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Although he has always been popular, to the extent of being a household name, Dr Seuss has never quite enjoyed the popularity he has in the USA here in England. I doubt there are many adults living here who couldn’t tell you the names of some of his most popular works, The Cat in the Hat for example, but when you start heading off into the less popular books such as* Oh The Places You’ll Go*, faces start looking a little blank. My first introduction to these less popular titles such as One Fish Two Fish,* The Sneetches* and If I Ran The Circus, came when I visited Seuss Landing at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida; I had no idea what most of the rides and objects referred to. I did thoroughly enjoy my time in this area of the theme park and was amazed by the vast number of books in the shop there - I had no idea there were so many Dr Seuss titles. When my little boy got to the age where he actually sat and listened to bed time stories (occasionally at least - climbing the side of the cot is still infinitely more interesting some nights), I knew I wanted to invest in some Dr Seuss stories and asked for some on his birthday list. I enjoy the challenge they present me when I read them aloud as well as the interesting stories themselves which are so wildly different to any other author. When I was offered the opportunity to review a Seuss story app, I leapt at the chance.
The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories features seven recently discovered Dr Seuss stories originally published in magazines:
- The Bippolo Seed
- The Strange Shirt Spot
- Steak For Supper
- Tadd and Todd
- The Rabbit, the Bear & the Zinniga-Zanniga
- Gustav, the Goldfish
- The Great Henry McBride
Each story has three modes: “Read it Myself”, “Read to Me” and “Auto Play” which are all somewhat self-explanatory. If you get part way through a story in one mode and wish to switch to another, you can simply return to the menu and switch options, prompting a menu that will allow you to either start over from the beginning, or to carry on from where you were in the previous mode.
In the “Read to Me” mode, each new paragraph appears on screen along with traditionally drawn Seuss-style backgrounds and pictures. As the narrator reads, each word is highlighted so children can follow along easily. If you want to hear a paragraph again, you can press and hold the paragraph, tapping an individual word reads that word aloud and tapping any part of the background image brings up the appropriate word on screen and reads it aloud (once the narrator has finished reading the current paragraph). A simple swipe moves you along to the next page. The “Auto Play” mode is almost identical but moves you to the next page automatically without the need to swipe.
“Read it Myself” keeps all the features from the previous mode and simply misses out the narrator - the music and sound effects on each page still play if they are switched on in the options menu. Words and pictures can still be tapped to hear them spoken aloud so children who are learning to read can tap a word they find themselves stuck on to hear how it is said. This is a great resource for independent learning, allowing children to figure out a new word without having to turn to their parents for help.
My son is far too little to learn to read at the moment, however he has enjoyed sitting with the app in “Auto Play” mode and watching the stories unfold. In "Auto Play" mode he can poke at the screen without opening any other pages or stopping the app from running which is a huge benefit, and I know it will grow with him until he is reading along with it which makes it very good value. My only personal gripe with the app is the American accents which are in parts very strong to English ears; however as I certainly don’t plan for my son to learn to speak and to read entirely from apps, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem!
This is a beautifully made app which combines the traditional and instantly recognisable Dr Seuss artwork with fun narrations, great stories and music which is reminiscent of the Seuss Landing theme park. It is not the cheapest app on the market but when you consider it is the cost of only two paperback Seuss books, and costs less than buying this story collection in book form, the value becomes apparent; this effectively provides both the books and interactive audiobook copies all in one. I thoroughly enjoy using this app and am planning to purchase some more from the developer's range of Seuss apps.
The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories is available on the app store for iPhone, iTouch and iPad costing $8.99/£5.99. A copy was provided free of charge for this review.
