Review : Dr. Seuss Apps for iPad
Got kids? I do. Two of them, ages 3 and 5. Remember back when YOU were a kid and you had The Cat in the Hat and other Dr. Seuss books laying around your house. You probably don’t remember but you ripped them. Don’t pretend you didn’t, we both know you did. It’s okay, I did too. So did my kids before they could really appreciate them. What you and I didn’t realize years ago, and my kids don’t get now, is how insanly priced these books are. Today they are like $100 bucks each, (Brian Regan anybody?) ok, not really!! Where am I going with this? Oceanhouse Media, Inc. has released a few Dr. Seuss apps, in particular the books; The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’s ABC’s, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I have them all and for cheaper ($2.99) than the price of the paper version that my kids tore to shreds.
What’s great about these apps is that they are not just thrown together. They are carefully recreated from the actual artwork. Each page or image looks beautiful on the iPad screen. Text is crisp, clear, and highlighted when the word is spoke. Oh, did I not mention that all books are narrated by professionals. Users have 3 options for narration. First you can have it narrated and autoplay the entire book. One can have it read to them and manually turn the pages. Or turn narrating off completely. Also, kids can touch the images and words for a repeat. Touch the “Cat” and it says, “Cat” while highlighting the word on the screen as well. The apps remember where you left off if you shutdown the application in the middle and offer to start from previous point or start over when you open it up again. To top it off when you buy the iPad version you are also getting the iPhone version as well. It looks great on the iPhone too, and lets face it, if you DO have kids then you know that those unexpected moments arise when you need a diversion, and trust me having these apps gives them a nice relief. And let’s face it..it’s Dr. Seuss, it’s reading, and it’s fun.
The only thing I would have loved to have seen in this app is something that IS included with the Toy Story app. The ability to record your voice reading the story and to play it INSTEAD of the voice of the narrator. This would be great for dads who maybe work too late or are out of town a lot and can’t put little ones to bed. Other than that, and let’s face it I’m reaching here, I love these apps! I also hear the favorite “Green Eggs and Ham” is coming in June!