Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

The Monster at the End of This Book Comes to Life: Callaway Apps Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

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My second favorite childhood book of all time is the classic work starring lovable, furry old Grover. Yes, I’m talking about The Monster at the End of This Book! I can’t even begin to guess how many times I have had it read to me and read it myself over the years. It STILL cracks me up to read the story!

When we first started looking at children’s books that have been turned into apps, this was the book I immediately started looking for online. But no such luck.

UNTIL NOW!!!

Yes, it is now a fantastic app! It is put out by Callaway Digital Arts, and they really nailed the whole spirit of the book. Grover’s voice is spot on, and there are little enhancements and surprises on every page that make this book even more fun than it already is (how is that possible?!). The app is $3.99 from iTunes, and in my opinion, it is an absolute MUST for anyone with a little one at home.

We also had the opportunity to review Miss Spider’s Tea Party, and I’m so glad we did! We weren’t familiar with this book before, but Darah has taken a real interest in the story (bugs are quite interesting to her right now) and she reads it multiple times a day now (she usually goes back and forth between the two Callaway apps!). The illustrations are beautiful the bonus features (a matching game, a coloring book) are very cool, as well. This app is available for $4.99, and I think the higher price is justified by all the extras that come with it.

Callaway apps also has a few other titles that would be of interest to young children, such as Angelina Ballerina and Thomas & Friends! While I haven’t tried out these apps, based on my experience with the two I  have seen, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. Callaway Digital Arts knows what they are doing when it comes to putting together a quality app for kids!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win the two apps I reviewed! Yay! The contest will run until August 30th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me a book that you would buy in a heartbeat if it were turned into an app!

My answer: My favorite book is by Marc Brown (who later wrote Arthur) and it is called Pickle Things!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: Like Callaway Digital Arts on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my blog.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Sandra Boynton and Beatrix Potter Apps (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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I think it is fair to say that I have seen my fair share of apps for children. At last count, I think we had around 25 apps on the iPad that were just for Darah. I’ve seen a few bad apps (poor design, not much fun, etc.) and I’ve seen LOTS of high quality apps that engage the reader and help little ones learn while they play.

But I’ve NEVER seen apps like what is being put out by Loud Crow Interactive. They have put out 2 Sandra Boynton classics (The Going to Bed Book and Moo Baa La La La). They also have The Tail of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter.

I’m almost at a loss for words for how to describe the technology used to bring these books to life. For the Beatrix Potter books, you should know that they are quite long (which is a good thing for little ones who are ready for a longer story). And page after page has the gorgeous illustrations we’ve come to expect from a Beatrix Potter tale. Only these apps have other features you might not be expecting. For example, the characters on many pages can be touched and dragged to make the slide, tilt or spring. Additionally, there are objects that pop out of the page to give a 3-D effect (no glasses needed!). When Tim and I first read through one of these books, we both erupted in applause when we got to the end. DEAD SERIOUS. Has a children’s app ever made to cheer out loud? Didn’t think so…

Here’s a video that shows you what the app is like:

The Sandra Boynton books also have the ability to click and drag some of the characters. And they have other really precious features. One of my favorites is a moment when lots of animals are crowded around a sink, brushing teeth. You can turn on the hot water and watch the page fill up with steam, which you can then wipe off. Ha! One thing I appreciate about these apps is that they bring a new life to the Boynton books, which most parents really love, but grow tired of after time (not because they aren’t wonderful, but after reading a board book 200 times, you get a little bored, yourself!).

Buy it!: All of these books are available through iTunes. Start at the Loud Crow site to learn more about each option. Pricing starts at just $1.99 for the iPhone, and goes up to $4.99 for the PopOut books on the iPad (SO worth it, by the way).

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win one Beatrix Potter app and one Sandra Boynton app of your choice! Woo hoo! The contest will run until June 29th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me which two apps you would like to win, and choose wisely, as you will get what you select!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like Loud Crow Interactive on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Google Friend Connect

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received complimentary apps for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Great New Apps from Oceanhouse Media (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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There are several amazing companies out there making great apps for kids, but Oceanhouse Media is definitely one of my very VERY favorites. They bring Dr. Seuss, The Bernstein Bears and even Little Critter to life, just to name a few!

They’ve just put out two new apps, and I want to give you the dish on them!

First up, we have It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! This is a fantastic app for kids to have as soon as they go through their “dinosaur” phase (for me, that was first grade). It tells the story of a Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to find some lunch, and you get to learn about a lot of other prehistoric creatures on page after page. It also has some very cool factual information about dinosaurs to offer your young paleontologist!

