Review: Ruckus Media Children’s Storybook Apps for iPhone/iPad

Last week, I had the opportunity to have a Q&A session with Mr. Rick Richter, CEO of Ruckus Media. This promising new company is bringing all your favorite classic children’s storybooks to the mobile platform.  Following the recent launch of their first five iPhone and iPad apps, I had a chance to get a closer look at each of the apps I’ll be reviewing below.

Overview

Contrary to popular belief, the App Store offers so much more than gaming for children. In fact, within the Apps for Kids and Educational categories, you’ll find plenty of apps that provide your children with entertainment and education, but not always both. With the first five Ruckus Media children’s books arriving to the App Store and 75 under contract, Ruckus Media is poised to deliver all the classic tales to your children in the exciting digital-touch arena. Mobile platforms supported include the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android and additional platforms will be supported in the near future.

Features

Priced at a reasonable $3.99 price tag, each fully illustrated storybook is identical in structure with three different ways to experience the book.  Here’s a quick look at each of the modes, built for children ages 3 to 10 and designed in a way that will assist in the developmental growth in children.

1. Play the Video – this feature provides approximately 25 minutes of award winning authors and storytellers bringing the story to life with music and  slide-by-slide transitions  through each and every page of the book. This is the most entertaining mode and an ideal starting point the younger children. One thing I’d love to see added in the near future is the addition of words, so children will have the ability to read-along with the storytellers.

2. Read the Book – this mode focuses on the main point, which is reading while swiping along to the next page. In this mode, you won’t find narration or music, but rather the classic reading experience. Swiping to the next page is fun and effortless and sure beats the heck out of turning hardbook pages.

3. Read and Record – this method takes advantage of the mobile platform capabilities. In addition to the page-by-page swiping you get as you read along, you or your child can record your very own voice reading along.  While this feature supports one recording per page, you have the ability to playback one or all pages after you’ve recorded.

As Mr. Richter mentioned, “parents read stories in different ways.  This feature allows parents to be with their child in their own voice, all the time.” Along with further connecting with your child, this is a great educational tool that can be used to record your children’s narration, listen back and help improve pronunciation.

Velveteen Rabbit

($3.99) Originally published in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of his owner. This award-winning classic tale is my choice for best value for your buck with 25 minutes of video playback and 112 pages of page-swiping enjoyment. Who knew Meryl Streep had such a talent narrating books?  Pianist George Winston provides the background music, which blends well with the story.

Play Video – 25 minutes
Read the Book – 112 pages

Tom Thumb

($3.99) Tiny Tom Thumb is a story of a traditional hero in English folklore who is no bigger than his father’s thumb. Narrated by Emmy-Award winner John Cleese with music by Elvis Costello, this storybook is my choice for the best mix of narration, illustration and music.

Play the Video – 25 minutes
Read the Book – 68 pages

Johnny Appleseed

($3.99) Johnny Appleseed is a tale of an American pioneer who introduced apple trees while roaming the frontier and sharing his good will. Narrated by Garrison Keillor with music by Bluegrass artist Mark O’Connor, this story is yet another winning product from Ruckus Media.

Play the Video – 24 minutes
Read the Book – 73 pages

John Henry

($3.99) John Henry is a story of an American folk hero, notable for having raced against a steam powered hammer and won.  Told by the talented Denzel Washington, this storybook is my personal favorite of the group. Blues legend B.B. King, provides a perfect mix of music to go along with this story.

Play the Video – 23 minutes
Read the Book – 72 pages

Pecos Bill

($3.99) Pecos Bill is a story of the bravest, yet orneriest cowboy in the west. Thanks to the brilliance of Robin Williams’ narration, this story is my choice for most entertaining of the group. To further compliment the story, Ry Cooder provides some very fitting music.

Play the Video – 24 minutes
Read the Book – 57 pages

The Good

Overall, I’m extremely impressed with the first line of Ruckus Media storybook apps. The group of talented storytellers, musicians and illustrators are among the best in the business. The mixture of entertainment and educational value is evident in each of the applications. Having the ability to “read and record” really helps set these apps apart from similar storybook apps. The one-time payment of $3.99 is very fair and on par with similar applications in the App Store.

Room for Improvement

If I could make a few suggestions for improvement they would be to add the ability to read-along in the “play the video” mode. Also, the video quality on the iPad is a bit below HD, but still looks great on the device. The quick scrolling also requires you to wait for the slide to load before  scrolling during video playback, but perhaps that’s to be expected. One thing I’d love to see is an all-in-one bookshelf type application, that showcases each of the wonderful Ruckus Media books. In talking to Mr. Richter, this may be more of a memory issue with the device.

Verdict

Children 10 and younger will love these application. They are interactive, engaging and the different modes should keep children coming back for more. Unlike the traditional books, these storybooks allow children to watch video, touch and interact in a new and intriguing way.  On a scale of 5, I’d give the Ruckus Media applications a solid 4.5 collectively!

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