
Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss, takes the reader to a magical land where birthday's are celebrated with great fanfare. The story is told in the 2nd person, celebrating the birthday of the reader. As the 'Great Birthday Bird' guides the listener on their magical birthday journey, messages about how special 'you' are abound. First published in print in 1959, this book features the classic illustrations & storytelling of Theo Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.
For the read-a-long effect, each word is highlighted as it is narrated. Tap on any word to hear it spoken, even in the 'read-it-myself' mode. Dr. Seuss books are great for children learning to read because they are filled with simple words. This title goes beyond 'sight' words, but should be an enjoyable read for kids 6-8 and up. The uplifting narration, great for pre-readers, is also pitch perfect for a book that tells us, "There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" It also has nice 'celebratory' music and sound effects of birds, the birthday horn, 'gobbling' up treats and much more.
Although each page is essentially a still image, many pages begin by panning over Seuss' colorful & imaginative artwork, zooming in and out to show off each segment of text, a nice semi-animated style. Although there is no real animation, most of the items pictured in the story react to a light tap with a visual image of the word with accompanying audio (for example, tap on BB, the birthday bird, and the words "Great Birthday Bird!" appear with audio saying “great birthday bird”).
This is a great book for anyone's birthday! It teaches that we are all unique and encourages us to be content with ourselves. As an app, this book is wonderful, losing nothing in the digital translation. Dr. Seuss would be 107 today! I think he would have been very pleased with the care Oceanhouse Media has put into this and many more of his wonderful titles.
All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.
Author/Illustrator:
Dr. Seuss
Developer:
Oceanhouse Media
Length (time):
20 - 25 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: Yes
Allows Own Narration:
No
Uses Motion: No
Age: 4 - 18 +
Languages:
English •
Length (pages):
63 Pages
And for even more information about Dr. Seuss, plus activities, games and more, go to the Seussville webpage!
Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss deals with a fantastic land called Katroo, where the Birthday Bird throws everyone an amazing party on their special day. It has almost no plot and consists of one long fantastical celebration, narrated in the second person, of the reader's birthday. The Birthday Bird appears in an episode of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. This book is dedicated to his "good friends" and "The Children of San Diego County." A very popular Seuss paragraph featured in this book, "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is noone alive who is youer than you." [Source: Wikipedia]
Orientation: Landscape
Format: Universal
Options:
Read to Me, Read Myself, AutoPlay, Sound Effects On/Off
App Release Date:
2011-02-28
Size: 18.4 MB
Version: 1.08
Lite Version Available: No