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Title: Spike and Orange Ball

Author: Allan Walker

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $0.99

Synopsis: A dog laments over his lost ball.

Features:

• Animation
• Musical Score
• Read-Aloud

The Greasy Screen says: Spike, a cuddly black dog, is sad. His “bestie,” a prickly orange ball, is lost, and his family is set to move any day. What will he do, he wonders, in a new place without his favorite companion?

We’ve all been in Spike’s shoes. Moving is stressful, especially when your most important items get misplaced. I have to say that hearing Spike lament over his lost friend pulled at my heart strings. “I never thought I’d lose a best friend,” he moans. *sniffle!* Read in a low, baritone voice that I often imagine would be the voice of my bulldog if she could talk, the ebook illustrates the small comforts of a dog’s life and how they, just like us, get attached to silly little things.

Spike and Orange Ball is a bit lacking in special features, but Curly and I enjoyed flipping through this story, particularly the final page which shows a photo of what I can only assume is the real-life Spike. This inexpensive ebook will make you smile.

Title: Benny the Cat

Author: Tamar Hak

Publisher: Touchoo

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $2.99

Synopsis: A day in the life of a kitty named Benny.

Features:

• Animation
• Interactivity
• Read-Aloud
• Voice Recording

The Greasy Screen says: Curly loves cats, while I have a slight feline fear. That, in combination with my husband’s allergies, is why we will never own a pet cat. But, with the introduction of Benny the Cat, Curly can now go through the motions of a real cat owner!

In this ebook, the reader is encouraged to help take care of Benny, a plump little kitty, by doing things like picking out his favorite toys and helping him find his litter box. The interactivity is really great; I especially liked throwing a pile of pillows around in attempt to find a hiding Benny, and Curly liked hearing him purr as she petted him. When asked to choose the best meal for Benny, Curly immediately wanted to feed him the plate of lollipops– she is her mother’s daughter, after all. The story itself was a little thin, with the text focused more on giving the reader instructions rather than telling a tale, but the main focus of this ebook seemed to be walking through the steps of pet maintenance, and we enjoyed taking care of Benny.

My favorite part of Benny the Cat was the hand-drawn illustrations; so often, ebooks are accompanied by more stark, computer graphics. This is a fun ebook for cat lovers and cat cowards alike.

Title: Green Splosh

Publisher: Emantras Inc

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: Free

Synopsis: A blob of paint escapes his paint bottle and explores the world.

Features:

• Animation
• Interactivity
• Read-Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: When a boy named Ken spills a bottle of paint, a green-tinted blob decides it’s his chance to hit the road and see the world around him, as so begins Green Splosh, a semi cohesive ebook. The concept of the story was cute, but reading through the screens left me a bit confused.

At first I thought the story would focus on teaching colors, as early on a neat interactive feature allows readers to paint on the page along with Ken. But after the splosh escapes, we are then taken on a journey about counting, and what a crazy journey it is. The little green splosh really gets around: one minute he’s hopping lily pads, then playing with a clown, then creeping through a haunted house. There was no rhyme or reason as to where the paint would go next.

Green Splosh does have some creative interactivity, such as birds that sing on fence when tapped, but the overall usability of the app was a bit clumsy, and since I had trouble following the point of the story, I struggled to make it to the end. Curly didn’t even last that long. More attention to a linear storyline wold make this ebook more worthy of its imaginative premise.

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: Big Red Barn

Author/Illustrator: Jon Higham

Publisher: Dipali Vaidya

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $0.99

Synopsis: A counting story set in a farmyard.

Features:

• Interactivity
• Read-Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: Jon Highman, author of the charming Elly the Reindeer series, really has a knack for knowing what little ones are drawn to. Big Red Barn combines children’s natural curiosity toward animals and desire to learn numbers into one adorable ebook.

