Over in the Jungle

Overview

This colorful rhyming book is set in the jungle and will have your youngsters counting to 10 and back; and singing the catchy little tune. Teachers and parents will find that it is useful in the classroom or at home.

Features include:

• Three story options, including a sing to me option.
• Interactivity
• Additional information regarding the jungle animals featured in the book

Quality

Over in the Jungle has an interface users of all ages will find easy to use. The navigation menu, which is available from all pages, makes it easy to move around the app; from the story to the activity, to the additional information regarding the jungle animals, to the information for the making of the app and so on.

The stunning artwork is made from polymer clay in rich colors one would expect to see if visiting the jungle. Top quality narration, music and sounds add nicely to the atmosphere, too.

Two of the standard reading options are available for enjoying the short story, read to me and read to myself. The app also includes a pleasant sing along option.

While this is an excellent app, two design elements could be improved to make the user’s experience even better. Animation of some animals, such as the snake, need to be a bit more lively. It is rare that I suggest animation be increased; however, in this case it is needed to keep the user engaged.

The second suggestion is in regards to the Find the Babies activity. Some of the animals can be difficult to find, to the point of a child becoming frustrated enough to quit. The user can zoom in or out, but it is not a skill most young children have acquired. Including a hint or help feature would be beneficial, as would outlining the animals found with a brighter color. This is especially true on the smaller screened devices.

Over in the Jungle does not include an option to record your own voice for the read to me story option.

Education

The story focuses on counting from 1 to 10 with fun rhyming verse on each page. Words are highlighted during narration of the sing along and read to me options. Narration can be repeated by using the repeat button at the bottom of the page.

In all three story options, number words are presented in a way that makes them stand out from the highlighting during narration. Plus the number is also made visible to the right of the words, helping the reader make the connection between the two. Adding the ability to touch both to hear them spoken would be a significant benefit.

Find the Babies is an activity at the end of the story, but you can navigate to it without having to complete the story. This activity centers on counting back from 10 to 1 as children find the babies. The number of animals found appears on the screen; it would be helpful to have the app count along as the animals are found.

The additional information regarding how the app was made is interesting; however, kids may be more interested in the additional information regarding the animals featured in the story.

Entertainment

Over in the Jungle is a short book that with the music, interactivity, rhymes and beautiful colors and artwork should hold your child’s interest. Bumping up the interactivity in the movement of some of the animals and adjusting the hide and seek activity will help in extending the level of entertainment.

Value

This is a beautiful book with an entertaining way of teaching young children their numbers from 1 to 10. It is a universal app that works fairly well on the smaller screens; definitely more enjoyable on the iPad. The app is lacking in a few areas, making those improvements would then make the price of the app a bit more reasonable.

Child Friendliness

The app is designed with the young users in mind. It is easy to choose the desired reading option, navigate to the additional information or back to the beginning. The only external link to be aware of is the link for more apps which is available on the navigation menu.