Michael Robin | APPS | 06.22.2012 @ 1:00 pm
The App: Reading Rainbow
The Device: The iPad
The Price: Free to download, 9.99 monthly subscription fee
The Basics: This app, hosted by LeVar Burton, offers a trip down nostalgia lane for the parents. The app contains trusted library of books customized to your child’s interests, and those exciting video field trips from the original show!
Children are able to travel to several themed islands and discover quality fiction and non-fiction books. Children have the option to read the stories themselves or have the stories read to them by LeVar Burton himself. Additionally, each book comes alive with light animations and activities to enhance each story.
The Review: As a mother to an excellent Kindergarten reader, I was excited to learn of the Reading Rainbow App. What I remember most about Reading Rainbow is that every story had a a lesson. I was excited to pass on this token of my childhood to Anden. Last night, after eating dinner we sat down and launched the reading Rainbow app for the first time.
After a choir of children singing the themes song, the first thing on the screen was LeVar Burton welcoming us to Reading Rainbow. Anden’s eyes lit up immediately when he saw an example of what this app could do. He was then able to create his own user profile noting his age, writing his name and selecting a male avatar to guide him through the app.
We spent a few hours playing with Reading Rainbow. Anden navigated from island to island reading story after story, playing with animation after animation. We will be returning to this app time and time again!
Our Final Grade: 4 Thumbs up!