Simple but elegant design perfect for toddlers & preschoolers!

Nosy Crow's latest app is sure to please the toddler and preschool set (and their parents) with Animal SnAPP, an app that contains a mix and match book, with a series of six animal 'tops & bottoms' that slide together. Once each of these animals is connected to its 'other half', a short story begins, giving young readers a six-pack of readers all-in-one app.

Whether narrated in a delightful & crisp British accent, or in 'read myself' mode, there is plenty to play with in Animal SnAPP, including animations that are top-notch and additional dialogue in speech bubbles from several of the barnyard animals. The stories are sweet but very simple, making this an app I would recommend for up to age six at the very oldest; it is especially well suited for toddlers and kids under four in particular.

The app has simple settings, including page turning by arrows at the bottom of each screen and nice, large-sized text that is nicely matched to the gorgeous illustrations on each page. Simple sound effects, music and light animation enhance this storybook in a way that will engage youngsters without interrupting their reading experience. The overall integration of all the features is simply magical for young listeners.

There is no page guide, however, making navigation difficult if your child wants to easily return to a favorite page. The mix & match feature for navigation is very hip and fun, although in practice it can also mean that children end up reading the same story over and over when they are actually trying to find a new combination, so at one point I needed to help my little boy find a match quickly before the wrong story started, so he could read the one he kept missing in the rotation.

But when it comes right down to deciding what to download as parents, educators & librarians, there are very few app developers that I can recommend as a 'guaranteed' high-quality app experience, no matter what they publish. Nosy Crow is one of the very best in this regard and so far nothing they publish has fallen short of my expectations (which are rather high). This app is stellar, while simple, and an overall easy one for me to highly recommend!

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