Midnight Feast
© 2013 Slap Happy Larry
This is a 44 page/screen picture book about a girl called Roya who is excited to stay up late for a midnight feast. The illustrations are beautiful -- this is almost an interactive painting -- and there are limited interactive features (mostly touch and find) related to the story. Some children did not like the conclusion of the story -- wanting a better "feast." Underlying themes in the story deal with drought and its impact on food security, imagination and escapism. Note - for younger readers, the scariest features ship in ‘off’ mode, and can be turned on in the options page. Interactive elements let children tap the screen to activate character dialogue and manipulate light effects, and rub-to reveal scenes expose Roya's imaginary alternative life. The illustrations are by American Matthias Bossi, with musical score composed by New Zealand musician Chris Hurn especially for this story. The narration plays automatically on each page but can be turned off. This book was on the short list for the 2014 BolognaRagazzi Digital Prize.
$2.99, iPad (293 MB)
Teaches: reading, illustration, drought, art
CTR Rating: 84%