PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit: APP

• PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit

• Jun 24, 2011

• English

• Loud Crow Interactive Inc.

• © 2011 Loud Crow Interactive Inc.

• Version: 
1.5

• Size: 
• 158 MB
• Ages 4 up

App created for the classic story Peter the Rabbit by Beatrice Potter. 
App books are a different type of experience. Indeed they are not quite a book, but a relative of the book. (NPR, Philip Nel) A relation that is a mystery guest during a surprise visit. Nobody knows quite how the visit will end up. Debates aside, I decided to test drive this more successful app that has been receiving good reviews from users and the book reviewing community. (See outsider reviews below)

One great thing about this app is that it lets you do things that you couldn't do before. This app turns the classic long-time favorite story of Peter Rabbit into a pop-up book. One thing that I noticed is that the miscellaneous features of other apps that have been criticized for distracting children from early literacy development seem to be just right. As a child tilts the iPad natural leaves seem to float down the screen. A child can poke at the bush where the Cottontail children gather blackberries and also can act the role of a harvester. The user can also smash the blackberries by touching the screen. While this does not replace the actual sensory experience, it does allow a easy sensory impression. It also encourages curiosity, exploration through the senses, and touch. 

The book can be read aloud or can be left to the user to read alone. This option is nice because it allows children to hear the book in person (via a caregiver or parent) or in the different accent. Exposure to accents and different ways of speaking, in my opinion, is important for children to understand that language has many nuances. It also will make them more understanding (?)when encountering other people who speak in different ways. Sometimes children that are exposed to only one dialect/accent/way of speaking encounter blocks when hearing accents. Instead of understanding they focus on picking out the differences. Some might laugh which is fine for a child but should not continue into adulthood because it shows a lack of deeper understanding. Anyway, this book goes beyond that. It also can pronounce words for you (after being touched). Some claim that you can learn a language by using apps like this. (NPR)


In regards to early literacy, PopOut! Tale of Peter Rabbit encourages letter knowledge, print awareness, print motivation. It is a good tool but like all tools it should be used with purpose lest a child might develop some sort of commodization expectation for books which is counter productive for early reading. 


Elizabeth Bird, children's librarian at the New York Public Library addressed the issue of correct usage perfectly, "Let's say that I am in a grocery store and i see a (parent) handing their phone to a child... Do I want them to hand the child a game like Angry Birds, or do I want them to hand them Freight Train by Donald Crews in the app form? I would prefer that they hand them the book." (NPR article) 


Interesting, most of the recommended apps (from the Darien Library) are for ages 4 and up. Perhaps, this reflects the age appropriate concern and possible effects?


NPR article
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134663712/childrens-book-apps-a-new-world-of-learning
Accessed 3/27/12