What we love…
Beautifully illustrated and narrated, voice-over options, and valuable lessons in the story, all make this an absolute must-have app.
What we’d love to see…
Navigation controls in auto play mode. You have to quit first before you are given the option to either go back to the main menu or continue. Also needs a lockout for the “i” button which allows you to turn on/off the news which pulls you into iTunes and the internet
Summary
If you are looking to teach your child about valuing themselves and others, this is an app you will most certainly love!
Our Rating
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss is another great app from Oceanhouse Media. It tells the story of two groups of Sneetches – the Star-Bellied Sneetches and the Plain-Bellied Sneetches. The Star-Bellied Sneetches believe the stars in their bellies make them special and superior over the Plain-Bellied Sneetches. They separate themselves from the Plain-Bellied Sneetches and do not allow them to play with their children or to come to their parties. Such is life among the Sneetches until one day when Sylvester McMonkey McBean, also known as The Fix-it-Up-Chappie, arrives with his peculiar machine and changes everything. Like all Dr. Seuss/Oceanhouse Media apps, there are three options you can choose from to read the book: Read to Me, Read It Myself, and Auto Play. There are also setting options to turn the narration, sound effects, tap on pictures, and read alerts on or off.
The narration is very well done. I also enjoyed the sound effects, especially because the story takes place on a beach and I just love the sound of the waves splashing along the shore. Tapping on the pictures brings up additional words for beginning readers to learn. If the tapped picture corresponds to a word on the page, that word will be highlighted as well. Sometimes, tapping on a picture also produces some cool sound effects (car sounds, machine sounds, etc.) which resulted in a lot of giggling among the kids.
The app also has the voice over option which I absolutely love! You can record and save multiple voices, so if you have two or more children, you can have separate recordings for each of them. You can share your voice recordings via email. The recipient will receive two files. The .om file is to be used with The Sneetches app, if they have it. The .m4a file is an audio file that can be played with any audio player such as Windows Media and Realplayer. Send an email to yourself to save a copy of your child’s voice recording on your computer. This is an invaluable tool for parents and speech therapists alike.
There are two things I would like to see changed or fixed in this app. In the Auto Play mode, you are instructed to press the home button to quit at any time. Quitting closes the app. When you go back to the app, it automatically brings you to the page where you left off in auto play. At this time, if you tap on the page, it will give you the option to go the main menu or to continue. I would like to be able to get to this option, if possible, without having to quit the app first. The other is the ability to have a lockout for the “news” which is currently under the “i” button. I would prefer to see this either in the general settings or have a parent lock on the “i” button so that kids can not accidentally get into the app store or the internet by mistake.
Perhaps what I love most about The Sneetches, are the lessons they teach. There are many ways you can interpret the story’s message. For me, one of the most meaningful ones is that you should never base your value or worth on what others think or say about you. Too often kids are judged by the way they look or what they have, as if those things truly mattered. This book clearly illustrates that there is no difference between the two groups of Sneetches other than the star on their bellies which, in the end, really didn’t mean anything at all. I want my kids to always remember that they and everyone around them are beautiful and amazing just the way they are, and that looking a certain way or having certain things do not change that, not even a tiny bit. This definitely one app you do not want to go without!
|
The Sneetches - Dr. Seussby Oceanhouse MediaCategory: Books, Education Requirements: Compatible with all Size: 24.86 MB |
 |
Screenshots
(Click to enlarge)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Screenshots for iPad
(Click to enlarge)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
- this app is currently 50% off until March 8!
Fides Caingcoy
Latest posts by Fides Caingcoy (see all)
- Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss and Oceanhouse Media – Review - May 1, 2013
- I Can Read With My Eyes Shut from Oceanhouse Media – Review - April 10, 2013
- The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss and OceanHouse Media – Review - March 2, 2013
Alison, Amanda, Grace and Mary are four mothers from different parts of the world dedicated to educating parents about the best digital stories, educational apps, fun games and technology products available for their children. We also offer the latest news in apps for kids, interesting articles, developer interviews, free apps and regular giveaways!
[...] The Star-Bellied Sneetches believe the stars in their bellies make them special and superior over the Plain-Bellied Sneetches. They separate themselves from the Plain-Bellied Sneetches and do not allow them to play with their children or to come to their parties. Such is life among the Sneetches until one day when Sylvester McMonkey McBean, also known as The Fix-it-Up-Chappie, arrives with his peculiar machine and changes everything. Read our full review. [...]