Love

I had to get this ebook for Brooklyn, based on the title alone. Brooklyn routinely names her Barbie dolls things like "Heart Love." And then when Digital Storytime gave Love such a rave review, my curiosity was piqued. The publishers, Nino Studios, were nice enough to give us a free review copy for this blog. So the girls and I eagerly sat down to read Love together. And it was like no other ebook we had ever read.

Love, the book, is by an Italian author, Gian Berto Vanni. It was first published in the US in 1964.  Love, the app, maintains the original's look and style. The texture of the screen will fool you into thinking you might actually get paper cuts swiping to advance the story. Every page is full of peepholes and collage elements. The book itself is gorgeous; the best part though, is that the app developers have gone out of their way to do justice to this beautiful story book. Instead of a traditional ebook, they have created something less linear. It is not always obvious where to swipe, or where the words will next appear. Pages don't so much as turn, as fall away, or peel back piece by piece. There is stop motion animation and ambient music throughout. Here is a one-minute video trailer that gives the feel of the music and animation:

The story is dark and twisty. It feels, frankly, like it was written in another time/place (e.g., Europe in the 1960s?). The basic story is this: A little girl who is described as "not so pretty" loses her parents at age nine. She goes to live in an orphanage where she is unloved. She acts out and gets in trouble. In the end, however, she communes with nature and finds a way to connect with the people around her. The story is sparse and somewhat shocking to modern sensibilities; especially since a happy ending is not spelled out for our protagonist. As sensitive as she sometimes is though, Brooklyn took it in stride. We both were somewhat surprised that the book ended when it did. One of the problems with innovative interactive storybook apps like this one is that the reader has no sense of length. Had we been reading the print book, we would have known we were on the last page.

There is no "read-to-me" narration available with this ebook, but that is okay. This is a book better suited to older readers. Brooklyn and I enjoyed it together. Although Autumn initially sat down with us, she quickly wandered away. Read it with your children, or give it to children old enough to read it themselves. One thing I wish the app did have was a way to navigate through to a certain part a little bit more quickly... It is maddening to try to re-read a particular page in the middle of the book without a page guide to let you jump in to the middle. But that minor quibble aside, this is a beautiful, well-constructed and thought provoking ebook that I expect my kids to grow into.

Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins

Alfie Atkins is building a treehouse so that he can reach a gift that his imaginary friend, Malcolm, left for him on a cloud. You can help him by finding/earning boards for him. If this sounds weird to you, that's okay--it struck me as a little odd too. Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins is based on the movie version of a beloved Swedish book series. I'm guessing the whole premise might have made more sense if we had already read the books. But that's okay--a little oddness never hurt anyone. And, of course, Brooklyn thought nothing of it anyway.

We downloaded the free version with limited content (which actually explains the premise better) and she was immediately smitten. Alfie is a lovable character, with lots of interesting friends, and there are nine or ten mini-games to play within this app. I did, in the end, shell out $3.99 for the full version of the app, because Brooklyn took me on a tour of the free version and showed me all the things she and Alfie do together and the things she wanted to do. She was passionate and focused, but more importantly, I was really impressed with her navigation skills: she was clicking all over that app, as if she had designed it... First to the game to show me how to play, then out of the game to see what reward she had earned. Back to the treehouse to see how to build/decorate with her reward, and then over to the park where Alfie was singing and dancing with his friends. When I tried to do it later, it took me AGES to figure it all out.

I see multiple benefits to letting my daughters play with an app like this: first, as just mentioned, there is their technological know-how and ease with computers. There is no realm of society or job market in which my girls won't need computer skills. As she was playing today, I could see her learning. For example, she kept asking me where specific letters are: "Mom! Where's the 'P'?!" I didn't need to think about it: "Top row, on the right." "Where's the 'V'?" "Bottom row, middle..." Very soon--much sooner than I needed it--she is going to need at least that level of digital expertise. The more she plays around, the more comfortable she gets.

Another thing I like about this app are the mini-games offered. There are a nice variety of skills practiced in each of these, from memory to fine-motor to rhythm. Some of the games are open-ended and encourage creativity, like Dance, in which Alfie and his friends move to either a pre-recorded rhythm or to one you provide. Brooklyn, naturally, chose to sing a song of her own creating into the iPad microphone. Treasure Hunt is a concentration game in which you are shown where some bits of treasure and some trash ("rubbish," in the app's British-English) is buried and then it is covered up again. You take turns, playing against either one of Alfie's friends or one of your real friends, trying to find the treasure again. Cook is just like any of the ever-popular food preparation apps that kids this age find so fascinating... Alfie is making stew for his dad. You choose the ingredients, chop them up, add them to the pot, season it just right (careful not to add the insects, or Dad will pronounce it, "... Interesting...") and then ladle it into bowls without spilling any on the table.

The pace and narration of Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins is just right. When you get something wrong, he matter-of-factly tells you so, without talking down or saying anything cutesy. If you spill some stew onto the table while ladling it into the bowls, Dad's voice says, "Whoops, you spilled a little. Careful, now!" You can do any of the games over again, or you always have the choice to move on to a different game.

This is a nice app for preschoolers and kindergartners. I think mine will come back to it again and again. Best of all, there is a reset button in the settings, so I can tear down the treehouse once Brooklyn gets to the secret gift in the sky. Then she (or perhaps her sister) can start all over again!