All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
When we traditionally think of eBooks, Kindles, Nooks, and other eInk readers pop in to mind. As most books are just text, traditional eBook readers work just fine. But for kids books, a more colorful and interactive approach can lead to more engagement and excitement towards reading.
As with most households, Dr. Seuss books are a staple of the books our kids like to read or have read to them. The illustrations are great and the rhyme and cadence of the narrative are entertaining as well as educational.
Oceanhouse Media took two titles, The Cat in the Hat (iTunes: $3.99)and Dr. Seuss’s ABC (iTunes: $3.99) and made them into rich eBooks for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Each book has the option to read to your child or allow them to explore the book themselves. Turning pages is as easy as swiping the screen. The text is legible though somewhat small on the iPhone screen. However, they’ve taken care to arrange the text and the images in a way that maximizes the impact of both to make the best of the platform.
But the most fun is had when the books are read to your child. Oceanhouse Media did a great job recording a voice over and sound effects that help bring the story alive. The images are zoomed and panned to give a sense of the action in the illustrations. Also, each word is highlighted as the narrator reads the story, helping your child associate the story they know with the words on the page. Additionally, you can touch the objects in the illustration and the app will display its name say what you touched.
My three year old was entertained by both apps and had no problems swiping and interacting with the app. When he was done with the two, he was asking for other Dr. Seuss books to interact with. Hopefully, Oceanhouse Media will come along with more because their implementation is really supurb.
Wired: Interactivity that enriches the narrative and illustrations. Pleasant narration. Words highlight as they are read.
Tired: Small screen on the iPhone may limit the impact of word association.
Disclosure: I received free review copies of these eBooks.
