Kid Book

Developer: Stolen Lunch
Category: Education
Version: 1.0.0
Release Date: June 4, 2009
Size: 5.6 MB
Price: $2.99
Rating: 9/10

The iPod Touch has been lurking in the background for a while now. As people have been micro-focusing on iPhone app stats, iPod Touch users have secretly become the big spenders in the App Store, especially on games and child related educational apps. My daughter for one, actually fires up the Touch and hits math flash cards - for fun! Kid Book is the first app to offer something with some educational value to the really little ones. This is a great one for iPod Touch owners, or for iPhone-using parents on the go.

Kid Book is an elegantly designed app graphically. It packs as much knowledge into each screen as is possible, shy of actually spelling each word. Every time you touch the screen a new image comes up containing an animal, a shape with a primary color. As you touch each screen the animal makes its sound out loud (moo, meow, etc.), says it's name, tells the shape it is standing on and tells what the color of the shape is. The animals come from a diverse selection from kitties to elephants.

My first thought was that I would cringe at the site of my iPhone being sucked on by a pre-toddler, and my next thought was that I'm glad I have a 9 year old. Then I imagined how many times I wish that I had had something to entertain her with when she was still in the carrier, and how I would have given an ear to be able to fire up an app like Kid Book and stop the crying while actually doing something educational for her. Kids are usually pretty entranced by electronics, the screen on my old cell phone used to captivate her.

Kid Book is a great concept and a well executed one too. The graphics are bright, happy and shiny, the sounds are captivating and the colors and shapes are soothing. If you are worried about slobber and sour milk spittle on your iPhone or iPod Touch, head on over to www.drypodsonline.com and score yourself a waterproof, shockproof case. That'll fix that problem. The $2.99 for this well made app is a drop in the bucket for any parent who has ever received the mid-flight glares, experienced the highway howls or endured the late night zombie hours. And your kid will definitely learn a thing or two.