The masterful creators from Ink Robin have been busy little bees, with two new picture book apps to delight your tots (and perhaps even yourself!).
The first is Jerry's Day Out--a photographic journey around New York City. Yes, NYC-addicts, here is your chance to do some armchair travel around this stunning city, with a series of fantastic images that showcase the city at its everyday best, from the front stoops of Brownstones to a mega aerial shot featuring the Empire State Building.
Jerry and his friends boy and dog are out playing when the boy's balloon drifts away. Keen to catch it, Jerry takes off, but is soon lost. He doesn't know his exact street address! How will he get home?
As he tours the city, Jerry meets a series of kooky animals, from uptown designer shoppers to hiphop pigeons (hilarious!), book-reading skunks and jazz-jamming owls, all keen to help Jerry find his way home.
This is a fun story with engaging visuals and a super cool, smooth as silk, jazzy soundtrack that accompanies an NYC storyline perfectly. Interactivity is dynamic and stacks of fun, both in regard to visuals and audio.
Kids can tap on the T button to bring up (or remove) the text and there are options to read the story alone, or have it read to you. A page slider makes navigation easy.
Gustav Dejert's block-colour illustrations are a feast for the eyes, and the final page is an absolute smorgasbord of finger-licking good fun. I also liked the dry ending.
Jerry's Day Out, AU$2.99, iTunes -- UNTIL 6 DECEMBER, THIS EBOOK IS FREE!
The second is A Rabbit's Tale--a sort of cool, modern day version of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. This adorable romp from chaos to simplicity features a bunny named Gordon who loves the busy City Rabbit life.
There's cooking classes, ballet and boxing, sword-fighting, swimming and shopping. How does he fit it all in? Gordon thrives on his hectic lifestyle, until one day, after collapsing from exhaustion, an invitation arrives to visit his cousin Fox, who lives far from the city--in the woodland.
Fox lives a much simpler life and it takes quite some time for Gordon to settle into just 'being'--playing freely in the woods instead playing squash, walking instead of catching a cab, watching fireflies instead of a movie.
This is a sweet story that's cleverly done (ie: with no crushing morals). It's a little on the text/dialogue-heavy side but the characters are really likeable and the interactivity superb, as is the Ink Robin way.
Kids can tap and swipe some really cute, laugh-out loud moments during the story, and the music and sound-effects are really well done. There are options to read the story alone, or have it read to you, and a page slider makes navigation easy.
Cartoony illustrations by Tim Penner are truly adorable and openly funny. Kids will love them.
A Rabbit's Tale, AU$1.99, iTunes -- UNTIL 6 DECEMBER, THIS EBOOK IS FREE!
