Pop Tops – Messaging Friends with a Twist launches Sunday, June 2, 2013

We are thrilled to announce our latest app, Pop Tops – Messaging Friends with a Twist will soon be available on the App Store.  Pop Tops is a social app for teens and adults which enables users to quickly send messages to friends using email, Facebook and Twitter.   With a 50′s diner style theme, Pop Tops messages include popular sayings, phrases, chat abbreviations, greetings and more written on a bottle cap.  Each theme is displayed in it’s own vending machine.  Once a category is chosen, the user scrolls through the selection of tops.  Once selected, the top twists off and brings up a note.  The user can then jot a quick note and send it on it’s way.  The free app includes the Starter Pop Set, containing 25 popular Pop Tops messages that can be re-used. (They are not consumable.)  A one-time upgrade offers additional sets with hundreds of tops to choose from.

To celebrate the launch of Pop Tops – Messaging Friends with a Twist, we are hosting a giveaway for an iTunes gift certificate.  Enter using the rafflecopter box below beginning on Sunday June 2.   Note that while some of the entries will require downloading the app, we can not guarantee what time it will appear in the App Store on Sunday. No purchase is necessary to enter. Must be 18 or older to win. The winner will be announced June 9.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

APPle Basket silent auction fundraiser

Our daughter’s middle school recently held its first annual Fine Arts Night featuring a dinner, silent auction and performances from band, choir and theater students.  The students did an outstanding job.  We dined in the courtyard and in the cafeteria with performances by band, drama and choir students to entertain us.  The art department hosted a kids art corner with face painting and also an art walk to display their work.  The jazz band and show choir performances were outstanding as well.  What a fun evening.

With help from several family friendly app develoepers, we sponsored an “APPle basket” for the silent auction.   Software Smoothie donated a $50 iTunes gift card along with a copy of our Felt Board app for the iPad.  Other developers from Moms With Apps generously agreed to donate apps until there were over 35 high-quality, educational iPad apps included along with the gift card.  The total retail value of the basket (not including the real apples) was over $140.00.   We couldn’t be more pleased or grateful.

Special thanks to the following developers for their contributions:

Appp Media makes apps for kids designed with love and developed by teachers.

My First App Vehicles (iPhone and iPad)
A fantastic app with 3 mini games for your little ones. Young children can play the app without help. Ages 2-5.

Professor Kim – What’s Missing Here (iPhone and iPad)
Who can spot the missing animal or object first? Is it the octopus, the clam, or even the diving elephant? Help Professor Kim in his sumbarine to find what’s missing in the deep blue sea. 1 or 2 players ages 4 and up.

eduPad publishes educational apps for tablets and smartphones.  Mathematics, Language Arts and Science from Elementary to Middle School.

iTooch 6th Grade Language Arts (iPhone and iPad)
Critical reading and composition skills are introduced through 50 chapters and over 1,500 interactive exercises that test the user’s knowledge. The Communication theme is an added bonus and introduces students to key concepts such as Sequencing Ideas, Formal vs. Informal Language, Test Taking and Study Skills and how to become a good researcher. Therefore this app not only covers the Common Core Standards but it also aids advancement into the upper junior high grades.

iTooch 6th Grade Math (iPhone and iPad)
Grade six is a year that serves to build and extend foundational math concepts in US curriculum. The standards of multiplying and dividing fractions, calculating the percent of a number, and converting units of measurement, all present relevance to students in their application to real-world situations.

iTooch 7th Grade Language Arts (iPhone and iPad)
In the seventh grade, the Common Core Standards stress the importance of understanding the conventions of standard English (e.g. complex sentence structure, word formation), editing skills (e.g. punctuation), analyzing the language in written form (e.g. interpreting figures of speech, nuances, tone and mood etc.), strategies for learning new words in context and developing skills for using reference materials (e.g. working with dictionaries). The iTooch 7th Grade Language Arts app reviews these fundamental concepts and help students fine-tune their critical reading and composition skills through 51 chapters and over 1,600 exercises that test the user’s knowledge in an interactive and fun way.

