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Monkey and the Crocodile is a classic Indian folk tale brought into the modern age as a wonderfully illustrated, bilingual app.
There are many elements about this app that I like including Hindi and English narration, night-time mode, animal facts and a parent-child comprehension activity.
There is also a lot of room for improvement in this app. Some standard eBook features are missing (auto play, word highlighting) and other features are not well integrated. For example, I loved the reading comprehension element – as it is something that many children struggle with – however it is buried at the end of the book with no direct link from the home screen.
Voiceover Echo
One of my biggest issues with the app is the echoing sound on the voice over which I found very distracting.
Improvements?
Firstly, redo the voiceover! I would like to see the Hindi narration with Hindi text, or at least the option of English or Hindi. For “Animal Fun Facts” there could be an indication of how many facts were found with some kind of reward. Finally, add a quick way of getting to the parent-child comprehension activity from the home screen.
Bottomline
Monkey and the Crocodile is a solid retelling of a classic Panchatantra story, but a few tweaks would make it a much better app.
Niyaa brings to you classic bilingual Indian folk tales that have been retold by generations and are packed with ancient wisdom. We unfold the memorable Panchatantra classic of the Monkey and the Crocodile that will be your child’s favorite for ages. The story is kid-friendly, bilingual, simple and enjoyable. Drop us a note at niyaanet@gmail.com if you would like to hear this story or any other in your language.
★ Ranked #2 and #3 in Top Paid Education Apps in Indian App Store (Aug 3 & Aug 2 2011)
★ Featured in the What’s Hot in the Indian App Store
Key features
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– Attractive and engaging illustrations keeping kids in mind
– App for all ages – babies can listen using sleep mode, toddler can view and listen and preschoolers can learn and interact
– Animated voices bringing the story to life
– Easy to read along text for our budding readers
– A story with a moral
– Hunt down all the animal facts on the fun and interactive animal page.
– Proven touch screen learning tools to promote hand eye coordination in kids
– Sleep mode
– Bilingual narration in English and Hindi
– App is free of ads, in app purchases as well as clickable links to the internet