With Christmas means children and parents are loading their new tablets and phones with new learning, reading, and gaming apps. We recently loaded Puss in Boots for our nine year old daughter. It is a traditional story being brought to a new generation is an nontraditional way; via electronic book with modern illustrations designs.
I found myself caught up in the story and was intrigued throughout the whole book. I found it easy to follow along which is great for the targeted age groups. To me the book reminds me of a modern day pop-up book. When the characters perform the animation portions of the book its almost feels the same as when you pull the tab on a pop-up book and make the characters move. I’m not sure if this was the intention of the creator(s), but I find it creates a fun aspect. Who doesn’t love a great pop-up book?
Overall, the graphics fit the story line very well. The thought bubbles popped up with perfect timing and were easy to read. The images had a crisp and sharp feel to them which helped to keep you interested in the book. In some of the scenes, the characters almost seemed to have a 3D effect to them. For instance, when the Ogre turned into a lion and leaped towards puss, it really felt 3D. This added a really cool element to the story.
The one thing I wish that the app offered was the option of the story being told to you via audio. This would give children that are not yet fluent in reading the ability to follow along and learn in the process.
About Puss in Boots:
An old farmer, at the twilight of old age, decides to split his patrimony between his three sons. the elder gets his mill; the second his donkey and the youngest his cat. The youngest son, first disappointed with his inheritance, soon realizes he was not given a mere tomcat but a very witty cat who can speak! Follow the young man and his cat’s fantastic journey.
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Puss in Boots is a brand-new media platform, combining animation and comics techniques. It offers you and your child a whole new reading experience to (re)discover this tale. We did our best to create a story nice to the eye.To read this tale, simply slide left or right on the screen to turn the pages.
Recommendations:
I recommend this book for children seven and up. Children who enjoy comics will really like the layout and style.
Those who are learning French will benefit from this books as a simple technique many use when learning a new language is to read children’s books written in that language. With Puss in Boots being available in English or French, it really helps French language learners to practice their foreign language reading and speaking skills.
