When I hinted to my husband almost 2 years ago that I wanted an iPod Touch, I just thought they looked neat. I had some on-line friends who had them, and they said they were useful for school and reading e-books. So I kind of mentioned how educational they were. I really didn’t think he was going to buy me one, so I was shocked to receive it for Mother’s Day (and our anniversary) in 2010.
I had no idea how much I was going to use it! But I am even more surprised at how much my 5 year old daughter uses it. There are so many great educational game and book apps for young children. I recently received a new one that has quickly become her new favorite.
The Foot Book app from Oceanhouse Media is the classic Dr. Seuss book turned into an app for the iPod, iPhone, or iPad. (It is also available for Android, Amazon, and Nook.) It has the complete text and illustrations with several options. The child can have app read the book aloud. In this mode, the book is read aloud and the words are highlighted as they are read. He can tap the pictures along the way for some fun extras. The child is in control of turning the pages in this mode.The second mode is Read it Myself. This mode has no sound and is great practice for the beginning reader. Finally, there is the auto play mode. This is like the read-aloud mode except that the pages automatically advance. This might come in handy for younger children who might have trouble making the pages go forward or might accidentally cancel the reading to go back to the menu. (Though honestly, I am constantly amazed at how easily children can understand how to operate apps on a touch screen. I have had to show my daughter very little.)
This app is very well done and is a big hit here! Visit Oceanhouse Media to see their collection of Dr. Seuss books, as well as hundreds of other apps for children.
Disclosure: I received this app free in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.
By Kristen H.