iTooch 7th Grade Math (iPhone and iPad)
Grade seven is a year that extends learning opportunities in concepts that include order of operations, operations with integers, and various arithmetic properties. Identifying and solving equations and inequalities are introduced as common core standards. Students are provided with extension opportunities in percent by computing discount and markup, while discovering its application to real-world situations. Multiplication and division of monomials are presented and serve as a foundational basis in algebra.

iTooch 8th Grade Language Arts (iPhone and iPad)
The eighth grade, in Language Arts, is often seen as the bridge to more complex Common Core Standard expectations in high school. Therefore, in this iTooch 8th Grade Language Arts app, students are challenged to fine-tune their understanding of the conventions of the English language (e.g. complex grammatical structures), further develop concepts that they will eventually encounter on the SAT (editing, inferring the meaning of vocabulary in context, critical reading etc.), analyze the language in written form (e.g. identifying the author’s purpose, interpreting opinions, nuances, and literary texts etc.), and use reference materials (e.g. working with informational graphs).

iTooch 8th Grade Math (iPhone and iPad)
In most U.S. schools, eighth grade marks the bridge between middle school and high school. Accordingly, eighth grade students need to enhance their understanding of math fundamentals, develop logic and reasoning skills, and interpret graphs, charts and data. Designed to fulfill Common Core Standards, iTooch 8th Grade Math app emphasizes precision and mastery. Its five sections – Functions, Algebraic Structures, Properties and Operations, Statistics and Probability, and Geometry – provide students with both review and challenge problems while taking advantage of the unique iPad forum for ease of learning and visual enhancement. Both middle and high school students can use iTooch 8th Grade Math to check their understanding, practice before tests and quizzes, and move to the next levels of math as they transition to high school.

Electric Eggplant produces award-winning multimedia content for children and teens.

Middle School Confidential Book 1:  Be Confident in Who You Are (iPhone / iPad)
Our comic book reader brings you into the stories like never before so you can follow even more closely what’s happening with our gang of 7th graders who’re just trying to figure out what the heck middle school is all about. Of course, they’ve got some serious challenges (don’t we all?)—bullies putting them down, blowups threatening friendships, and real doubts about whether they measure up in looks, popularity and the rest of it. Ages 8-14.

Middle School Confidential Book 2:  Real Friends vs. the Other Kind (iPhone / iPad)
Jack, Jen, Chris, Abby, Mateo, and Michelle are back. But their tight circle of friends looks like it’s breaking apart. What’s going on? The very popular Monique might be using one of the girls to get to one of the guys, and never noticing that one of the other guys is in love with her!  Ages 8-14

Five Axioms, Inc develops The Blue Jackal app series.

The Blue Jackal in America – An Interactive Children’s Book (iPad)
Part adventure and part history lesson, The Blue Jackal in America is a famous, interactive story for young children.  It is a colorful adventure jam packed with fun interaction and amusing animations.

Just Kids Apps produces digital picture books and advent calendars in English and German.

Grimm’s Frog King (iPad)
As parents, we know how it feels to want to share with our kids the stories that entertained us as children, but these same stories often include elements that offend our modern sensibilities. Well, with The Frog King, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Our app includes both the traditional version of the Grimm’s folktale and a version that is… well, not so traditional!

Heidi on the Alp (iPad)
Heidi on the Alp is the first of three apps that tell Heidi’s story. We are introduced to the six year-old little girl when her aunt Dete, who has taken a job in Frankfurt and cannot take her niece with her, is leaving Heidi with her stern and reclusive Grandfather.

Heidi in Frankfurt  (iPad)
Heidi in Frankfurt is the second of three apps that tell Heidi’s story. She has been brought to Frankfurt by her Aunt Dete to be a companion of Klara, a wheelchair-bound girl whose mother died many years ago and whose father travels often on business. The two girls quickly become dear friends, despite the scorn heaped upon Heidi by the housekeeper, Miss Rottenmeier.

