Kids are learning in new ways every day, and with the advent of apps that keep kids entertained through games and stories, it’s hard to imagine experiencing story time any other way. iPads bring stories to life with moving images and mesmerizing sounds; imagine the extra oomph you get when the visuals are provided by a real artist.
Download Town Musician of Bremen and find out exactly what I mean.
This is the story of the Bremen Town Musicians, and old tale made famous by the Brothers Grimm. It tells the tale of four animals too old and too tired to fit in. They feel useless and set out on a quest to change that. They head for the town Bremen, where they plan to become musicians, but on the way, the run into trouble.
While this story has been made into a book app in lots of different ways by a slew of app developers, this particular version has its own uniqueness in its highly details and artistic portrayal of the age old story.
The main appeal of this book is the artwork that drapes each page. Each piece was originally created as a hand painted piece of art with the most intricate of details. To supplement this, there are more than 800 entertaining animations that move the pictures gracefully and over 120 sounds to bring these animations and illustrations to life.
This electronic book is also set up to read to young listeners or allow for the older listeners to read on their own. If the narration option is selected, the app highlights the text as it’s being read, which serves as an excellent learning tool.
Navigation through the pages is straightforward, and you can always move backwards or forwards. As you view the page, readers are encouraged to tap on different areas to see if they come to life or make any sounds, making consumption of the book richer and more meaningful.
Given the fact that the animated artwork and fine details with which each page is rendered is so intricate, it goes without saying that it currently is available only on iPads. What I would like to see in a future update is a version that can download on some of the larger iPhones, as many a parent would love to be able to share this on the go, to keeps their little ones occupied.
Until then, Town Musicians of Bremen is something not to be missed, whether you are an adult who loves classic children’s tales or a young one who is just getting their first taste of one.