For the iPad, Books That Respond to a Child's Touch « Shannan Taylor

Http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/30/technology/personaltech/30smart.html?_r=1&ref=business

For the iPad, Books That Respond to a Child’s Touch

On the iPad version of the book “The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore,” pages are brief movie scenes that pause to reveal interactive elements.

By BOB TEDESCHI

Published: June 29, 2011

There may never come a day when book apps, as interactive books for tablet computers are known, are more appealing to children than games. But the apps are getting more engaging.

The Android tablet version of the Cat in the Hat.

The latest book apps to appear on my iPad include The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore ($5), Angelina Ballerina’s New Ballet Teacher ($1), The Wrong Side of the Bed in 3-D ($3), Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! ($4) and Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe ($6).

They’ve scored higher marks with my children than the earliest book apps, like Miss Spider’s Tea Party and Toy Story 2 Read-Along.

Even though publishers haven’t yet woven the interactive thrill of the Elements chemistry app or the AirCoaster roller coaster app into a children’s narrative, the book apps are usually much cheaper than traditional books. It’s hard to feel cheated with a purchase.

The first thing to keep in mind when buying children’s books on the iPad — many of them are also available for the iPhone and iPod Touch — is that there are two places to buy them, the iTunes App Store and the iTunes Books store. The Books store has categories devoted to Children and Teens and Kids’ Picture Books.

Apps in those categories follow the traditional book model, with text and illustrations and little else.

In the iTunes App Store, though, offerings for children are scattered among the 41,000 books that include sound, animation or graphics that respond to the reader’s touch.

Aside from highlighting a children’s book app in the New and Noteworthy or What’s Hot selections, Apple gives parents little help in finding selections for their children. Kirkus, the book review service, devotes a Web page to its 2010 list of best iPad books for children, and sites like CNet, Gizmodo and others occasionally mention good ones as well.

I chose three from those sources and added the Cars 2 and Dr. Seuss books, which were released last week, as examples of the latest products from well-financed developers.

Of those, Morris Lessmore is the best. It is a visually stunning bit of work with entertaining interactive features.

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