We have not looked at a storybook app for sometime. So, this blog is a review of Even Monsters Are Shy, a book with an engaging storyline that a great addition to the bedtime app collection. The story is set in a town where monsters are pets and one little boy, Ben, finds his monster is unlike the others as he is shy. This app was developed by Busy Bee Studios (VPN needed). This app was featured by Apple in the “Best New Apps” and won the silver award winner from Parents’ Choice.

Features
The app has two narration options; Read to Me or Read Myself and sounds effects that will have the little ones enjoy as it accompanies the narration. It is easy to use with simple arrows at the bottom of each page, this makes navigating pages less of a hustle for younger children. The graphics in this app are cute but also the illustrations are interactive as they only need a simple tap to make them come alive, making this app captivating for children. There are activities such as a few games within the story to make the reading more fun.

The story brings with it some level of learning as it focus on reading, phonics as children using the Read to Me function but most of all this story promotes the love of reading.

There aren’t social media links or in-app purchases that come with this app. There is an information button but it’s protected.

Drawback
There isn’t a word highlighting function that would make this more educational focus.

Ages: 3+

Category: Book

Platform: iPad only

Language: English 

Price: USD 1.99

Photos: iTunes

This week’s highlighted app is SpeakaZoo. It was released on April 17, 2014 and has both good and bad points to it. Despite the app being categorized as educational, it does not have much educational input for kids to experience. This review covers only the iOS version.   

Features
The app records children’s voices and uses speech recognition to create what seems like conversations between the kids and animated animals. The 18 animated animals are under the custody of the zoo keepers who happen to be the kids. The animals ask questions and make emotional pleas for help then the kids record their responses to the animals. The sole job of the kids is to make the animals happy by helping them work through their various idiosyncrasies.

The animated animals are colorful to look at. The chatty characters and childlike charm will keep the kids intrigued. The main feature of the app is when the animals pose occasional questions and to answer, they’ll need to tap and hold the microphone button and the animal will wait till they finish speaking. The kids will enjoy the app’s silliness.

Drawbacks
The apps animals tend to use mature humor or talk about adult behavior (vampire bat sucking blood) that is inappropriate for its 4 year old and up age recommendations. The animation are somewhat crude in that they are troubled and often sarcastic but will be lost on kids and not the adults. The login process is a bit off putting, as this requires an email address and consent to let the developer to record the voices of the adults and kids. This might not be the app of choice for the paranoid type.

Ages: 6-8
Category: Education
Content: Audio and Animation
Platform: iPad, iPod, iPhone
Language: English
Price: Free

Photos courtesy of Appannie.com