News & Trends: AppWatch
Application: How Rocket Learned to Read for iPad
Produced By: Random House Children's Books/Domani Studios
Price: $7.99 (initially offered for a special introductory price of $4.99)
Description/Features: Based on Tad Hills' New York Times best-selling picture book, the app features interactivity and educational games. A "Read to Me" option allows children to simultaneously watch highlighted words and listen to the story read aloud by actress Hope Davis, while the "Read It Myself" option enables readers to silence the narration and read at their own pace. Additionally, a spread featuring the entire alphabet allows kids to tap on a letter to hear it and see a corresponding illustration created exclusively by Hills for the app, and two games ("Bird's Words" and "Alphabet Drop") encourage letter recognition and spelling skills. BB