Piccolo Picture Books USA

What it is: a digital bookshelf for books for children (Piccolo Picture Books, about 20 titles available).

What you do with it: preview and purchase/download the books. Three modes of 'reading' the books: 'listening' (listen to the narration and follow the story), 'reading' (read the book on your own), 'learn to read' (listen to the narration, the words are highlighted when they are read out). Touch objects on pages for sounds and simple animations.

What we liked (please note this refers to the books - not the app itself): the illustrations, ease of use, sound effects, 5 language versions included in the price of the book.

What we didn't like: limited interactions. The reading options in the 'learn to read' mode are a bit limited. Text layout and font size are not 'young readers friendly'.

Note about the in-app purchases: you can preview one book for free. The books can be downloaded at $4.99 per book.

Appysmarts