Title: The Little Snail
Publisher: Rye Studio
Format: iPad, iPhone
Rated: 4+
Current Price: Free
Synopsis: A little snail takes a stroll with his mother and asks about the world around him.
Features:
- English/Chinese/Japanese/French/German/Spanish
- Read Aloud
- Sleep Mode
The Greasy Screen says: The Little Snail opens with what has to be the most asked question in the history of childhood: “Why?” In the snail’s case, he can’t help but wonder why he has to carry a giant shell around all day, when other soft-bodied critters, such as earthworms and caterpillars, don’t. His mother explains that while the other creatures have to rely on external forms of protection, snails are self-reliant and can take care of themselves.
While I always appreciate a message of independence, this eBook ended a bit too abruptly, and with no interactivity, animation, or extras, it fell a little short. I would have liked to have seen the snail’s reaction to his mom’s wisdom revelation; instead, she tells him about how strong snails are, and then the story ends. Fleshing out the ending would have been more satisfying.
The Little Snail contained one interesting feature I’d never come across before, called, “sleep mode.” In this setting, the story would read aloud, except the pages would not play. I believe the intention is for children to listen to the story as they fall asleep, but as a parent, I feel like I’d rather be playing on my iPad once my kid is down for the night, rather than leaving it in her room. Maybe that’s just me, but Momma likes her quiet time!
Title: Marina and the Little Green Boy
Author: Antonio Vicente and Miguel Ordonez
Publisher: Genera Interactive
Format: iPad
Rated: 4+
Pages: 22
Current Price: $2.49
Synopsis: One night, Marina hears a strange sound coming from her attic. When she gathers enough courage to seek out the sound, she discovers a new and mysterious friend.
Features:
- Interactivity
- Sound Effects
- Animation
- Musical Score
- English/Spanish
The Greasy Screen says: There is so much to say about the cute and clever Marina and the Little Green Boy! The animation and interactivity is the best I’ve seen so far. The illustrations are so full of personality they almost don’t need animation, and yet, seeing them move about the page makes them even more endearing. Every page features lots of little critters to touch and bring to life, many of which advance the story. I especially loved the page where Marina imagines all the creatures that could be lurking in her attic, and Curly cracked up every time she touched the Green Boy– his roboty “bee boop bee” voice made her laugh and laugh!
But even without the animation, the story holds its own. When Marina meets her martian friend, she instantly wants to teach him all about her life. She introduces many foreign concepts to the Little Green Boy, such as eating what’s inside the refrigerator rather than eating the refrigerator itself, and that the toilet is not for swimming. Her parents, of course, are more hesitant to have their home invaded by an alien, but eventually, they all fall in love with a series of snuggly hugs. Aww.
I love all the customizable options of this eBook. Marina and the Little Green Boy is written in both English and Spanish, and readers can change the language between the two by simply tapping on the text. There are also some quirky sound effects and a bouncy musical score, which compliments the experience nicely, but can easily be turned off separately from the sound effects if the reader wants to concentrate solely on the words. Nice touch.
If you’ve been weary toward trying eBooks, Marina and the Little Green Boy is a great place to start!
