Cielo Bird HD- A Learning Buddy In Storybook Form
Cielo Bird HD by Lalafish Inc. is an original tale of an adventurous bird developed as an interactive children’s storybook for the iPad. The book does more than read along with your toddler. There are 23 different images with different sounds on each page, allowing your little one to enjoy more than just the narration.
The book was written for children between the ages of three and six. It uses simple words and colorful, original artwork. The narration is clear and dynamic, and sentences are short. The book’s protagonist, Cielo is a cute little friendly bird that is looking for an adventure and has plenty to say about it.
When you first open the app, the puffy, yellow bird appears and a woman’s voice introduces the name of the story. A red dotted line points out the icon that your young reader should click in order to get started. Each page features the narration, including text, a background sound option and a talking Cielo option. If you tap the icon for background sound, you’ll hear anything from a pleasant song to the sound of crickets chirping. If you tap the talking Cielo icon, or tap the bird itself, it will say something like, “Hi There,” or “Not Now.”
In addition to audio interaction, each page will animate when you touch Cielo. The bird will change colors, look up, or move forward a bit. Some pages include animated background images that change color. It is very engaging for young children and has an educational value in teaching them to read.
Since Cielo has catch phrases that can be repeated with one touch, it is highly likely that this adventurous little bird will annoy you to the point of madness, but what talking kids toy doesn’t have that problem?
The app is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch for $1.99 and there is also a free flip book available if you want to watch Cielo fly.
What I liked: The book is very simple with colorful animated images. Children between the ages of three and six will find this book very entertaining.
What I didn’t like: The story does not have an ending. Although it is not mentioned in the iTunes summary, it is only part one. The story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense by itself. Assuming the price will be the same for the second installment, the story will cost at least six dollars on the iPad. I know that a three-year-old won’t really care about the plot, but I want to know what happens to Cielo.
To buy or not to buy: As children’s interactive books go, it is a fun and educational way to help little ones learn to read. At a price of $2.99, it is not exactly a great deal, but it seems to be representative of the average price of similar apps.
- App Name: Cielo Bird HD: Cielo The Curious Bird: Interactive Children’s Storybook For iPad
- Version Reviewed: 1.24
- Category: Books
- Developer: Lalafish Inc.
- Price: $2.99
- Score:
