The Prisoner of Carrot Castle by Purple Carrot Books- Review

“Eat your vegetables, or else!” you say. “Or else what?” your picky child might answer. What do you say next?

Thanks to The Prisoner of Carrot Castle , a digital picture book from Purple Carrot Books , aimed at persnickety eaters, parents everywhere can now answer, “You’ll have to face the King of Carrot Castle before the sun goes down.”

That’s exactly what happens to Aidan, the story’s protagonist. Aidan doesn’t want to eat his carrots and broccoli at dinner. He stares listlessly at his plate until, (surprise!) he is transported to a fantasy world where castle walls are made of carrots and trees are made of broccoli. Can Aidan overcome his distaste for veggies and find his way home? Kids will have to read the story to find out. (Spoiler alert: the story ends happily and healthily ever after.)

The reader can toggle the music and narration from the splash screen, which is a plus. The book has read to me and read by myself options, but no word highlighting as it is read. To turn the pages the reader has to slide a carrot out, and to return to the home screen they have to slide a house icon. Some children will find these cute, and they do prevent accidentally triggering these when searching for interactive elements, but others may find them unnecessarily complex.  The Prisoner of Carrot Castle contains no adverts, in-app purchases or social media links. The app is designed for kids aged 3 to 8-years-old, it includes light animation, and interactive elements such as animal noises, sliding Aidan down a tunnel, and helping him to escape by feeding him carrots and broccoli. Kate Jeong’s pleasing illustrations include enough detail to seem realistic, without losing their youthful appeal. However, we’d love to see improved consistency between the text and illustrations: the text says that the residents of Carrot Castle are ugly and sick, but the artwork portrays them as healthy.

The book also includes a game, which is also available as a standalone download, where the reader can play digital dress up with three different knights.

Overall, most kids, even those who aren’t picky eaters will enjoy Aidan’s adventure. Helping Aidan slide through the vegetable-based walls of Carrot Castle was surprising and fun. Kids will enjoy feeding Aidan his carrots and broccoli as they read.  More like dessert than a dreaded side dish, The Prisoner of Carrot Castle will appeal to a child’s insatiable appetite for entertainment. Recommended for  kids aged 3 to 8-years-old.

The book is available as an iPad only app and will soon be available as a print book.

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle by Purple Carrot Books Category: Books, Education Requirements: Compatible with iPadMini, iPad 2 WiFI, iPadFourthGen4G, iPad 2 3G, iPadThirdGen, iPadFourthGen, iPad 3G, iPad WiFi, iPadThirdGen4G, iPadMini4G Size: 71.98 MB

$2.99USD

Screenshots for iPad

Dress up app:

Dress a Knight of Carrot Castle by Purple Carrot Books Category: Games, Educational, Kids, Entertainment Requirements: Compatible with iPod Touch (4. Gen.), iPhone4S, iPhone5, iPodTouchFifthGen, iPadFourthGen, iPadThirdGen, iPadMini4G, iPad 2 3G, iPad 3G, iPad 2 WiFI, iPod Touch (3. Gen.), iPhone 4, iPad WiFi, iPadMini, iPadFourthGen4G, iPhone 3GS, iPadThirdGen4G Size: 46.55 MB

$FREE

Screenshots

Screenshots for iPad