What it is: an interactive animated book about friendship and sharing (12 pages long).

What you do with it:listen to the story (or read it yourself) and interact with the objects on every page (sounds, animations, 'responses' of the characters etc, minigames).

What we liked: the story, excellent illustrations, easy operation and navigation, animated and interactive elements complementing the story, the music and sound effects. Excellent reading/narration/configuration options (e.g. the text is highlighted, there are quick buttons for repeating a paragraph or for hiding the text box, the narration/music volume can be adjusted separately etc.).

What we didn't like: we missed some sort or visual clues or instructions (for parents) where to find the interactions.

General notes about our book reviews: although when reviewing books, we try not to review the story itself, the general impressions will be reflected in the Overall Score.

The Age Range assigned to books will be usually broader compared to other apps, as they can be useful for both younger (with parent/narrator reading) or older (reading on their own) kids.

Appysmarts

How to download the 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' movie storybook for free:

Step 1: Download and open the iStoryTime - Library of Storybooks for Kids app on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch

Step 2: Navigate to the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs book

Step 3: Use this code for the book: tree

(be sure to use 'click here if you have a story code' link)

You may need to create a free account using Facebook or e-mail address to download the book to the device.

Step 4: Enjoy the book!

Please note that this free offer is valid only on December 28th!

Appysmarts

What it is: a story about the moon and how it makes people feel connected to other people (about 16 pages long).

What you do with it: listen to the narration, touch the screen for simple interactions or extra effects (like the scene changing from day to night etc).

What we liked: the story itself, very easy operation, good narration.

What we didn't like: limited reading options (the narration can't be turned off), very few (and not too inspiring) interactive elements (you end up tapping around the screen to see what moves). The illustrations are not consistent graphically. The words are highlighted when read but unfortunately the pace is too fast to have any educational value.

General notes about our book reviews: although when reviewing books, we try not to review the story itself, the general impressions will be reflected in the Overall Score.

The Age Range assigned to books will be usually broader compared to other apps, as they can be useful for both younger (with parent/narrator reading) or older (reading on their own) kids.

Appysmarts