Second, Tacky and the Winter Games is now available. This is the third Tacky book that OM has brought to life, each containing hilarious stories about a penguin who doesn’t quite fit in, and the great adventures he has because he’s a little bit different!

Both apps are available for $2.99 each, which are an excellent value! I highly recommend both apps, and if you haven’t done much looking around the Oceanhouse Media website, you really must. I think you’ll be hard-pressed to leave without finding at least one (or ten) apps that you want! 🙂

Win it!: Two lucky winners will each receive an app download from Oceanhouse Media! One of you will win It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex and one will win Tacky and the Winter Games! The contest will run until May 14th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and new winners are selected. Open to residents of the United States.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE A PUBLIC FOLLOWER VIA GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT (FOUND ON MY SIDEBAR) TO ENTER A GIVEAWAY ON MY SITE!!!

Mandatory entry: Leave a comment telling me that you follow on GFC and telling me one other OM app that you’d love to download!

My answer: I’d love to get Elmer’s Special Day!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow Oceanhouse Media on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email or RSS

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received complimentary apps for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Horton Hears a Who! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

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Oceanhouse Media has done it again!!! Horton Hears a Who! is available for download, and it is not to miss!

Horton Hears a Who! is a delightful story about an elephant who discovers an entire world that lives on a speck of dust! Horton works very hard to keep the tiny town of Who-ville safe from harm.

This and other books from Oceanhouse Media can be read 3 ways:

  • * “Read to Me” — listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read
  • * “Read it Myself” — read the book in its traditional form
  • * “Auto Play” — plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages. Great for younger children!

These books are AMAZING! At $4.99, they might cost a little bit more than your average app, but they are also SO MUCH MORE than your average app. They are full books brought to life and I can tell you from experience that they are thoroughly enjoyed by little ones! What I love is that they cost about half of what you might pay for a Dr. Seuss book in the store, and you can store them all on your phone or iPad…that helps lighten the load, significantly, whether you are stepping out for a few errands or hitting the road for a week.

I also want to say that because we have great apps like Horton Hears a Who! for Darah to enjoy, she has really started to take a bit of ownership over the iPad (whether we like it, or not). At 19 months old, she already knows how to turn it on and find her favorite app and get it started. It is incredible to watch!

Buy it!: Horton Hears a Who! is available for $4.99, and is 100% worth it! While you are at Oceanhouse Media, be sure to not what the app of the week is, as that one is always on sale! Sweet!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your very own download of Horton Hears a Who!. The contest will run until April 9th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open worldwide! Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me one other book that Oceanhouse Media offers that you’d like to download for your child or yourself!

My answer: The New Potty (a Little Critter) book just caught my attention. Actually, I just bought it because it was on sale for .99!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow Oceanhouse Media on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary download for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Love Dr. Seuss? There’s an App for That!

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As much as I can’t stand the monthly bill for having two iPhones, we sure do use the heck out of them! I love being able to glance at my email when I’m out and about, get directions when I get lost (which is pretty much all the time), take pictures of Darah on the spot or, you know, actually call someone and have a chat.

And then there are the apps. Apps are just the coolest thing, you guys! And there’s an entire world of apps designed with the little ones in mind. You know, the ones who are going to play with your phone, regardless. So you might as well have something on there that they’ll like. It might prevent them from sending text messages to random people in Botswana. Might...

Oceanhouse Media is a company that offers a goldmine of apps for children. Seriously, their stuff is AWESOME! Looking for a Dr. Seuss book to put on your iPhone? Look no further! I recently had the opportunity to try out Dr. Seuss’ ABC and it is a hit, for sure. She already has this book, so she’s familiar with it. We must have the abridged version (did you know that they do that with some Seuss books???) because the app has more detail to it than our book. You can have the book read to you, you can listen to the book but be in charge of turning the pages yourself, of you can read on your own. This means that the app will grow with your child as s/he becomes more advanced! dr. seuss app

Oceanhouse Media also has many other very cool Seuss apps that look great, like Green Eggs and Ham, The Foot Book and Yertle the Turtle! And don’t even get me started on their apps of The Little Critter!

Buy it!: I personally think that Dr. Seuss’ ABC app is an excellent buy at $3.99 because it will entertain your little one for hours and hours over the course of a few years!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to snag a free download of Dr. Seuss’ ABC. The contest will run until December 19th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me your very favorite Dr. Seuss book! My personal favorite is Fox in Socks!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Oceanhouse Media on Facebook
2. Blogger love: “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a free download in exchange for my honest opinion!