An interactive children’s storybook app that transports children into a mysterious world and reinforces valuable life lessons.
App Name: Bramble Berry Tales – The Story of Kalkalih by Loud Crow Interactive
Category: Story/Book App for Kids
Price: $2.99 (actual price may vary)
Download Now: iPad+iPhone
Our Review of Bramble Berry Tales – The Story of Kalkalih
Two modern kids, Lily and Thomas, visit their grandparents, and the little girl sneaks out of her bed, then the grandpa decides to tell a Squamish tale he heard as a boy, emphasizing that “after I heard it, I never snuck out of bed again.” You may be curious to know who Kalkalilh is, well, the character Kalkalilh is “based on the oral traditions of the Skwxwu7mesh and predates many of the cannibal women stories of European folklore,” according to the app description, and in this story, Kalkalilh is a villain/monster who likes eating kids’ toes.
Words are highlighted when spoken, and the Squamish words are marked in red, which will also offer a dictionary-pedia section for readers to learn about the word origins.
Almost every character (as well as some objects) on the pages are tappable and have their own animation and sound/sound effects. Although this app provides lots of tappable elements for kids to explore, this app, honestly, lacks good interactions, unfortunately. And another drawback is that the story is not very long, but I don’t think it will take away from the digital and reading fun.
Additionally, this app, which has wonderfully designed graphics, made me feel like I was watching a well-produced animated movie instead of just reading a story book, while testing it on my iPad. And I enjoyed the exotic background music as well.