Review: Bob Books Reading Magic App (iPad and iPod Touch)

Bob Books was one of the tools I used to help my boys learn to read. I remember thinking they were ridiculously simple, but then realizing that was what made them amazing.  Both boys quickly mastered the small words and short sentences, which gave them almost-instant satisfaction and a confidence boost.

I fully expected to make them available for Lydia, and already have a few sets on the shelves ready for her. When I was contacted about the Reading Magic app they recently released, I was excited to try it out!  There is an app available for the iPod Touch and iPhone, as well as one for the iPad.  We tried both out, and the video shows Lydia using our iPad and the Reading Magic app.



As you can see, she enjoys it!  I was surprised at how quickly she picked it up.  I really liked the fact that you can change the settings so that when they are matching the letters to the word, you can choose from actual letters, or the phonic sounds.  Since she is so comfortable with her letters, we set it for phonics.

She thinks the change from black and white to color is interesting, and laughs at how the characters jiggle on the screen.  I like that they kept the same simple line drawings and backgrounds -- but added the color as tasks are completed in the app.


This gets a 5 star, thumbs-up score!

I'm really excited that I can share a code with one of my readers so they can try it out. Let me know if you want to try the app on the iPad or the iPhone or iPod Touch.  They are 2 different downloads, but the app works almost exactly the same on each platform.

To enter the giveaway, click HERE to jump to the giveaway form.  Before you click, take note of the giveaway name and mandatory question so you can fill in the blanks on the form.  Also, be sure that you have an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone to install the app. (Link to my giveaway rules can be found to the right)

Giveaway Name: Reading Magic
Mandatory Question: On which device will you install Reading Magic?

This giveaway will end on January 7, 2011.  Good Luck!!

*Disclosure: I received 2 codes to download the Reading Magic app for the iPod Touch and the iPad.  I also will receive a code to give to one of my readers.  No additional compensation was provided.  All opinions and thoughts are my own and Lydia's.*

Review: My Living Stories for iTouch & iPhones (and iTunes giveaway!)

Last summer, when I got my iPhone, I loaded a few games for the kids.  They loved playing games on my phone, and finally this summer we got them each an iPod Touch (older versions we found 2nd hand) so I could have my phone for myself. Lydia (3yo) is as proficient as her brothers on many games, and I tended to download more for her since the boys have their Nintendo DS's.

Lydia loves stories and books, and also enjoys watching videos on her iPod Touch.  We recently had the chance to try out a few audiobooks that came complete with illustrations on her iPod Touch. The company, My Living Stories, has taken popular fairy tales and combined them with nice illustrations and a bit of music.

We tried out 3 this past week -- King Midas, Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks.  The stories are geared to ages 4 - 8, but I only had to show Lydia once how to navigate and she was fine. She quickly figured out that if she only heard music and no words, then she had to go back and choose the other option (one option plays music and lets the user read the words, the other reads the words out loud).  She also quickly caught on to the fact that she had to press the forward button when nothing more was being read.

She liked the illustrations and she has played them a few times.  I guess we have never read "Red Riding Hood" before, as when she saw the wolf in the bed, she said "Hey!  Wolves don't belong in beds.  They belong on mountains."  Later, I heard her say "Oops, not that wolf one.  Don't like him!"  She did enjoy the other 2 stories we tried out, and her dislike had nothing to do with the quality of the app!

If you want to download some Living Stories for your young ones, I have a $25 iTunes gift card to give away to one of my readers!  Contest ends August 5, 2010! This contest is open to US and Canadian readers. Check out my giveaway rules here.  This is part of a blog tour by Mom Central, so feel free to enter on other blogs -- but only one iTunes gift card can be awarded per winner.

Click here to get into the Giveaway Form and fill out your entry.  (Please leave a comment if you have something to say, but if you want to enter the giveaway, your entry must be recorded through the Giveaway Form.  Thanks!)

Giveaway Name:  My Living Stories
Mandatory Question: Which story would you like best?


Disclosure - I am participating in the My Living Stories program by Mom Central on behalf of Decode Entertainment. I received 3 free apps and a gift card as a thank you for my participation.