My Very Hungry Caterpillar
© 2014 StoryToys
Responsive and well designed, this simple virtual life simulation features Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. You start with an egg on an empty white screen. Tapping on the egg helps your caterpillar hatch. You pick fruit from the trees to feed him, tuck him into his bed stump, and grow food in the garden. Each time you wake your caterpillar, he (or she) grows just a bit, hungry and bored. You can pick fruit, sail on a pond with rubber ducks and grow flowers and fruit in a 3D garden. The more you play, the more surprises you'll find, including new activities, new fruit, floating bubbles and a wind-up Ladybug. Soon (about 15 minutes) your caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and a new egg is laid, and the process is repeated, with a butterfly floating in the background. Note that despite the scientifically accurate cycle, there's very little scientific validity to this app. This app is a case study in how to properly bring a rock star character from a children's book to a multi-touch screen, after several failed attempts (see, for example, Counting with the Very Hungry Caterpillar). It's nice to see that caterpillars, and apps, can evolve.
$3.99, iPad, Android, iPhone
Teaches: virtual life, simulation, insects, bugs, taking care of things, metamorphosis
CTR Rating: 95%