Every page features fun, candy-colored illustrations that are so cute you just want to squeeze them, and sound effects of the farm animals. Curly and I both really enjoyed the last few pages, which allow you to hear multiple animal sounds at the same time. Once you start pressing all those buttons, it sounds like a real live farm! If farms were has happy looking and odor free as they are in this story, I would be more inclined to head out to the country more often.

Older kids will not find much for them here, as the text revolves mainly on counting, but Big Red Barn is perfect for the toddler set.

Title: Roy the Little Rabbit

Publisher: LaLafish

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $3.99

Synopsis: A little rabbit explores and meets new friends.

Features:

• Read Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: Roy the Little Rabbit is geared for the toddler set, with uncomplicated words and basic plot line. Roy hops around, meeting new friends, and gets caught in a rain storm. It is a simple story, so little ones looking for more oomph (like my Curly) will quickly lose interest.

Roy’s graphics were a bit too stark for my taste, and some of the sound effects were a bit over the top: when Roy’s new friend Lyn the bluebird needs to fly away, a random chorus of children’s voices chimes in with a loud “BOO!” I did like the repeat text button on each screen, available for little ones looking to hear the words again, but in our case, Curly was itching to get through the story and was not looking for a repeat performance.

If Roy continues to have more eBook adventures, I hope he gets more to do the next time around!

Title: Growing Up Together

Publisher: Sungsil Graphics

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $0.99

Synopsis: A caterpillar and a sunflower become best friends as they grow up together.

Features:

• Animation
• English/Korean
• Interactivity
• Musical Score
• Painting
• Sound Effects
• Voice Recording

The Greasy Screen says: Growing Up Together is the sweet story of a sunflower seed and butterfly egg who meet each other on the ground, and spend their lives growing up and changing together. As they both continue to evolve, the other comments on their progress, remarking on the beauty of the other’s wings or petals. The story is educational, in that we see the stages of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and how the sun and the rain helps the sunflower grow, but it also shows how two different things can work together.

Curly LOVED this eBook. The pages are full of bright, child-like illustrations that just explode with happiness. She laughed and laughed watching a ladybug crawl up the sunflower’s stem, and delighted in having the power to make a raincloud burst with droplets. I liked the story too, as the friendship between bug and flower was so peaceful, and seeing the big reveal of each organism in its final state was beautiful.

Gentle music and cute sound effects enhance the entire experience, and the animations are as brilliant as a rainbow. On one page, a vibrant sun streaks across the sky as the sunflower continues its ascent– lovely! I wish more eBooks were this saturated and gorgeous. There are plenty of extras, including the option to record your voice for the narration, but even without, we truly loved Growing Up Together and will be going back for more!

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: Just Birds

Publisher: Bookpx

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $3.99

Synopsis: An educational look at birds from around the world.

The Greasy Screen says: Just Birds is the latest release in a series of educational animal kingdom eBooks found on Apple’s iBooks app. This was my first time exploring iBooks, for while I do spend a lot of time reading interactive eBooks with Curly, the iPad actually belongs to my husband, so I haven’t downloaded any books for myself. I found the experience to be quite enjoyable, so my hubby better hold on tighter to his favorite toy…

Just Birds is just what it says it is: pages and pages of birds. Being part of iBooks, there is no interactivity, animation, or any of that kind of thing. Typically, I don’t go for non-fiction books because… well… they are usually pretty boring. I like imaginative stories, not stuffy paragraphs of facts. But Just Birds livens up the information by setting it in rhyming verse: a much appreciated effort. The pages are filled with beautiful photographs of a wide array of birds, including ones you’d expect (bald eagle, hummingbird), to ones I was not familiar with (ever seen a blue-footed booby?). At the end, a list of activities you can do with your kids to help them relate to the lives of birds was a nice touch. Curly may be a bit too young to really worry about all the details, but she certainly liked seeing all the feathery friends displayed in all their glory.

Flipping through Just Birds reminded me of reading Ranger Rick when I was little, and I loved that magazine! What little kid is not interested in animals? It looks like this series hit the jackpot.