Heidi and Clara  (iPad)
Heidi and Klara is the last of three apps that tell Heidi’s story. Heidi has returned home and been reunited with her beloved Grandfather.  Klara comes to visit Heidi for the summer as her doctor is convinced that spending time with her friend in the alps will be good for Klara’s health.  Is it possible that she might walk again?

The Adventures of Bobik Bombastinov  (iPad)
Imagine a story where a child’s bear has adventures, a bear like Winnie the Pooh perhaps, but one who is making his own way in the world, far from home, like Paddington Bear. Combine this story with fantastical tall tales such as those told by Baron Münchhausen and you have “The adventurous journey of Bobik Bombastinov” – a unique app that is imaginative, adorable and genuinely funny.

The Adventures of One Sock – My Pal Rodger  (iPad) If you’re thinking about introducing a pet into your family, want to understand a little more about what it’s like to be autistic, or just want to enjoy with your kids a sweet story about a boy, his toy and a new pet dog, then this book app is for you.

Kids Happy Apps incorporate the latest research in positive psychology to bring your child happiness and fulfillment.

Help the Bored Elephant Find His Friends (iPhone and iPad)
The elephant is very bored. So what can the elephant do, to longer be bored? Find his friends! This is a fun adventure in search for the elephant’s friends. “You choose” and determine where to search for the elephants friends. There are over 1000 different ways to find the elephants friends. This means a different read every time.  Have fun guessing where the elephant’s friends are.  And at the same time, learn to tell time.  Ages 3-6

Directors Chair – Make a Movie  (iPhone and iPad)
Use your creativity to create your own blockbuster movie.  You choose the storyline, you choose the cast, you choose the location, and most importantly you choose the ending!  Ages 7-14

Find Where Pookie is Hiding bedtime story book  (iPhone and iPad)
In this engaging story, Zac wakes up excited; it’s his birthday and his best friend, his pet dog Pookie is missing. Zac and his mum go on an adventure to find Pookie.  More than just an interactive storybook – utilizing the latest research in Positive Psychology (the science of happiness), it is a great resource for parents to help their child understand negative emotions and decision making.  Ages 3-6

Rebecca’s Positive Story Book (iPhone and iPad)
In this engaging story, Rebecca is excited about spending the day with her dad at the park, though to hear surprise it starts raining. Follow Rebecca and her dad in finding ways to have fun in the rain.  It is a great resource for parents to help their child understand resilience.  Ages 3-6

Learn With Fun Apps creates the highest quality interactive learning games on devices kids know and love to use.

iLuv Drawing Animals HD  (iPad)
Do you love to doodle and wish drawing anything should be easy? We wondered and created an iPad app to learn to draw animals step by step. You will be amazed how quickly you learn to draw so many animals.

iLuv Drawing Dinosaurs HD
From T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, to Gigantoraptor, learn to draw 19 dinosaurs step by step! Voiced instructions are great as a guide through the app and for learning the dinosaur names, their body parts and characteristics!

iLuv Drawing People HD (iPad)
Learn the basics of drawing people step by step in 20 different poses such as jumping, running, sliding, swinging, playing, skiing, skating, etc.  Enjoy many features such as coloring, decorating with a background and “Dress Up” stickers.

iLuv Drawing Monsters HD (iPad)
Monsters are imaginary characters. We help little kids exercise that imagination by showing them how to draw 20 cute monsters step by step. They can further color, add background and stickers and show off their artwork by email, or by printing.

PicPocket Books brings you favorite children’s book apps that educate and entertain.

The Lucky Escape
Human Body Detectives: The Lucky Escape: In an imaginative adventure through the digestive system, Human Body Detectives Merrin and Pearl tackle their first case. The girls’ little brother has swallowed a penny. Now through magic and imagination they find themselves on an adventure through his digestive system where they must grab the penny, save Robbie, and narrowly escape his poopy diaper.
The Human Body Detectives series highlights the girls’ adventures through the different body systems, and teaches kids the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. If children understand how their bodies work, they are more apt to make healthy food and lifestyle choices.

