
Brave Rooney is an ordinary boy in an extraordinary situation. He goes to school in Magesticville, a place where everyone is a super-hero. But Rooney lives on the border with Normalville and is decidely not super at anything. The school even has to hire a school nurse for the first time, just for Rooney. No one had ever gotten sick before he attended. But despite his struggles to fit in, Rooney turns out to have one thing the other 'super' kids do not, making him a hero of sorts for a unique kind of bravery.
Featuring cute cartoon drawings and a storyline kids will love, this book app hits just the right balance between story and enhancements. It has light animations that highlight fun aspects of the story, along with interactive elements that add a touch of movement to the delightful illustrations. Brave Rooney has become a fast favorite of my little boy and is even appropriate for bedtime reading.
This app is solidly made with lots of settings, including a nice page guide. Other settings include options for auto-play, swipe or arrow page turning, separate volume controls for the narration, sound effects & background music. You can even choose to disable interactive elements during narration, a great feature for kids that like to tap before the story is finished on each page. Text is also in an easy to read font that highlights as read.
Overall this is a top-notch book app with a well-developed story holding center stage. Enhancements don't distract from the book's message, either. Readers are left with the distinct impression that everyone can have a unique talent, no matter how 'super' everyone else around them may seem.
All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.
Author/Illustrator:
Gerry Renert/Barry Gott
Developer:
Bacciz,LLC
Length (time):
5 - 8 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: No
Allows Own Narration:
No
Uses Motion: No
Age: 3 - 9
Languages:
English •
Length (pages):
25 Pages
Magesticville is a town full of superheros with a school full of young caped crusaders. At the border with Normalville lives little Rooney, who one day is zoned into the superhero's school district. As he tries to fit in Rooney needs things no other child has needed before. He gets hurt and sick, requiring a school nurse just for him.
Then one day there is a competition requiring every student to compose and present an original poem for National Poetry Week. All the 'super' hero kids are terrified, but Rooney is completely calm. He volunteers to read his poem first, even. When he gets up and reads his poem without shaking, fainting or otherwise seeming nervous, all the kids in school are very impressed. After that he is known as Brave Rooney, becoming popular with his classmates for his talent for public presentations.
Orientation: Landscape
Format: Universal
Options:
Read to Me, Read Myself, Volume/Text/Page Controls, Links: Web, AppStore, FB, Twitter, Email
App Release Date:
2011-08-23
Size: 96.9 MB
Version: 1.8
Lite Version Available: No