StoryToys Beauty and the Beast

What it is: An interactive 'pop-up' version of the traditional fairy tale. About 25 pages and 9 interactive 3D scenes.

What you do with it: three reading modes ('read to me', 'read it myself', 'autoplay'). Touch objects in the scenes for extra animations and sounds.

The interactive scenes/minigames include: sorting autumn leaves by the color, creating pies from 3 ingredients, finding the way through the snow-covered maze, playing ping-pong etc (view our video walkthrough for more details).

What we liked: the concept. The story (as the adaptation of the original tale). The activities/games complementing the storyline. Spoken instructions. Easy operation. Quality illustrations and animations. Good narration. Sounds and sound effects. 4 language versions. Store links, more apps link and update messages can be turned off in the Parent Center. Overall look and feel of the app.

What we didn't like: the reading options could be better (the text is not highlighted when read by the narrator). The extra activities get repetitive after you have read the book several times (and they could offer more educational value - some of them are really simple, like the 'dress up' game).

General notes about our book reviews: although when reviewing books, we try not to review the story itself, the general impressions will be reflected in the Overall Score.

The Age Range assigned to books will be usually broader compared to other apps, as they can be useful for both younger (with parent/narrator reading) or older (reading on their own) kids.

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