Sassie Cassie (iPad)
Sassy Cassie is not just another pink, girly princess book…because this bold little girl has got some sass! Sassy Cassie is spunky and creative and nothing is going to stop her from making her mark on the world. Her surprise artistic creation at the end of the book is exasperating…but also lovable. No matter how sassy this little girl’s antics can be, the greatest truth in her world is she is loved unconditionally.  As an added bonus, the final pages of Sassy Cassie include Cassie’s introduction to the color wheel and a fun guide to color mixing, teaching children how to mix every color of the rainbow and more using just five paint colors.  Ages 3-8

Gerry the Giraffe (iPad)
Gerry the Giraffe wants to join the volleyball team but they think he’s too small and not strong enough.  Upset because he isn’t invited to summer volleyball camp, he finally realizes what he has to do. Over the summer, while the team is away, something amazing happens from Gerry’s hard work.  Ages 3-8

Three Blind Mice (iPad)
Wooleycat is a musical poet who adds inventive twists to the classic Mother Goose rhymes. With this app, you are invited along on Safari in Africa with the three blind mice. Dennis Hysom’s lyrical voice finds perfect accompaniment in Christine Walker’s paintings. Their award-winning album is now an engaging app. Your ticket to rhyme awaits!  Ages 3-8

Henrietta is Hungry (iPad)
Henrietta is a daring and adventurous little cook who loves to try new foods. Join Henrietta as she sails the world searching for a scrumptious, stupendous dish. . . Will she find the perfect dish she’s looking for? Her discoveries may surprise you! A delicious and delightful food adventure. Ages 3-9

Tractor Mac Arrives  (iPad)
Join the adventures of Tractor Mac and his friends as they work and play at Farmer Bill’s Stony Meadow Farm. Tractor Mac has many friends, including Sibley the workhorse, Margot the cow, Fetch the dog and Sam the ram who all help Tractor Mac learn about friendship, teamwork, the joy of winning, and how to lose gracefully. In this first story of the Tractor Mac series, we meet Sibley the workhorse who can do the work of two horses. But then Mac a shiny new tractor, arrives at Stony Meadow Farm. Poor Sibley! Just when he’s worried he’ll be put out to pasture he saves the day when Tractor Mac runs into a big problem. Ages 4-8

PlaneTree Family Productions specializes in the creation of apps for children.

The Magnificent Travelling Palace (iPad)
This interactive adventure story introduces children to exciting worlds of diverse cultures, colors, sounds and tastes, while stimulating their imagination and curiosity.

iMix – Scramble words, a creative game for kids (iPhone and iPad) iMix is a quality designed, simple to operate flip game that improves children’s reading, writing and pronunciation skills in an imaginative and playful manner.  By mixing and matching parts of different characters and the syllables attached to them, children can create over 2000 new comic characters with funny new names.

Stories and Children – where stories come to life and reading is fun!

It’s a BAD day to be a FLY! (iPhone and iPad)
Mr Sty is just about to sit down and eat his delicious apple pie when along comes a fly! This is no ordinary fly. This is a trainee fly who is learning to do what flies do best.  Find out what a trainee fly needs to learn and how Mr Sty plans on keeping the fly away from the apple pie!

almost done with Pop Tops

Pop Tops app is an idea our family came up with when we first became interested in iOS apps almost two years ago.  One of our teenagers came up with the idea and we used it as a learning project, much in the same way iBaby Buttons started out.  I worked primarily on graphics while Dave learned how to implement many of the features needed in the app, such as social media integration and setting up a store to upgrade the free version of the app.  Family circumstances required us to put the project on hold for a while, but recently we were able to revisit our long lost app and see it to completion.

