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Title: My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car

Author: Bill Doyle

Illustrator: Daniel Guidera

Publisher: Crab Hill Press

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: A young boy showcases his family’s crazy modes of transportation.

Features:

• Animation
• Interactivity
• Read-Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: When I saw the title My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car on the App Store, I immediately hit the purchase button. With a name like that, I expected extreme silliness and ridiculous hilarity– and I was not disappointed.

A young boy starts out the story by declaring his dad drives a roller coaster car. But his pop is not the only one with a penchant for quirky vehicles. His Aunt Frizzy spins around on a teacup, while his mom rides a galloping carousel horse. Everyday the boy asks if he can join in the fun, but his wacky family just can’t ever hand over their carnival cruisers.

I laughed – A LOT – while reading this ebook. When the boy is turned down again and again, the page turns to reveal a sad close-up of his face, while a small violin plays in the background. Hee. I also greatly appreciated Aunt Frizzy turning green after continuous loops in her teacup; I personally cannot ever get inside one of those things without puking. Curly loved loved loved the carousel horse, which cloppity clopped across the screen with realistic pony sounds. Everything in this ebook is so touchable, and the retro-cool illustrations fit in perfectly with the kooky text. Even the sound effects were chosen with great care, and never overshadowed the narrator.

There are many ebooks (and print books, for that matter) that we read time and time again because Curly likes them, even if they are not necessarily my favorite. My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car is a hysterical tale that accomplishes a rare goal– making both child and adult laugh!

Title: Penelope the Purple Pirate

Author: Melissa Northway

Illustrator: Paul Johnson

Publisher: PicPocket Books

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: A young girl takes an imaginary adventure at sea.

Features:

• Bonus Materials
• Read-Aloud

The Greasy Screen says: Ahoy mateys! Just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean you can’t have adventures on the open sea! Now, I am not anti-girly girl or anything, but with the overabundance of princess paraphernalia shoved down young girls’ throats, Penelope the Purple Pirate is a nice break from the stereotype. Dressed in no-nonsense boots and skull-and-cross-bones hat, Penelope proves a girl can have fun without a spec of fairy dust.

Banished to her room to take a nap, Penelope instead decides to take a watery journey with her sea creature pals. Together, they search for some buried treasure, build sand castles, and swim in the ocean. The story is very carefree and fun, and Curly really liked seeing all the sweet sea animals. The only real visuals of sea life she sees on a regular basis are her bath toys, so it was nice to read a nautical-themed tale.

Included at the end of the story are bonus activity suggestions to try at home or in the classroom, along with fun facts about dolphins, sea turtles, and octopuses. This was a nice touch that is not often included with ebooks, but is a very considerate feature. We really liked spending time with Penelope the Purple Pirate, and I think you will too!

Title: Meet the Fraggles

Author: Michaela Muntean

Illustrator: Barbara Lanza

Publisher: iStorytime

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: A guide on how to entertain Fraggles, should one ever come to your house.

Features:

• Auto Page Turn
• Read Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: “Have you ever wondered what you would do if a Doozer or a Fraggle or a Gorg came to visit?” If you haven’t, well, then you obviously are not a child of the 80s. I loved the Fraggles as a kid, but seeing as our house didn’t have cable, I only got to watch the show when HBO would have their special preview weekends. Still, I knew all about them, but this ebook (adapted from a print version) certainly would have added to my Fraggle expertise!

For example, where else can you learn all about the sleeping, eating, and bathing habits of this fun little friends? The ebook reads like an informative how-to book, and features informative segments such as “Interesting Radish Recipes” (radish shish kebab, sliced radishes on toast, etc). The deliciously retro illustrations are ridiculously cute, and Curly really liked seeing all the little critters.

Meet the Fraggles does not have a lot of fancy extras, but I certainly wasn’t missing them. If you’ve been looking for a way to introduce your little one to the characters you loved as a kid, this ebook is a fun place to start!

Title: Humpty Dumpty

Author: Dennis Hysom and Christine Walker

Publisher: PicPocket Books

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: A musical telling of the popular children’s rhyme.

Features:

• Interactivity
• Musical Score
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: Who knew that Humpty, a fragile little egg, could be such a source of strength and inspiration? In this eBook, Humpty’s story of falling off a wall is set to a music, but instead of being left on the ground, unable to be put back together again, the lyrics here encourage the clumsy egg to get back up and move on. “Pull yourself together, Humpty!” sings the song, and by the end, he’s skateboarding away. How can you not want to get up and cheer? Curly couldn’t resist the urge to bounce happily as we read; no fear of falling here!

This telling of Humpty Dumpty is taken from a previously released children’s album entitled Wooleycat’s Musical Theater, and it transitions nicely into an eBook. I really liked the audio clue of a “ding” when it was time to turn the page; it served as a helpful hint for Curly, who likes following the highlighted text featured in many eBooks, but does not always realize when it is time to move on. I didn’t expect to enjoy Humpty Dumpty, since most Mother Goose rhymes have been done to death, but this telling had a fresh spin that we both liked.

Turn your sunny side up and scramble to your feet if you’re looking for a pick me up that’s a little offbeat.

Title: Katie and the Witch’s Swap

Publisher: Storynory LTD

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: Katie, a witch with magical powers, switches places with a friend for a day.

