This week in children's apps features Moomin Play, the app that is less a game and more a digital toy, emphasizing players' exploration of the interactive world of Tove Jansson's Moomintroll series. Rounds: Parker Penguin lets players follow the life cycle of a penguin, participating at each stage with activities like swimming and hatching a chick. Wubbzy's Dinosaur Adventure tells the story of an adventure to Dino Island, where players learn that dinosaurs aren't so scary, after all. Finally, the newest Dr. Seuss app, McElligot's Pool, begins with Young Marco, who casts his fishing line deep into McElligot's pool and imagines the curious sea creatures that might bite.
Title: Moomin Play
Publisher: LaughLoud:Labs
Release date: December 20, 2012
Price: $0.99
Background: Less a game and more a digital toy, this app emphasizes players' exploration of the world of Tove Jansson's Moomintroll series, with no high scores or levels or time limits.
Features: 3 different games, find and collect pearls, paint the Moomin house, remove insects from the road.
Title: Rounds: Parker Penguin
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Release date: December 21, 2012
Price: $4.99
Background: A story about the life cycles of animals, which allows players to participate in every stage of Parker Penguin's life, from birth to parenthood, and learn about the penguins and life in the Antarctic.
Features: Activities include sliding, swimming, hunting, marching, protecting an egg, and hatching a chick. Dozens of fun facts about penguins and life on the Antarctic.
Title: Wubbzy's Dinosaur Adventure
Publisher: Cupcake Digital
Release date: January 9, 2013
Price: $1.99
Background: Join Wubbzy and friends in this interactive story that takes readers on an adventure all the way to Dino Island. See what happens when Wubbzy discovers that dinosaurs aren't so scary after all.
Features: Professional narration, Grown-Up's Corner--which provides questions designed to spark conversation while promoting critical thinking and comprehension.
Title: McElligot's Pool
Publisher: Oceanhouse Media
Release date: January 9, 2013
Price: $3.99
Background: Young Marco casts his fishing line deep in McElligot's pool and imagines the curious sea creatures that might bite. "I might catch a fish with a pinwheel-like tail! I might catch a fish who has fins like a snail!" Follow along as his imagination takes him around the world, seeking wild creatures with unusual habits
Features: Professional narration, players can record their own voice, page selector, background audio for each scene, read to me, read it myself, and auto play modes.
