Childrens books Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Preview of Bartleby Vol. 2 iPad app shows possibility of future AirPlay integration

by Chris Rawson (Aug 8th, 2011)

We covered Monster Costume's interactive children's book Bartleby in 2010, and multiple TUAW reviewers found it to be a charming and well-crafted iPad app. Monster Costume is hard at work on Bartleby Volume 2, and even though I don't have kids of my own and am about 25 years beyond the target ...

Scott's Submarine adds some new twists to interactive children's books

by David Winograd (May 16th, 2011)

The field of interactive children's books for iOS has become pretty staid as publishers have gotten used to using engines created for their first book and just plugging in new content. But Scott's Submarine (US$2.99), the first entry from Square Igloo, adds some great interactive touches that I ...

Ultimate Dinopedia brings dinosaurs to life on your iPad

by David Winograd (Mar 8th, 2011)

The Ultimate Dinopedia (US$5.99) from National Geographic is a wonderful reference app that will quickly become the go-to source for kids who want to find out everything about dinosaurs. There are other dinosaur apps in the store, but this is by far the most complete and expansive. It started as a ...

Jack and Joe: A lovely interactive book for small children

by David Winograd (Feb 25th, 2011)

Jack and Joe (US $2.99) is the first of what will surely become a series of interactive storybooks for small children from the Stupid Art Company. This is an independent universal app written and illustrated by Bard Hole Standal and programmed by his brother Odin Hall Standal. It's a 27 page ...

Two iOS apps meant to teach toddlers valuable lessons

by David Winograd (Jan 21st, 2011)

There is a new trend starting in interactive children's media: books that don't really tell a fully formed story, but are meant to teach a lesson. As with many new ideas, the first ones are pretty rough and may not be worth bothering with, but the potential is vast. Loris and the Runaway Ball ...

Rapunzel 3D and Goldilocks 3D: Two gimmicky and unfocused e-book apps

by David Winograd (Jan 18th, 2011)

Rapunzel 3D and Goldilocks 3D are two US$1.99 interactive children's books from Bacciz Apps. I'm sorry to say that they're also not very good. They are complicated, inconsistent, and neither provides a satisfying story. Both titles use elements often seen before in other interactive children's ...

Grimm's Rapunzel is an interactive pop-up book done right

by David Winograd (Dec 24th, 2010)

Although a number of interactive children's books have billed themselves as being pop-up (or pop-out) books, like The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Night Before Christmas (both from Loudcrow), nothing really popped up and constructed the 3D scenes that I remember from my childhood. Grimm's Rapunzel - ...

Teddy's Day for iPad brings something new to interactive children's books

by David Winograd (Dec 12th, 2010)

Teddy's Day (US$3.99) from Auryn Inc. is a lovely and gentle book for very small children, appropriate for ages one and up. It tells the story of a little girl who is on a quest to find out what her teddy bear does all day when she isn't home. She sets up all sorts of traps to catch Teddy, and in ...

TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: Interactive books for children

by David Winograd (Dec 2nd, 2010)

Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. Looking for an inexpensive gift for that special child in a home with an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch? You really can't do better than an ...

food fight! A pre-release view of the most beautiful iOS children's book yet

by David Winograd (Nov 5th, 2010)

Note 11/6/10: food fight! has now been released and is available as Food Fight! - An Interactive Book by Glenn Melenhorst. It is on sale for US$1.99 during its introductory first week. food fight! is the most beautiful interactive children's book I've seen to date. It's currently going through ...

The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule comes to iOS for kids

by David Winograd (Oct 15th, 2010)

Oceanhouse Media has done it again with The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule by Stan and Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain (US$2.99). It's another in their line of popular storybooks for children, and it tells the tale of Sister Bear being given a locket containing the Golden Rule. The story ...

Violet for the iPad: an interactive children's book

by David Winograd (Jul 20th, 2010)

Violet for the iPad (US$2.99) from My Black Dog Books is the latest entry in the emerging field of interactive books for children. Geared at children ages 4 and up, Violet is the first of a series of stories about a charming little girl with a big secret. The 20 page book tells a nice little ...