ARTHUR READS App Review

Marc Brown Studios and ScrollMotion , the largest developer of branded apps in the iTunes App Store, has expanded its ARTHUR READS app series on iTunes this week. Narrated by Marc Brown, creator of Arthur, the ARTHUR READS app series includes 9 book apps; the first, Arthur Turns Green, launched in April and will continue to roll out new apps throughout this year with three new additions launched on the iTunes store this week including:

·         Arthur's Pet Business

·         Arthur Writes a Story 

·         Arthur's Tooth 

With many great features in tow, the app gives kids and parents the opportunity to read books together (even when apart) and participate in interactive sessions!  Kids can scroll through the pages of the book and follow along, while their parent’s pre-recorded voice reads the book aloud. Some of the other tools that enhance learning and engagement include putting together puzzles of Arthur illustrations and even coloring pictures of Arthur, DW, Buster, Francine and the rest of the group to bring characters to life.  

Each app is compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and available for $2.99 on the iTunes App store

My thoughts:

We downloaded each of these apps, as my kids have always been fans of Arthur.  I love that the book part can either be read by the child or that the app will 'read' to them.  This makes it perfect for either my older boys who can read or my 3 year old who...well can't read!  In addition to the book portion there are many puzzles and pictures to 'color' with in this app.  My 3 year old LOVES coloring digitally (not so much on paper for some reason) so this was a big hit with him and he mastered it easily without ANY help from me.  The puzzle, he needed a little help with at first to understand what exactly he was supposed to be doing.  But one he saw how it was supposed to work, he had fun with that.  I thought there were a decent amount of options to keep them busy for a while too.  My three year old easily spent an hour playing with just one of these Arthur Reads apps.  I think that this is a great app for kids probably 3 (or even 2 if they are already used to the touch screen) to 6 and maybe a little bit older depending on the child.  My 7 year old enjoyed it, but the 8 year old was quickly back to his usual googling of off the wall topics pretty quickly.

Disclosure: I was given complimentary copies of these apps for review purposes. However, all opinions expressed are my own honest, personal feedback. I have not been compensated for a positive review.