Features:

• Read Aloud

The Greasy Screen says:If I was a witch, there are lots of spells I’d want to try. Flying or any mode of transportation featured in the Harry Potter series would be high on the list, along with ways to turn stuff into gold. Switching bodies for a day, as is done in Katie and the Witch’s Swap, could be interesting as well, provided you choose your swapee with care. This is definitely a situation where you would want to upgrade to be someone completely fabulous and more well off than yourself, which is exactly what Katie thinks she’s doing when she pulls a freaky Friday with her pal Isis.

After the girls switch, they have fun experiencing the differences in each other’s lives for awhile, but eventually, they decide they are happier being themselves. I’m sure the story’s moral wants to be touching on the “grass-is-always-greener-love-yourself-for-who-you-are” vein, but it wasn’t clear to me why either girl was itching to switch back. There was no conflict, no drama, no… nothing. Curly lost interest part way through, mainly because the story didn’t move fast enough; each illustration was bogged down by tons of text, so much in fact that the publisher does not even feature the text and the illustrations together (one needs to turn the iPad to see the text, which then includes a tiny thumbnail of the drawings). More artwork could have helped bring the story to life.

For a story about a witch, I thought there would be more magic on the pages of this eBook, but with no extras to be found and a story that took too long to get to its point, Katie was a bit of a let down.

Title: Huggybird and the Dream Box

Publisher: PicPocket Books

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: While digging in the garden, Huggybird finds a magical treasure box that takes him on an adventure.

Features:

• Animation
• Read Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: A mysterious box sprouts up in Huggybird’s garden, and though it doesn’t contain sweets or treasures liked he’d hoped, it does hold enchanted pirate, detective, and knight costumes that transport the wearer to far-off adventures. Right now, I wish I could find a box like that containing some cruise wear, so I could get out of this endless Chicago winter!

Huggybird and the Dream Box is a cute story that had some humorous moments. I especially liked when Huggybird turned into a pirate and suddenly had a peg leg (er, claw), and I also laughed when as a brave knight, he spotted a sign outside a castle that indicated a princess was at the top of the stairs. It reminded me of a line from Gilmore Girls, when Lorelai said, “I left behind a glass slipper and a business card, in case the prince is really dumb.” Ha.

The story uses some great, sophisticated vocabulary, such as “chivalrous” and “enthusiastically.” I love when kids’ books sprinkle in some tougher words. Who says you can’t be challenged while being entertained? I do wish the story featured more illustrations; many of the scenes are repeated as the words change underneath. Huggybird is a cutie, and deserves more variation, just like in his closet of costumes.

Title: Human Body Detectives: The Lucky Escape

Author: Dr. Heather Manley, N.D.

Publisher: PicPocket Books

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: Two sisters learn about the digestive system through an imaginative adventure.

Features:

• Read Aloud
• Musical Score
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: In The Lucky Escape, two sisters take an imaginative trip through their baby brother Robbie’s digestive track and learn about tummy troubles from the inside out. After Robbie swallows a penny, his stomach churns in pain, and the sisters get an up close and personal look at everything from stomach acid to gas bubbles.

There were a lot of things I really liked about this eBook. The narration voices are provided by actual kids, which gave an authentic touch to the whole experience. It was cute to hear young voices pronounce big words like “peristalsis.” The music and sounds effects also really added to the suspense and feel of the story as well, especially when the girls were sliding through the small intestines. One major drawback for me was the lack of illustrations throughout. Though there were some great drawings, they were only occasionally sprinkled in, and never with the text on the same page. The lack of visuals made it tough for Curly to stay connected to the story, though truthfully the content was probably a bit over her head anyway.

Any story that puts a creative spin on challenging topics is a winner for me. Though it lacked in illustrations, The Lucky Escape told a tale that was equally amusing and educational, which is quite a feat in itself.

Title: Rapunzel

Author/Illustrator: Lana Le

Publisher: KwiqApps

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $1.99

Synopsis: A retelling of the classic Grimm fairy tale.

Features:

• Read Aloud
• Auto Page Turn

The Greasy Screen says: As I was reading Rapunzel, I realized I have been forever ruined by Disney’s recent remake, Tangled. To say I loved Tangled is an understatement. It’s not hard for me to fall in love with Disney movies, but I very much enjoyed this one. My little date, Curly, loved it to. In fact, when I told her we were going to read Rapunzel, she called out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

Rapunzel is not Tangled. Disney tends to gloss over any unpleasant plot points, such as a woman dramatically declaring she will JUST DIE if she doesn’t get what she wants to eat, and I tend to like that. Classic fairy tales usually have some pretty random elements that are best left on the cutting room floor. That being said, this eBook does its best to showcase Grimm’s tale of a girl with long golden locks. The illustrations are beautiful, with delicate textures and charming appeal. Curly sat through the whole story, but I think she felt like I had pulled a fast one on her by not showing her Tangled.

The book does not have any extras or interactivity, which is a shame. The font size was weirdly small despite how much room was available on the screen, but there is narration so you don’t have to squint. I would recommend this eBook on the illustrations alone, as they are a nice break from the commonly used computer graphics seen in many eBooks.