Cat In The Hat, The

$2.99, iPhone, iPad

Teaches: reading, word recognition

CTR Rating: 88%

CTR Review

See also Cat in the Hat - Read & Learn. This narrated version of the classic Dr. Seuss story (for iPhone and iPad) lets children tap on illustrations to see them labeled. The unique aspect of this feature is that the word zooms directly out of the story text. So children can easily make the connection that the word "tree" goes with a picture of a tree. The illustrations and font are exactly as they were in the original book. There are three modes of play, offered on the first menu: Read it Myself (swipe through the book, page by page), Read to Me (read the book in traditional form, with narration and the ability to flip pages), and Auto Play (plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages). This is a 'Universal App', optimized for both iPhone and iPad. Other Dr. Seuss titles with a similar design include How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the Lorax, and Dr. Seuss' ABC. Each is sold for $2.99 each. As Apps go, this one is a bit dry, but the story and clear graphics go a long way to compensate for the lack of things to do. It could be a very strong early reading enrichment activity.