One of the neat experiences Dave had early on while working on the code for Pop Tops, was to adapt a color picker designed by CreativeWax for Sketchshare using Cocos2d to use UIKit instead.  The color picker he found on Github offered a nice way for users to select background color for the messages.  Dave was able to adapt the code to meet our needs and then re-post the UIKit version back onto Github for others to use and revise.   This kind of sharing and collaboration can be very beneficial to projects such as this, and a great learning experience.

We are now officially in the testing phase.  We use TestFlight to distribute our app for testing.  It easily allows us to send our app wirelessly to friends and colleagues to test it out.  We also get crash reports and feedback from testers via email using the TestFlight app.  Because Pop Tops uses Facebook, testing Pop Tops also requires signing up through Facebook.  This step made it a little more complicated to get people signed up.  Fortunately for us, we also have several teenagers in house who are more than willing to help out when needed.  It’s amazing how quickly you get volunteers when a little incentive is offered, such as a candy bar or a pack of gum.

Test message from our daughter

iBaby Butttons app

Technology in (SPL) Education hosted another HUGE Appy event for World Autism Awareness Day again this year.   We were honored to participate.   iBaby Buttons was featured as one of the free apps of the day on April 2 and as a result we had over 10,000 free downloads of iBaby Buttons over the course of two days.  We really appreciate the Technology in Education and Appy Mall team for all of their hard work and for allowing us to take part.

This was a special event for our family as well.  iBaby Buttons was the first app we made together as a family, and it was designed especially for our youngest daughter who has special needs.  Many of her first words were spoken while using “her” app.  We really enjoyed all of the positive feedback we received from parents who downloaded iBaby Buttons  as a result of the event.

The Appy Mall / Technology in Education Appy event will continue throughout the month of April with many more sales and giveaways, specifically highlighting apps for autism.

iBaby Buttons ranked in top free iPad apps 4/2/13

The following is a listing of Moms With Apps members honored in this year’s iOS division awards:

Best Kids App

Best Storybook App

Best Kids Toy App

Best Young Adults App

Best Elementary Student App

Best Middle School Student App

Best Teacher App

Best Parenting App

Best Special Needs App

Best Music Teaching App

Best Under 9 Kids Game

Are we Lost?

“Sheila, I’m five and five twelfths,” Raymond reminded his sister.  ”My getting lost days are over.”

Sheila reluctantly agrees to let him go, reminding him to look for their purple umbrella to find his way back.  The story follows Raymond on his adventure to the ice cream truck and back again. Of course, Raymond must overcome a few obstacles along the way.  Fortunately Raymond’s friend Snowball the teddy bear tags along for encouragement.  The story is well written and the characters endearing.  The dialogue between the characters is true to life and often humorous. Colorful illustrations by Eli Noyes beautifully depict the emotion of the characters and enhance the story.

What I especially love about the Raymond and Sheila books is how the characters become positive role models for children.  The relationship between the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in are easy to relate to.  Although they encounter some challenges and occasionally disagree, Raymond and Sheila offer a loving example of a sibling relationship.  In a world filled with television sit-coms depicting sibling rivalry and jokes at one another’s expense, it’s refreshing to see characters that model a sibling relationship that is respectful and kind.

Another feature I appreciate about Are We Lost?  is the Parent Guide at the end of the story.  Parents are encouraged to read and discuss the story together with their children in order to explore the feelings and situations the characters experience.   When I read the book with my nine-year-old son, I took advantage of the discussion prompts in the Parent Guide.  As a result, I learned some things about my son I wasn’t aware of before.  For instance, when we talked about how Sheila felt worried when she couldn’t find Raymond, I asked my son what he worries about.  He told me he worries about taking tests at school, which was a surprise to me since he always makes good grades. The discussion prompts at the end of the story really make the story time experience richer by encouraging children and their caregivers to communicate with one another and explore the topics more deeply.

The story’s author, Annie Fox, does a remarkable job of creating characters and situations that are meaningful and relevant to their intended audience.  An award-winning author and educator, Annie Fox has made it her life’s work to help children and teens develop the skills and courage needed to “do the right thing”.    In addition to her books and apps for children, she offers advice to parents and teens on her website and has recently published a book for parents entitled, Teaching Kids to Be Good People.   

