It's Tyrannosaurus Rex - Smithsonian's Prehistoric Pals
May 4, 2012
By: Carisa Kluver
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User Rating:
Rating: Not Yet Rated!
It's Tyrannosaurus Rex - Smithsonian's Prehistoric Pals
May 4, 2012
By: Carisa Kluver
The Digital Media Diet
A monster of the prehistoric world is revealed!
It's Tyrannosaurus Rex is a nicely illustrated title in Oceanhouse Media's Smithsonian Collection - a series based on popular non-fiction print titles about the natural world. The print version of this title was released in 2004 along with an audio CD. As a book app, this title sparkles, giving enormous value over its print counterpart, including narrated text that highlights as read. This book series fills a great need for digital book apps with non-fiction educational content. The books selected so far have been well vetted as print titles, making it easy as parents & educators to select these digital books with confidence.
Each title in this series takes the original print images and pans over them in a nice, semi-animated style. There is also a nice array of natural sound effects, like the crunching of snow, waves or wind blowing, paired nicely with a great male voice-over. The sound effects also help the story come alive without overshadowing the narration.
Extra features include the ability to record your own narration as well as excellent navigation with a nice visual thumbnail page guide. Ample settings allow adults to set the book up with or without audio and interactive elements. Links that leave the app are contained exclusively in the 'info' section under a parental gate that requires fluid reading and following complex directions.
As a way to foster a child's interest in prehistoric animals, this app gets high marks. It is well developed and based on sound scientific information. There are even a few pages at the end with extra educational content. Paired with Oceanhouse Media's "OM" template, these Smithsonian non-fiction titles get a clear educational boost when print goes digital, engaging a whole new generation of young readers!
Recommended!
This app has been thoroughly evaluated by our staff. Please click on the 'star ratings' tab above, to see how it fared in all nine of our rating categories. See synopsis tab for more details about the storyline.
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Author/Illustrator:
Smithsonian Institution
Developer:
Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Length (time):
6 - 8 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: Yes
Allows Own Narration:
Yes
Uses Motion: No
Age: 6 - 9 +
Languages:
English •
Length (pages):
30 Pages
Story Synopsis - It's Tyrannosaurus Rex - Smithsonian's Prehistoric Pals
Join Tyrannosaurus Rex, the fiercest predator in all the land, as she shatters the stillness of the prehistoric forest with a loud, pounding sound! Explore pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalize the story with your own narration. Come along and see what Tyrannosaurus Rex finds to eat. [Source: iTunes]
Our Synopsis: The story begins with the ancient forest full of prehistoric life. Soon a loud pounding sound can be hear in the distance and all the animals begin to hide. It is Tyrannosaurus Rex! She is bigger than most other dinosaurs and even bigger than the trees. She tries to eat a nearby flying reptile but when she misses she heads into the forest for something that smells delicious ... while trying to eat a baby dino, she cracks her tooth on a jagged rock instead. Soon an even scarier sound can be heard in the distance, a volcano.
Orientation: Landscape
Format: Universal
Options:
Read to Me, Read Myself, AutoPlay, Record, Page Guide, News On/Off, Sound Effects/Interactions On/Off, Home, Links to: AppStore, FB, Twitter, Email, Web, Privacy Policy
App Release Date:
2011-04-19
Size: 17.94 MB
Version: 2.5
Lite Version Available: No
It's Tyrannosaurus Rex - Smithsonian's Prehistoric Pals
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