ebook Review: The Lorax

One of my very very favourite books in the world is The Lorax by Dr Seuss, so I was delighted to come across this ebook app offering an interactive way to read this time-honoured tale.

The Lorax features the original pages of the book with soft music and sound effects like whistling wind creaking and cawing birds; the books' entrancingly moody pages are perfectly complemented in this way.

There are options to read the book, have it read to you or have it run on auto play - sort of like the short film version of the book - but there are no extra special effects in this ebook, if that's what youre looking for. The only interactive components are when you touch any item on the screen . . . the word appears and is vocalised by the narrator.

This is certainly helpful if are learning to read, but it seems an odd component given that most readers of this book would probably be seasoned readers. It's nonetheless fun to tap on things and see the words apear.

By swiping each page, kids scoot around the book pretty much like a regular picture book, with parts of the pages zooming in and out, and text appearing appropriately. The Lorax is a text-heavy book, so breaking the text up in this way will really attract kids to read.

One of the joys of reading a real life book is the ability to turn the pages to and fro, scooting ahead, reliving past pages, but no page index including in The Lorax, the only way is forward or back to the beginning - something I found a little frustrating at times.

Overall, however, this ebook is beautifully produced and - for those keen to share an ebook that focuses on literature not game-play - this a must-own for Seuss fans.

The Lorax is published by Oceanhouse Media and is available on iTunes for $5.99.