I really liked the first Raymond and Sheila story, Are You My Friend?, and the second book in the series is equally impressive. It covers topics relating to sibling relationships, responsibility, courage, and problem solving. It also makes a nice discussion starter for parents to talk to their children about safety and what to do if you get lost. Are We Lost is a heartwarming story that will captivate children and parents alike.

Are We Lost? is published digitally by Electric Eggplant, founded by David and Annie Fox.  You may already be familiar with their Middle School Confidential apps:  Be Confident in Who You Are and Real Friends vs. the Other Kind.   I downloaded Are We Lost? on Amazon and read it on my iPad using the Kindle app.  A print edition is also available.

If you hurry, you can download Are We Lost? on Amazon FREE for a limited time.  The sale ends Friday, March 15, so don’t wait!  Both Raymond and Sheila books are available for free in Spanish as well: Are We Lost  ¿Estamos Perdidos? and Are You My Friend?  ¿Eres Mi Amigo?.

More information about the series can be found on the Raymond and Sheila website.

iBaby Buttons app in iPhone Magazine (Netherlands)

We were really excited when our friends Vanesa and Tayari of Juf Jannie apps sent us this copy of iPhone Magazine from Holland which features an article about our app, iBaby Buttons.   They also very kindly provided us with an English translation:

“Thanks to the inuitive user interface, the iphone is one of the favorite toys of babies and toddlers, and definatively of my only child. The app iBaby Buttons uses the intuitive interface optimally to let the smallest children play,learn and discover. Understandably, cause a tap on the screen is enough to summon a lot of colored buttons. Your kid hears a sound and sees an image by touching them. The most fun part is that you can add your own images and sounds. My phone has images of, grandpa’s grandma’s and kindergarten teachers, including soundbites. iBaby buttons is a fun, educational app for children up to age 4. small downside? The app is better suited for the iPad than the iPhone.”

Thanks, Vanesa & Tayari!

If you are in the United States, you may be familiar with their educational apps Tillly’s Petting Farm and Teacher Tilly Puzzles for toddlers and preschoolers.

If you want to be able to use the camera feature in Felt Board to send screen shots to the photo library, you will need to select “yes” when prompted.  Otherwise, the camera feature will appear to be working but no photos will be stored in your photo library on the iPad.

What if you accidentally select “no”?

If you have already selected “no”, or your camera looks like it should be working but doesn’t, you can fix the problem by adjusting the settings.

Click on the device Settings icon and look for the Privacy heading.

Under Privacy, select “Photos”.

Look for Felt Board and make sure that it is switched to “yes”.

The camera feature should now work properly from within the app.   As always, you can turn the camera on and off on the information page in the app by selecting the ? icon.

Great news for SoGaBee fans!  Tomorrow (10/1/12) , a brand new math app will be launched by SoGaBee Labs called SoGabee Math Facts Fun:  Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division.  The app is universal, so it will work on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.   If you are familiar with SoGaBee’s Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop app, you will recognize the clean, easy to use interface.   Math Facts also has cute, child-friendly characters and bright, colorful illustrations.  The characters include a robot, a dinosaur, and a little girl with pigtails.   Children can select which character to use and each correct answer will color in a portion of the character until it is completely illustrated.

SoGaBee’s Math Facts Fun offers three different ways to practice the four math processes:  flash cards, multiple choice and fill in the blank.   Successfully completing a Math Facts level will unlock new levels so that a child is able to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for numbers 1-12.   Additional features include a report screen to show progress and a trophy room.   I’ve had a great time beta testing this app and look forward to it’s release so I can install it on my son’s iPad.  I wish studying was this fun when I was a kid!

Be sure to like SoGaBee on Facebook and follow him on Twitter so you can take part in the launch and be among the first to download SoGaBee’s Math Facts Fun.

