Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island - Interactive Book App for Kids

What it is: a book about a boy who dreams of becoming a treasure hunter.

What you do with it: listen to the story (or read it by yourself), touch objects on pages for animations and sounds.

What we liked: the story (with varying story lines), beautiful illustrations with lots of details, great narration, great sounds and sound backgrounds, excellent 'reading' options (text is highlighted when read, text box can be moved freely around a page, there are pause/play/repeat buttons).

What we didn't like: there are many 'interactive' elements but most of them just trigger sounds and only few of them really enhance the story (there is a lot of potential here). You can choose various 'story lines' but the navigation could be made a bit easier (we found it difficult to go back to the 'chests' page quickly). The sound effects are too loud (compared to the narration). Flipping pages is nice visually but requires extra effort. Apparently there are additional videos/activities related to the book but we don't understand why they are only available on the website (not in the app).

Please note that parts of the story may be too graphic or too scary for younger (or more sensitive) children.

Appysmarts