The Shape of Me and Other Stuff - Dr. Seuss
June 22, 2012
By: Carisa Kluver
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User Rating:
Rating: Not Yet Rated!
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff - Dr. Seuss
June 22, 2012
By: Carisa Kluver
The Digital Media Diet
Just think about the shape of things ...
This app, from Oceanhouse Media, is based on the print book published in 1973 and originally subtitled, Dr. Seuss's Surprising Word Book. It follows a journey with two children as they explore different shapes, shown in silhouette. It is full of things that kids can ponder, like the shape of people, animals and objects. The illustrations are a little unusual for a Seuss book, with blocks of color and solid objects shown in outline only, making it great for focusing on shapes and shadows.
Many items are shown, but not all are even named in the text, giving young readers the opportunity to focus on fine details. My child really enjoyed naming everything pictured as we read it together. Most of the images also react to a light tap to see and hear the name of the item. If the word is also present in the text, it highlights there as well, providing lots of visual reinforcement for young readers. This feature also makes finding the different small items not named a little easier for young children who may have trouble identifying all the cool silhouettes.
Like most omBooks, each word is highlighted as it is narrated. Tap on any word to hear it spoken, even in the 'read-it-myself' mode. Although each page is essentially a still image, many pages pan over the artwork, zooming in and out slightly, to show off each segment of text. The only thing this wonderful story app is lacking is a page guide to make navigation easier. It's even a great length for bedtime reading.
Overall this is an exceptional book, especially for encouraging a visual focus not unlike the one children need to make for word-shape identification. The range of things to find is expansive, too, including dozens and dozens of items, like a backdoor key, beans spilling off a fork, campfire smoke and even a Seussical looking machine. It definitely goes way beyond the typical early reader full of geometric shapes. Of course, we'd expect nothing less from Dr. Seuss! Highly Recommended.
All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.
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Author/Illustrator:
Dr. Seuss
Developer:
Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Length (time):
4 - 6 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: Yes
Allows Own Narration:
No
Uses Motion: No
Age: 3 - 8
Languages:
English •
Length (pages):
20 Pages
Story Synopsis - The Shape of Me and Other Stuff - Dr. Seuss
Two children are in silhouette contemplating the 'shape' of things, like bugs, balloons, and more. No shapes are alike they discover, thinking about each of the strange and wonderful things as they travel with the reader across page after page of things like ships, a bird cage, and even chewing gum. Things that have changing shapes, like smoke are even shown. Then the pair wonders what it might have been like if they had come in some other shape. But in the end the children say, "Hurray, for the shapes we're in!"
Orientation: Landscape
Format: Universal
Options:
Auto-Play, Read-it-myself, Read-to-me, Sound Effects, Sound On/Off, Links to: AppStore, Web, FB, Twitter, Email
App Release Date:
2012-03-21
Size: 8.04 MB
Version: 1.0.8
Lite Version Available: No
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff - Dr. Seuss
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