Select a character and an operation. Completing one level unlocks more.

Correct answers color in the character. Multiple Choice mode lets you guess the answer.

Fill in the blank mode lets the child type in an answer. Hit the = sign to enter the answer.

“Hello, my name is Heidi and I’m delighted you’re here to read my story.  It all began in Switzerland, a very long time ago, over a hundred and thirty years ago in fact.”

The Heidi Story Collection is a well told and beautifully illustrated storybook app for the iPad that includes three stories from the Heidi series in one collection.  Each of the three stories, Heidi on the Alp, Heidi in Frankfurt, and Heidi and Klara, can also be purchased individually if you prefer.  In addition to the stories, the collection includes all of the extra features (“bits and bobs”) included with each of the individual apps.  While there are advantages to downloading them individually (smaller file size etc.), I enjoy being able to read them one after another without leaving the app and appreciate the ability to jump around to explore the extra content offered with each of the stories.  For me, the collection is a nice choice.

Upon entering the app, I am immediately reminded of the read along stories I listened to as a child.  (You know the books that came with the little 45 records….) In fact, I believe I first heard the story of Heidi this way long, long ago and I really enjoyed following along with the app and remembering bits and pieces of the story from my childhood.  There is pleasant music and sound effects in the background that complement and do not detract from the story.  The music and sound effects can be turned off in iPad settings if you prefer, but I find them enjoyable.

Each story includes gorgeous, full color illustrations.  I especially appreciate the outdoor mountain scenes.  The beautiful scenery combined with the subtle background noises like birds chirping, draw the reader into the story.   The Heidi Story Collection stories are very well written, with rich language and challenging vocabulary.  There are two different reading level options offered.  The first option for younger readers tells the story in first person from Heidi’s perspective.  This is a fabulous way to draw the younger readers in to the story in a personal way.  The child narrating the story from Heidi’s perspective (English version) has a lovely sounding, professional voice and charming English dialect.  She does a beautiful job of reading the story in a way that flows nicely and is easily followed and understood.  The version for more advanced readers is told in second person with an adult female narrator.  It is also sounds pleasant and professional and is easily understood.  In the version for younger children, a scrolling bar moves along the page to highlight the spoken text.  While many readers appreciate this feature, it moves a bit fast for my eyes and I find it a little distracting.  It is often helpful for young readers to have a placeholder to follow along more easily, but I think I would prefer having the text itself change color or highlight a whole line at a time.  Or, perhaps there could be an option to turn the scrolling highlight bar off in settings the way the music does.  Either way, this is a minor detail and a matter of my personal preference.  (My husband has no problem with it at all.)

Heidi is well designed and easy to navigate.  It is available in both English and German.  I absolutely love all of the extra content provided along with the stories.  My very favorite is a spot the difference game in which the child is asked to examine two illustrations and find subtle differences in the pictures.  A different spot the difference picture is included with each of the three stories.  It would be nice in an update if there were even more pictures in the game.  (I love the spot the difference game!)  The Heidi Collection also includes educational content including background information, Swiss geography, tourist attractions, native animals, jokes, fun facts and more.  Each story has it’s own reading comprehension quiz as well, which is a really nice feature.  Once the quiz is answered correctly, the child can receive a coloring page from the story via email as a prize.  I am very impressed with the high quality supplemental content provided with the app.

Overall, I am very excited about the Heidi Story Collection.  Children are introduced to this classic story in a way that is enjoyable, beautifully told and easily followed, without feeling like the language is in any way watered down.  In fact, the language is often quite challenging but presented in an engaging and understandable way.  Having the story told by Heidi in first person is a brilliant choice for younger readers.  The additional content, quizzes and fun facts provide wonderful background information and really nice educational opportunities for children and adults to share together.    The Heidi Story Collection is an excellent value and a wonderful choice for both home and in the classroom.

More information about the developer, Just Kids Apps, can be found on their website and Facebook page.

A promo code for Heidi Story Collection was provided for review purposes.