Title: Cozmo’s Day Off

Publisher: Ayers Animation

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $3.99

Synopsis: Cozmo the alien treks through the stars during his commute to work.

Features:

• Animation
• Games
• Interactivity
• Read Aloud
• Musical Score
• Sound Effects
• Voice Recording

The Greasy Screen says: Just by looking at the screen shots of Cozmo’s Day Off, there is no doubt that it is an exquisitely produced eBook. The story of a little alien frantically trying to get to work on time is jam-packaged with lots of glitz and glamour. The illustrations are incredibly polished, and the interactivity is (sorry for the pun) out of this world. Every page was bursting with hidden animations; I particularly liked a popcorn popper spewing out kernels, and Curly liked anytime music would start playing. Much thought was put into where little fingers were apt to poke, and there wasn’t one disappointing screen.

There was, though, a bit of disappoint from this reader. Within the pages of Cozmo, mini games would randomly pop up, disrupting the flow of the story. I am not against games being packaged with eBooks, but it’s hard to focus on plot when you’re trying to figure out the mechanics of a game that just appeared on the screen. Even with the story being relatively short (10 pages), I found myself forgetting what Cozmo was trying to do in the first place. Curly seemed a bit confused too; usually when we read a story, she asks questions or repeats points of the plot. After reading Cozmo, she looked a bit blank.

Not to say that we weren’t entertained, because Cozmo’s Day Off offers a lot of fun extras. One super cool feature was the ability to record your voice, and then manipulate it to sound really high-pitched or slow as molasses. If only the games were kept as an option at the end, and if the story’s text didn’t disappear after being read aloud (to allow for more exploration, I assume), I am sure this eBook would be one of my top picks. As a playful app, it’s great, but as a book, I’m not so sure.

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: A Present for Milo

Author: Mike Austin

Publisher: Ruckus Media Group

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $2.99

Synopsis: Milo and his mousey friend engage in a topsy-turvy chase around the house, ending with a sweet surprise.

Features:

• Animation
• Interactivity
• Read Aloud
• Musical Score
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: A Present for Milo wraps up all the wonderful bits you’d want in a picture book in one irresistible package. This story was immensely entertaining, not only for Curly, but for me! Milo the cat and his tiny mouse companion chase each other through all the obstacles of their house; they bounce up stairs, slide on rugs, and skid through groceries. The interactivity is top notch; every page contains tons of hidden animations, many of which made me giggle (my favorite being a little alien-colored mouse who floats inside a toy space ship). Curly danced around when a piece of poked sheet music burst into song, and she laughed at the mice hopping on a trampoline.

The story is perfect for the toddler set. Just when you think Milo is trying to catch his quick little co-star for an afternoon snack, we find out that the two are actually the best of friends, who just love running through their maze of a house! The illustrations are simply adorable, and finding all the animations was equally as fun as listening to the story.

Give yourself a gift and download A Present for Milo!

Title: AlphaBELCH

Author: Stephen White

Illustrator: Tony Neal

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Pages: 28

Current Price: $0.99

Synopsis: An A-to-Z book about burping animals.

Features:

• Read Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: Burping. We all do it! So let’s laugh about it! AlphaBELCH showcases all the hilarious ways the animal kingdom releases gas.

The good news is, the burping sound effects do not play automatically, so one can just read through the cute A-to-Z rhyming story. But why would you? The creators of AlphaBELCH went to a lot of trouble to record 26 unique animal burping sounds, and you can try to deny it all you want, but they are pretty funny. My favorite burps were:
U is for Unicorn – burps that are smell free (burp with a sparkly “ting!” afterward)
M is for Moose – letting loose in a blizzard (yodeling burp)
K is for Kangaroo – burps from a pouch (boing burp boing burp)

And if you think I’ve gone to the dark side by advocating an eBook about burping, the story concludes with a great message about manners. I really enjoyed AlphaBELCH, and if Curly’s giggles are any indication, your young reader will like it too!

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!