I Love You Through and Through

$5, iPad

Teaches: reading, emotions, fine motor coordination

CTR Rating: 92%

CTR Review

Combining a good story, illustrations and interactive design, I Love You Through and Through is a nice adaptation of the book by the same name, by Bernadette Rosetti-Shustak (illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church). It is part of Scholastic Media's "Touch & Tilt" line of apps. There are two ways to explore the 13 pages, which you swipe to turn. You can lean the screen from left to right, which can be a clumsy process for a 2 year old, or (better) tap on the text or the illustration to launch a one-step animation. There is a bit of lag time between your finger tap or motion and the resulting animation, but this is a minor problem. Also, some items beg for interaction (like the bubbles in the bathtub page) but do nothing. The graphics adapt well to the iPad's screen. While the words are highlighted as the sentence is read, you can't touch individual words, one at at time which is a missed opportunity. Options allow parents to turn off the music and narration so the child can read the story on his/her own, or have the story read to them. All in all, this is a nice addition to a young preschooler's virtual bookshelf. It would be a nice bedtime story to share together.