I loved books as a child. I would go to the library and take out stacks of them and then fall asleep surrounded by them. These days, I still love books, but enjoy them on my iPad. And, I’ve been known to fall asleep the same way, being an inveterate night owl, surrounded by stories I love.
So, when I got the opportunity to review Oz for iPad, an interactive pop-up storybook, I was very much intrigued. I still have fond memories of pop-up books with trees and monsters that seemed more real at the time than images on a page.
Oz for iPad is very easy to download and install on your iPad.
Released June 20, 2012, Oz for iPad is now on sale at the App Store for only $1.99!
One thing I noticed right away was the beautiful and detailed 3D illustrations. I loved that you could interact with the story by simply touching the screen. Tornadoes spun; birds squawked; and I could even see a whole group of munchkins at the door by simply tilting the iPad.
Along with the beautiful illustrations is a narration. I read this with my nephew and he loved playing with the screen as the story unfolded. What I thought was really fantastic was that I could leave him with it and come back, and he had no problem at all touching the screen to keep the story (which is broken down into chapters) moving right along. It’s something he could experience all by himself and play with for hours on end.
I think that this is a great tool to foster online education. It provides enough interest to capture any young imagination and keep children reading until the end. Every time they read the book, the experience will be different, as it benefits greatly from user interaction.
When I was little, my Mom said I would always ask her why this and what was this word or that. One day while reading to me, she had to take an important call, and that was the day I learned to read. My curiosity knew no bounds and I wanted to know what happened next!
Nowadays our children are digitally-inclined, and what better way to engage them than with this one of a kind experience. The illustrations are incredibly vibrant and come alive as you can see a bit of with these screenshots. As you tilt the iPad screen, you bring more of the 3D landscape into view.
We loved the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, the good and bad witches and the flying monkeys. What a treat! And, the ending, well, I’m not going to give that away but it is very very cool.
So, check out Oz for iPad at the App Store today!
