiving weekend – Wubbzy’s Night Before Christmas, a storybook app featuring Wubbzy and friends. This educational app was developed by Cupcake Digital in partnership with the producers of the Emmy® Award-winning Nick Jr. TV series, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!®.

 Kids read along with Wubbzy and his pals in a special version of a holiday classic. Along the way kids will discover animations & interactivity on every page! The app also has educational games and sing-along music videos. The Grown Up’s Corner has 2 sets of questions about the story. The questions address literal understanding of the story (thin questions) as well as extended meaning (fat questions). Also included in the Grown-Up Corner is information about the Common Core Standards addressed by the app. Print-outs and activities to supplement the story are available online at cupcakedigital.com. What is not to love about this educational app? – Cute story packed with interactivity, educational games, sing-along videos, standards-based, and a guide for adults!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wubbzys-night-before-christmas/id581701393?mt=8&uo=4

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Even Monsters Get Sick

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This interactive story for the iPad is FREE again. Even Monsters Get Sick is a story written for kids 5+ about a boy and his pet monster. Kids can follow along or read on their own as Harry tries to discover what is wrong with his monster. The artwork is appealing and there are animations on every page. It is a nicely done story with a positive message told by Harry, the boy. Perfect 🙂

Recommended!

Even Monsters Get Sick - Busy Bee Studios

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The Purple Frog

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Purple Frog2Purple Frog

The Purple Frog is FREE again today. This educational app is a beautiful story about friendship and acceptance. No one wants to play with Purple Frog because he is purple. He is sad until a little green frog becomes his friend. Kids can choose to read the story on their own or have the story read to them. They can also tap individual words in the story to have the word read and spelled for them. The app is nicely done – a beautifully illustrated tale story with an important message!

The Purple Frog - i4software

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Reading Rainbow

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Reading Rainbow is a library of over 200 books and videos for kids ages 3 – 9. This educational app is FREE to download but requires a subscription ($9.99 per month or $29.99 for 6 months) for full access. Once you subscribe, your children (up to 5 per family) will have unlimited access to the interactive books and video trips. This app is similar to the award-winning Reading Rainbow television series that was on PBS from 1983 – 2006. It even features the same host – Grammy winner, LeVar Burton. In less than a year, over 2.5 million books/video field trips have been viewed with this app!

After installing the app, kids fill out their profile (name, age, kinds of stories they like to read) and may choose one free book from one of the 6 themed island in the sky. The books are professionally read and feature “Read to Me” or “Read on My Own” options. They are lightly animated and include interactive activities that add to the story. A sticker rewards program motivates kids to read. There is also an individualized tracking system so parents can see books selected and minutes read for each child.

I must admit, I downloaded this app because of nostalgia. My kids grew up watching Reading Rainbow and we all loved it. I am happy to say that the appeal of Reading Rainbow today is the same as it was almost 30 years ago – Reading Rainbow provides kids with quality authentic literature. If I had a child/ grandchild (ages 3-9) or if I were still in the classroom, I would subscribe without hesitation. What a fabulous resource!

Highly Recommended!

Reading Rainbow - Reading Rainbow

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McGraw Hill books: Little Red Hen, Jack & the Beanstalk, Why the Sea is Salty, Country Mouse & City Mouse, Little Red Riding Hood

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FREE again today – five interactive readers for your iPad from McGraw Hill. All of these titles usually sell for $1.99. These classic children’s tales can be read in two ways: read aloud or read to myself. All five books are nicely illustrated and have animations/interactivity on each page. Sound effects and music are also included – both of  these features can be turned on or off. The stories are all great but I especially enjoyed the Little Red Hen. Download them today  – there is no reason to pass these up.  🙂


Little Red Hen - Interactive Reader - McGraw-Hill School Education Group  Little Red Hen      Jack and the Beanstalk from McGraw-Hill Education - McGraw-Hill School Education Group  Jack and the Beanstalk     Why the Sea Is Salty - McGraw-Hill School Education Group Why the Sea is Salty

Little Red Riding Hood from McGraw-Hill Education - McGraw-Hill School Education GroupLittle Red Riding Hood    Country Mouse and City Mouse - McGraw-Hill School Education Group Country Mouse/City Mouse

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Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flop Farm

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FREE for a limited time – Flip Flap Farm an educational app inspired by an original storybook. What do you get when you cross a dog with a turkey? A durkey. A sheep with a pig? A shig. Kids swipe through halves of animals and choose 2 of them to create a new animal. The result is 121 different combinations that will make preschoolers giggle. The app features original artwork and poems for each new creature which can be enjoyed in two modes – Read and Play or Read Myself. Little ones will have lots of fun with this creatively silly app. Teachers of older students might want to use this app to inspire kids to write their own creative books – Flip Flap Jungle, Flip Flap Desert, etc. 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/axel-schefflers-flip-flap/id681875831?mt=8&uo=4

