FREE for a limited time – The Tree I See, a storybook app for iPhone/iPad. Geared towards toddlers, this educational app tells a story about a little boy who spends time with a tree that willingly gives and shares with wilderness friends. The Tree I See is a beautifully animated story about sharing and what it means to be a friend 🙂
FREE today for iPhone/iPad, this app normally sells for $.99. The Madagascar Movie Storybook Collection features favorite stories & characters from the Madagascar movies. Included with the app is a 30 page story based on the first Madagascar movie. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted are available as in-app purchases. There are three ways to enjoy this book – read to me, auto play, or read to myself. This e-book uses vivid images from the movies and features genuine character narration – which kids will love. The story is not interactive – there is nothing to tap, find, move, etc. on the individual pages. Regardless, you will want to download this app if you have a child (2+) that is a fan of the Madagascar movies – it is nicely done storybook.
FREE today – Lulu in the Amazon, an interactive storybook in English or French. Lulu and her cat Zazou are taking a trip around the world. Kids join them in this third adventure that takes them on a boat trip on the Amazon River in Brazil. They visit the rainforest, meet some new animals, and more. There are also activities throughout the story. Kids can click on the characters to hear them speak, look for the green bird Chirpy on every page, collect souvenirs, and play games along the way. And… at the end of their adventure, they can make postcards personalized with their own photo. Fun educational app for kids 3 – 10!
FREE – Little Mermaid, a fairy tale app by StoryToys. This app is normally $4.99 and is designed as digital pop-up book. It can be read in 3 modes – read to me, read on my own, or autoplay. It features interactive 3D pop-up scenes with simple tasks for kids to perform throughout the story. The story is professionally narrated and includes fun sound effects and a musical score. Check out this educational app while it is FREE!
FREE again, Art ABC for the iPhone/iPad. Like all alphabet books, this educational app teaches kids the names & sounds of each letter. What makes it unique is that it also incorporates famous works of art. Each letter of the alphabet is presented on a fine art background. There is also a hidden object (with the featured letter) in the background. Kids explore the page by tapping to reveal each object – each in a different way! The app also contains a list of all the famous art included in the app – titles, artists, nationality, medium used, year, and location of the painting. This app could also be used with older students in art class. Nicely done!!
If you are not familiar with this developer, do yourself a favor and get acquainted 🙂 Here are two GREAT story apps – sweet stories with beautiful illustrations. The interactivity is purposeful. It adds to the story rather than just being there so that the developer claim that the app is interactive. And… they are currently FREE! Thank you, Polk Street Press! Check out these great educational apps today.
FREE for the iPhone/iPad, Goodnight Safari is a sweet interactive story for bedtime. Kids (ages 2-4) help the animals of the savannah complete their evening activities in 7 different scenes – a giraffe eating dinner, a monkey climbing into bed, a hippo taking a bath, etc. Optional counting & color activities are available as an in-app purchase. Very sweet story for a peaceful end to your child’s day – highly recommended!
Spatter and Spark is another cute interactive book for iPhone 4 /iPad 2 and later models. Spatter (an artistic porcupine) and Spark (an inventive fox) team up to figure out how to get a look at Hubert, the baby crow, so that Spatter can paint Hubert’s picture. Kids are invited to help as Spatter & Spark problem solve their way through the story. There are 10 interactive scenes within the app. Each scene is beautifully illustrated by Luciana Navarro Powell, the illustrator of Goodnight Safari. The story (for 4 – 6 year olds) is very cute with purposeful interactivity that adds to the story. Spatter and Spark could also be used with elementary students to encourage them to think & write about their own inventions. I would have used it with my third graders when I was teaching 🙂 An activity pack (with 4 additional activities) is available as an in-app purchase. Nicely done and highly recommended!
Another educational app, FREE for a limited time – The Mermaid’s Shoes, an interactive picture book for kids. On the last day of her beach holiday, Ida finds a pair of flippers. When she puts them on, she thinks she is a mermaid. Kids accompany Ida through the city as she searches for the sea. Beautifully illustrated with a gentle background music, the story ends with Ida finding the perfect spot for her to be a mermaid! Kids can create their own underwater scenes at the end of the story. Using the camera or photo library, they can even place themselves into the scene and/or turn themselves into mermaids – a fun start for writing story of their own!!
FREE on July 5 & 6 – The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare, an updated version of the classic fable for 4 – 8 year olds. This fun rendition of the Tortoise and the Hare is set in modern times and told in rhyme. This educational app has two modes – Read to Me and Read by Myself. The Read to Me mode is professionally narrated. In either mode, kids will enjoy Christina Forshay’s colorful illustrations which fill the pages of this groovy tale. The story also features animations, sound effects, and background music – very nicely put together!
This book would be great to use in a classroom. You could compare and contrast this modern version to the classic tale. The story is also rich with rhyming words. You could use the book full group and identify rhyming twins (look-alike & sound-alike) and rhyming cousins (sound-alike only). Rich in vocabulary, it also makes a great choice for story time! Download it today. 🙂
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!
FREE for a limited time – Ten Giggly Gorillas, a cute book to share with 2 – 6 year olds. There are 10 giggly gorillas swinging in the trees. Kids must listen to the story to know which gorilla to tickle under the arm. When tickled, that gorilla giggles until it lose its grip and there is one less gorilla swinging in the tree. The story continues until there is only one gorilla left to tickle. At the end there is a cute surprise! With over 100 interactions plus a hidden toucan on every page, this story is sure to delight your little ones! This educational app also includes a monkey memory game.
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