Take a trip with Lulu where the reader moves the story along ...

Lulu is a little French girl who goes on many adventures around the world with her cat, Zazou. This story is about their second trip in the series ... to French Polynesia. The pair arrive by air, this time parachuting onto the islands. This title is lightly animated and full of interactivity that makes the reader a part of the story. Every page has elements to tap that move the story along or provide additional dialogue and information about the part of the world they are exploring. A small pink bird can also be found in every scene. Watch Lulu dance, help her prepare a Tahitian salad and even write a souvenir postcard to a friend (Note: This feature uses your email account).

This app is well made with lots of features, including a map that allows you to explore the story of their travels in a non-linear way. The text doesn't highlight as read, but it is in a clear, easy to read font, perfect for young readers. This book features lots of interesting dialogue that goes beyond the text of the story, as well. There are also lots of games (accessible from within the book), making this an app that can be played with for hours. These activities include copying the sequence of a garland, finding a pearl under three moving shells, and a 'catch the crab' color matching game. There is even a canoe race at the end where readers can help Lulu paddle to victory. These are fun extras and extend playtime with this app, but can also present a distraction to young reader's comprehension of the story.

The only real drawback of this series, for me, relates to the reading opportunities provided, since much of the dialogue (and even some of the narrated story) is not shown in the text boxes. Most of the introductory narrative for each page is shown in text form, however young listeners would benefit from the option to see the dialogue as text, too. The addition of speech bubbles for the characters (or some other way to display the text) and highlighting would be a nice educational enhancement for a future update.

Overall, this is an very engaging app with charming characters and fun activities bundled into the narrative. Children will love this story and in the process, they will learn about the places, people and animals of the islands of French Polynesia. This book also has intuitive settings, including nice narration that can be set up for French or English. My little one is already asking about the next adventure in this series, and I predict yours will too. Recommended!

All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.