A fun picture book app for young children about the joys of being buckled up safely in the car.

Click Clack: Buckled in your booster seat is a delightful book app created by VicRoads in Victoria, Australia. This agency is the equivalent of the DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles) in the U.S. They commissioned this free storybook, designed by author Danny Katz with the whimsical artistry of Mitch Vane's illustrations, to support child safety practices. This title tells a simple story, poem-like and lyrical, about road safety in a fun and accessible way for young readers and their caregivers.

In this book, many children (and adults) are pictured buckling up and staying safe in the back seat of the car. After securing themselves in the vehicle, each child passenger is featured on several pages that include fantastical journeys of the imagination that can safely take place after the 'safety check'. The imaginary adventures include a rocket trip, roller coaster ride, trip to Egypt on a camel, a royal audience and more! This is a great way to emphasize that daydreaming in the car is a great idea, especially once everyone is safe and sound.

There are ample settings in this title, including a page-guide and narration that can be turned on or off. There are several links that leave the app, however, without parental gates, including a web and appstore link. The narration is well done, although there is no highlighting of the text. The font is nice-sized and easy to read with simple page turn arrows on the bottom left/right of each screen. There is also one small but sweet activity included with this book. Called "My Magic Seat", this extra is a creativity activity based on one of the stories main characters, with stickers & coloring options to make a unique drawing. It's a nice addition but not otherwise exceptional.

Light interactivity and animation enhance this lovely title in a way that is relevant to the text, supporting the narrative on every page. Children will likely only notice the fun elements, but parents and teachers will appreciate the message throughout, about staying safe when driving, especially useful for teaching kids who are resistant to staying in their seat-belts or car-seats. This is a must-download for any children's digital library, appropriate for kid's whether they live down under or are just tempted to blast off to another planet (after being safely strapped in, of course).

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.

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