Zoo Animals ~ Touch, Look, Listen, by one of my favorite developers, StoryToys Entertainment Limited, is a winner for using with a Bluebee Pal. This early-learning pop-up picture book allows kids to explore at their own pace either alone, or with an adult or sibling so that the experience can be shared. Sharing makes play more relevant because it is a collective experience. The beauty of this little app is its simplicity in presenting to a young child or those with difficulties with speech production are so that they have time to process the material. The lack of visual and auditory clutter is genius, promoting imitation in sounding out the animal’s name. All the pictures are actual photographs that realistically display an animal and do not misrepresent the communicative intent with a cartoon.
In addition, by bringing on board a multitude of sensory systems it helps lay down multiple pathways for recall.On opening, there is an option to have the book read to you or read it yourself. When having the book read to you, tap once for the name of an animal, twice to hear its sound (if it’s available). The photos are outstanding, and what I love about the narration is that it actively engages a child by asking their thoughts and opinions.
There are so many options of animal life – land, sea, or playing in a tree. It gives children a whole new perspective – up, down, and all around. It’s a beautifully produced app, that completely covers the animal kingdom in all its environs. This gives the book an expansive quality that covers the whole of space or existence.
At the end is a little quiz testing your knowledge on the different animals in a particular environment. My Lion, Hoxworth, loves it when he spots the lion in the book. Can your Bluebee spot him too?