The Dragon and the Ladybird — iPad App Review
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The Dragon and the Ladybird is a children’s story about a goofy looking dragon who falls in love with a tiny, sweet ladybird. It is the first book app in a series planned by Adnav Edizioni. The developer is generously donating 50% of the profits from The Dragon and the Ladybird to the Foundation for the Protection of Children, an Italian non-profit that has helped needy children since 1906. The app also includes drawing, puzzle, and memory game sections that are based on the story.
Two things are immediately obvious when one begins to read The Dragon and the Ladybird. First, as my seven year old helpfully pointed out, “you have to read it yourself!” There is no narration in the app. This isn’t necessarily bad, however, because it forces developing readers to practice their skills. The second, and slightly stranger, detail about the story is that each line is repeated twice. It soon becomes clear that the text is a call and response between the dragon and the ladybird. It would have been been very entertaining to listen to two different voices narrate the story, but the story as it is presented gives parents and their children a natural opportunity to each take a part and read the book aloud together.
The story’s illustrations are distinctive and whimsical, and should appeal to a variety of children. At its core the story is a distillation of Beauty and the Beast, as it draws on classic themes such as “opposites attract” and “beauty is only skin deep,” as well as the less familiar tenet, “the way to a ladybird’s heart is through her funnybone.”
The app does have a soundtrack which plays in all of its sections, not just the story. The user can choose to mute the soundtrack with one touch, but cannot adjust its volume. It is easy to navigate through the story because the pages are displayed at the bottom of the screen.
The drawing section of the app is very simple, but it works well. There are certainly better drawing apps available, but it is fun to create pictures using characters from the story which can be saved to the iPad camera roll. The puzzle section of the app is a solid addition, but can be tricky because it will not consider the puzzle solved unless the user gets the squares in exactly the order it expects. This can mean switching seemingly identical white squares until the app is satisfied, and might frustrate younger children. The memory game is a better choice for kids under 4 because there are only 16 cards to work with and the matches tend to be found in close proximity to each other. The Dragon and the Ladybird is available in the App Store for $2.99.
What I liked: The story illustrations were playful and engaging. The “draw,” “puzzle,” and “memory” capabilities worked well. The developer deserves praise for donating 50% of the profits from the Dragon and the Ladybird to a children’s charity.
What I didn’t like: The story of The Dragon and the Ladybird won’t stand up well to being read and re-read, particularly because each line is written twice. There is no read aloud option and the app won’t work in landscape mode, but these are rather small limitations.
To buy or not to buy: The Dragon and the Ladybird app does several things well rather than trying to do one thing perfectly. It isn’t the best storybook app, nor is it the best drawing app available. However, all of its components work. The app should please users who are looking for a children’s story, but don’t expect bells and whistles on every page. The drawing, puzzle, and memory sections of the app do a good job of extending the book’s illustrations, but would not be strong enough to stand on their own.
- App Name: The Dragon and the Ladybird
- Version Reviewed: 1.0
- Category: Education
- Developer: Adnav Edizioni
- Price: $2.99
- Score:
