Grimm’s Frog King by Just Kids Apps- Review and Giveaway

Grimm’s Frog King by Just Kids Apps is a iPad only app that includes two versions of the classic Grimm’s Fairytale about the Princess and the Frog. The first version is true to the original tale and the second version”with a funny twist” is less traditional. The app can be enjoyed in English or German, this review is of the English translation. There are read to me or read it myself options. There are also several extras including a photo album of the frogs family, a catch the frog game, a spot the difference picture, froggy jokes, lots of facts about frogs and toads and a quiz.In the traditional tale the princess is playing with her favorite toy, a golden ball, when she accidentally drops it into a deep well. The frog hears hears her distraught cries and offers to fetch it for her if she will let him become her companion, the princess happily agrees and the frog rescues her ball. Now, it turns out the princess isn’t a very nice person, in fact she is a spoiled brat, and she runs off to the palace forgetting all about her promise. The frog follows her to the palace where he tells the king about the broken promise. The king tells his daughter to fulfill her promise and she does so very reluctantly. The frog is in fact a Prince who has been turned into a Frog by wicked witch, the princess breaks the spell not by kissing him, but by throwing him against a wall (which is true to the original Grimm’s tale) and they get married and live happily ever after.In the “version with funny twist” a young girl of today is listening to the story but has her own thoughts on how the tale should be told. She names the Princess Hortense and the Frog Horace, and does her own running commentary on the story which the narrator changes to please her, including a new ending. The little girls commentary and the subsequent changes to the story make this version a fun alternative to the traditional tale. The version also includes a photo album of Horace and his family.Both versions have background noises of frogs, there are interactive elements marked by sparkles and you can touch people or animals to have them talk or make noises.The artwork in the app is beautiful and you can enlarge it if you want to look at it more closely. The narrators do a good job of bringing it to life – especially in the version with the funny twist. I like having the sparkles to indicate where the interactive elements are, as it makes it much easier for children to find them. promo code It is interesting to have two versions of the tale. The original story is much less romanticized than the version most of us are familiar with, but it is interesting to see it in its original form. The version with a funny twist is much more light hearted, and a fun way to modernize the tale. It can also be a good way to spark discussions about the story , the princesses behavior and about old tales in general. The app does not include text highlighting, which would be nice to see added in a future update. The story is quite long, which makes it great for older kids but might tax the attention span of younger children.

Overall, I would recommend this app for children over five years, or younger children with a long attention span. I love the artwork, and having two versions of the story is a nice bonus.  It has a level of interactivity that enhances the story rather than distracting from it. All the additional features will also keep children entertained for quite a while. It is nice to see the addition of comprehension questions to the quiz at the end, as it makes the child really  think about the story and about the facts about frogs and toads. My son really appreciated the new froggy jokes to add to his repertoire. This app has a lot included for the price, and I would recommend it as an interesting adaptation of a classic Grimm’s Fairytale.