The storybook genre in the app store is getting out of hand. I’ll be the first to admit that. However, that doesn’t mean that there are not gems to be found. Once such gem is Cozmo’s Day Off ($3.99 – Universal App).

Cozmo is just like many of the other interactive storybook apps out there you have seen first hand, or read reviews of. Yet at the same time it offers something a little bit more.

Like many others in this category Cosmo brings to the table a story that kids are going to enjoy. Cozmo’s Day Off is the story of a space traveler and his journey. The app is amazingly presented with very high quality graphics and animations that are sure to keep young viewers engaged and interested. Some pages have just a ton of items that kids can touch to create sounds and flush out the story for their liking, while other pages offer the ability to turn and shake and move the iPad to change the view of the images/details…such as titling it to move a ball or space ship across the screen (I recommend you enable the rotation lock when using the app).

Within the story children can touch and tap their way around the screen/pages and make objects move or make sounds, come to life, or do unexpected things. Each page with words is read to the user, and the textbooks that hold these words can be moved off the page and out of the way while it’s being read, or even zoomed in to allow younger readers to more easily follow along with the words. The standard narration is done quite well, and my kids really loved that the voice really matched the story being told, they commented that he sounded like a “space-man”. Whatever that means…

Where Cosmo differs is that it gives readers and parents a neat little option. Users can record their own narration track for each page to be played when the pages are “read”. We’ve seen this before. But in addition it allows the user to manipulate the voice pitch and make it something very interesting. The manipulations can be done right inside the app, on the page, in real time, as it’s reading. My kids LOVED this. I don’t think they’ve ever laughed so hard at my voice reading something before. They made me sound like a chipmunk and then quickly and instantly I sounded like a monsterish robot.

Cozmo’s Day Off is one of those storybook apps that shows just how amazing this relatively new genre can be. Cozmo goes above and beyond what most of these apps for kids have thus far. A great and worthy addition to the iPad storybook family. Check it out! For those who like to try before you buy, there is a “lite” version here.