The Berenstain Bears visit the App Store
Everyone's favorite bear family is now available in iPod, iPad, and iPhone form, with three e-books from the same folks who brought you the Dr. Seuss titles.
Having turned more than a dozen Dr. Seuss classics into e-book gold, Oceanhouse Media is heading to Bear Country.
The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule, The Berenstain Bears Go To Sunday School, and The Berenstain Bears Say Their Prayers are now available in the App Store for an introductory price of $2.99 each.
If you have kids, you probably don't need me to introduce the series. These books are classics; I think I may have read a few back when I was a kid (the first title appeared in 1974). Although a handful of the books have religious themes (including two of the three new apps listed here), the majority of them focus on everyday life lessons.
Like Oceanhouse's Dr. Seuss titles, these offer three viewing options: Auto Play, Read it Myself, and Read to Me. Professional narration accompanies all three, though in Read it Myself mode, it's optional. Each word gets highlighted as it's read--a nice little educational perk that the paper editions can't match.
There's an interactive element as well: when the reader taps something in the accompanying picture, the corresponding word is pronounced--and displayed as zooming text. This is another great learning tool for younger readers.
The apps are designed for both iPhone and iPad, meaning you get full-screen HD goodness if you run them on the latter.
As with the Dr. Seuss titles, I wholeheartedly recommend the Berenstain Bears e-book apps. They're the perfect entertaining and educational diversion for young kids.
While we're on the subject, what other children's classics do you think would make good apps?
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