Kids Will Laugh Their Way to Literacy With Lazy Larry Lizard
Larry is a sweet-looking, green Lizard, who is also the long-suffering protagonist of a series of e-books by Wasabi Productions. The Larry Lizard series is aimed at 2-6-year-olds, though slightly older children might also enjoy reading about Larry on their own.
We first meet Larry in Lazy Larry Lizard, where it’s the readers job to disturb his nap, by poke, poke, poking him. In Look Out Larry!, the second book in the series, our hero is having a rough day. Larry is still trying to nap, but on every page he meets new obstacles — from a spider to a bulldozer — and now it’s the reader’s job to protect him by waking him up before he gets squashed or eaten.
Each time Larry gets poked he seems just as startled. Oh, Larry, you never learn! Fortunately each book ends the same way: the reader gets to give him a gentle stroke on the back to help him sleep.
Both books have bonus content. In Lazy Larry Lizard, kids can try out Leapin’ Larry, a simple jumping game. Larry meets a variety of foes during Look Out Larry!, but in Larry’s Dream, the app’s bonus section, he conquers them all. He uses a variety of methods from brute force to comic relief, but it’s nice to see the little fella catch a break. There is also a matching game at the end which may keep your child’s attention since it features the attractive illustrations from the story.
Lazy Larry and Look-out Larry also both feature auto-read capabilities, and a soundtrack that comprises subtle, night time insect sounds that the reader may choose to mute. Each book is available for download in the App Store for $3.99.
What I liked: While an early reader could read this story to herself, without frustration, it is also appropriate for a younger child, with or without the autoplay feature. I liked the way that Larry experiences a range of emotions in both books, but in each he ends up feeling happy and safe. I was pleased that the developers are working on a series about Larry because children often enjoy reading stories about familiar characters.
What I didn’t like: In Look Out Larry, the addendum to the tale, Larry’s Dream was cute, but it didn’t always run smoothly. There were no arrows at the bottom of the page, as there had been in the main story. Instead pages turned simply by touching them, and it was easy to miss sections of the dream, since you have to touch Larry to see each one.
To buy or not to buy: At $3.99, each book in the Larry series costs about as much as a paperback leveled reader, yet the combination of physical comedy and repetition of themes should make Larry a character most children want to revisit many times.
- App Name: Lazy Larry Lizard and Look Out Larry!
- Version Reviewed: 1.0
- Category: Books
- Developer: Wasabi Productions
- Price: $3.99
- Score:
