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!
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