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Pan: The Fearless Beribot and Pan: Chasing the Keeper

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Pan: The Fearless Beribot and Pan: Chasing the Keeper, are FREE for a limited time. These e-books are the first two books in a series about Pan, a sweet purple panda on a quest to find her family. Both apps are beautifully illustrated and full of animations & interactivity. Kids can tap, swipe, and tilt their way throughout the story to uncover many interactive surprises. Highlighted text helps early readers. Also, pictures of the characters appear next to the text to indicate who is speaking. The app is professionally narrated with great sound effects and original music. No wonder the first Pan book was named as “New & Noteworthy” by Apple – these apps are beautifully done!!

Download links:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pan-the-fearless-beribolt/id648998642?mt=8&uo=4

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pan-chasing-the-keeper/id729686081?mt=8&uo=4

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Will & Kate

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Will & Kate

FREE again for a limited time  –  Will & Kate, a royal fairy tale. This e-book tells the story of a young prince named William (who lived in England) and a young girl named Kate. They meet, become best friends, go on adventures together, and decide to marry. Sound familiar?? Kids join the fun as the royal couple as they take a hot air balloon ride, set off fireworks to celebrate their engagement, help Kate choose her wedding dress, and attend the wedding. The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. The story is full of fun interactivity and is cutely done!

Will & Kate - Ink Robin, Inc

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The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me

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Hippo

FREE yesterday (but $1.99 today) – The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me, an adorable story about a little girl and her 3 best friends. Told in rhyme and full of interactivity, the story follows the characters through a week of fun. Kids join the fun as the characters play hide & seek, make music in a band, color, pretend to be monsters, race through the house, go to the park, and last but not least – clean up their mess (an ending that parents are sure to appreciate.) The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me is beautifully illustrated by British artist Lisa Hunt  – a cute story that your kids are sure to enjoy!

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Miku’s Picnic, Let’s Color, and Squiggles – apps by Lazoo

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Miku's Picnic

FREE again for a limited time – Miku’s Picnic, an adorable interactive story designed to support creative thinking. Kids join Bobu, the monkey & Miku, the rabbit on a chase after some jumping beans. The two need help capturing the beans before they bounce away! Along the way kids learn about using their imaginations and creative problem solving as the Bobu & Moku use “Squiggles” to… make a car go faster, make springs to get to the top of a tree, make binoculars to look for the beans, make a rocket zoom to the moon, and more. This educational app has 2 reading modes – “Read to Me” and “Read it Myself” as well as an option to record your own voice as the narrator. The story ends with a link to the FREE Squiggles app for kids so kids can “take a turn” drawing. Super creative and super cute!

Download link for Miku’s Picnic: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lazoo-mikus-picnic/id652945863?mt=8&uo=4

Also FREE again for a limited time – Let’s Color, an educational app that encourages creativity! The app includes an animated short in which the characters – Bobu, the monkey & Miku, the rabbit use their imaginations to turn triangles into a strawberry, a dog, a mountain, etc. Then kids are encouraged to color different things to complete a page: what is coming out of a hose, who is riding in the train, etc. Once the coloring is completed, they press GO and the drawings come alive. There are 17 coloring pages as well as a blank page for your child to create his/her own pictures. Additional coloring pages can be purchased within the app. Tools included are stickers, markers, paint, chalk, a ketchup bottle, as well as 10 colors & a mystery color wheel. Work can be saved into the gallery of the parents’ section by pressing the piggy bank. This app is super cute!! It encourages children to be imaginative & creative. :)

Highly recommended!

Let's Color! - Lazoo Worldwide, Inc

squiggles

Squiggles – This FREE educational app for the iPad is adorable! Kids are encourages to draw squiggles to create: rain clouds (to water flowers), waves (to help fish swim), wool on sheep, cotton candy, etc. Once the squiggles are drawn, they press GO and the drawings come alive. The app includes an interactive storybook and an animated short which introduces the characters – Bobu, the monkey  & Miku, the rabbit. It also includes 14 drawing pages (just add the squiggles) as well as a blank page for your child to create his/her own pictures. Tools included are stickers, markers, paint, chalk, a ketchup bottle, as well as 10 colors & a mystery color wheel. Work can be saved into the gallery of the parents’ section by pressing the piggy bank. This app is super cute!! It encourages children to be imaginative & creative – one of my favorites. 🙂

Highly recommended!

Squiggles! - Lazoo Worldwide, Inc