FREE for a limited time – Penelope HD, a delightful story for 4 – 8 year olds. It’s Penelope’s nap time but instead of napping she puts on a pirate hat and a magical thing happens. Her bedroom is transformed into a gigantic pirate ship and she becomes Penelope the Purple Pirate! She goes in search of treasure with her three friends: Daphne the dolphin, Teddy the sea turtle, and Oliver the octopus. This cute story also has a nice message about sharing. 🙂 After reading, there are 13 questions for discussion or to test your child’s recall. There are also suggested activities for the classroom/home. Ideas such as – have a treasure hunt or make a treasure test. The app also included fun facts about the featured animals and pirates. Nicely done!

These books from the AvatarBook collection for the iPad are currently FREE (until May 12): Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Pinocchio, Jack & the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wizard of Oz. Using these apps, it is really simple to make your child the star of a fairy tale. Just take your child’s picture/use an existing photo, adjust the photo to fit the face line, then watch as your child’s avatar becomes the main character of the fairy tale. The brightly illustrated story is read aloud by a narrator. There is no option to read the story on your own so it feels more like you are watching a movie than reading a book. I also wish the words were highlighted so that kids could follow along as the story is being narrated. That being said, the real appeal of these apps is that they use your child as the main character of a well-loved tales. I think most kids would enjoy seeing themselves in those roles. 🙂

Cinderella   

PeterPan   

Alice in Wonderland   

The Frog Prince   

Pinocchio   

Jack & the Beanstalk   

Little Red Riding Hood   

The Wizard of Oz   

FREE again for a limited time What Will I Be? is another delightful story from Digital Leaf. A father answers his child’s questions about the future in a story that encourages children to dream big! Before the story starts, the app permits you to choose the gender of the child. The story is cute and written in rhyme. There is interactivity throughout  – sounds and things to move. Kids are encouraged to find “the dog” hidden in 19 places throughout the story. If they do, a bonus game is unlocked. This app is a perfect example of  what a digital story should be – a great story with interactivity that enhances the overall reading experience. And… as an extra added bonus, the story send a positive message to kids! Don’t miss out on this one – perfect to read in the classroom when talking/writing about careers or the future!

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        Jack and the Beanstalk      Why the Sea is Salty

Little Red Riding Hood     Country Mouse/City Mouse

FREE for a limited time – The Rocket Book is an interactive version of a book by Peter Newell. The book was originally published in 1912 and it is written in rhyme. It tells the tale of Fritz (the janitor’s son) who lights a rocket in the basement of an apartment building. The book follows the rocket’s path as it travels upward through 20 flats causing some havoc along the way.  The 3D technology used in the scenes makes the old-fashioned pictures come alive. Ragtime piano music and a great narrator add to the charm of this app. Lots of great opportunities for comparing and contrasting using this story – 1912 vs now. This book is also rich in language and would also be great for a lesson on context clues. Very cool app to use in a one iPad classroom!

Miffy in the Garden for the iPhone/iPad is FREE for a limited time. Toddlers/preschoolers listen to the story based on the book Miffy’s Garden by Dick Bruna. As they listen, they learn what they can do to help Miffy the rabbit with her garden. They help her by raking, sowing seeds, and harvesting her carrots. The app also includes a game of counting carrots. This cute & simple app for little ones was developed in the Netherlands and can easily be switched from Dutch to English. It’s perfect for the spring season because it helps kids understand how to plant and care for vegetables!

The e-book, 100 Diggers & Excavators, is FREE for a limited time for the iPhone/iPad. This book is easy to use and features over 100 HD pictures of diggers in action with sound clips! There is text on every page describing a digger or excavator, its location, or the job that it is doing. The list in the upper right hand corner can be used to preview/access individual pages in the app. The book does have not to be read in order since it is not telling a story. It is simply describing the machines pictured on each page. Also included is a video clip of a digger in action. If you have a lover of heavy machinery in your life – you may want to check out this book 🙂

FREE again – Three Little Pigs – A Play for the iPhone/iPad for kids 4+. An updated version of the 3 Little Pigs is presented as a play starring Mitch, Clara, Ran, and Clarence Bear. The book is brightly illustrated and the characters respond when they are tapped. The background music and narration are nicely done. The book can also be read alone. The story generally follows the traditional tale – the first pig builds a house from straw, the second pig builds a house of sticks, and the third pig builds a house of bricks. All of the pigs get away (rather than the first 2 being eaten) and wolf runs away yelping in pain. The first 2 pigs learn the lesson: Take your time and do your best. The story ends with the first 2 pigs starting to rebuild their houses in the spring – this time with bricks, of course!

In my classroom I used different versions of the same fairy tale/folk tale for studying story elements as well as comparing & contrasting. This would be a good version to compare with the traditional tale since its setting is in modern times. Kids can look for evidence to prove that the story takes place in current times. They could also use Venn diagrams to compare the traditional tale to this version or other versions that they have read. Lots of possibilities to extend the use of this book as you get comprehension strategies.

Recommended!