Lift the Flap on Roxie’s Doors – iPad App Review
Developed by OCG Studios and based on the award-winning storybook Doors, by Roxie Munro, this app pushes the innovation envelope with a creative ‘lift the flap’ user interface.
Each page has a number of activities on it in addition to lifting the virtual flaps to reveal the scenes beneath. The text of the book guides you through locating hidden or camouflaged items which you can identify by tapping them on the screen, producing a circle of white light so you know you’ve found the correct item.
Each page of the book features a pull down menu (identified with a clever hanging cord marked ‘Pull’) that allows you to navigate to a specific page in the story, as well as choosing your narrator (options include a male or female voice as well as none at all) and turning the sound effects off and on.
The illustrations are very nicely done and remind me of my favorite stories from when I was growing up. What I liked best was their ability to be colorful and dynamic, which translates well on the digital screen, while still staying classic.
It wasn’t until after I had worked my way through the entire book and started writing this review that I was tinkering around some more… and happened to lift and tilt my iPad, revealing little hidden gems that peek out from the corners of the screen! So much fun!
What I liked: While it is difficult to communicate, this book is just the kind of thing you look forward to sharing with your child. It really finds a way to feel just like an actual paper storybook without the worry that your toddler will accidentally rip the flap as they try to lift it.
What I didn’t like: While some of the flaps have a visual cue for the direction in which you need to slide your fingers to open them, a few require you to play around a little before you get it quite right. This is really only a problem with smaller (and stubbornly delightfully independent) children who need that bit of help and don’t want you to figure it out for them.
To buy or not to buy: The length of the book and the simplicity of the story likely make this app best suited and completely required for those of you with smaller children.
- App Name: Roxie’s Doors
- Version Reviewed: 1.0
- Category: Books
- Developer: OCG Studios
- Price: $2.99
- Score:
