App Review Look & Cook

Look & Cook published by Kinetic Art is a cooking ebook for ipad. It includes the collections of a top Israeli chef of healthy delicious food. These recipe are tailored for home cooks with a beginning knowledge of cooking, and are looking to increase their skills and prepare more healthy meals. Each recipe has three sections look, cook, and tools. These sections allow the reader to interact with the material in order to have a greater understanding of what they are cooking.  The look section is a panoramic view of all the ingredients and tools needed in order to cook the recipe. The cook section features the actual recipe and step by step images with instructions on the different stages of the recipe.  The tools section allows you to buy the actual tools the chef uses to achieve these masterpieces.

The interactivity includes the three sections, with the ability to connect to a site to buy materials.  In depth images and an easy interface to view the recipes. What could have added to the interactivity would be gifs that would allow the reader to see the cooking steps in action instead of a still image.

My experience with this ebook was great. I found the book easy to use, with an appetizing color scheme and a clear text. The instructions were clear and the images through each step allowed for greater clarity.  The recipes were organized into specific category's such as appetizers and desert which made it easy to explore and find what your looking for with the ability to slide recipes over and briefly see what is required to make them.

The interactivity enhanced my learning experience with the ebook. There was no sound or video in the ebook, which I feel would have added to the learning experience.A search tool to look up recipes would have also been helpful,  but what was there was fantastic. I see a great future in cook ebooks that help teach how to make preparing food easier, which is something most people need to learn how to do. I would recommend this ebook, and I feel its well worth its price.

Walking with Dinosaurs

The book-app I chose to review was the BBC-produced, "Walking With Dinosaurs."  I would describe this app as an interactive encyclopedia of dinosaurs.  This is an excellently produced ebook, that is visually appealing.  The app contains three easily navigable sections.
The first section of the app is the "Features Section."  This is essentially a chaptered-out history of the dinosaurs, that goes all the way up until modern times and our discovery of the dinosaurs.  I really liked how each chapter is fairly brief and features it's own individual set of animated graphics.  For example, there is a chapter on plants in the Jurassic period.  There are about six 3D rotating generations of the most common plants at the time.  Along with the section, is a rotating aerial view of earth showing the clear differences in Earth georgraphical and climactic layout in relation to Earth today.  Very cool.
The second section of the app is my favorite.  It is essentially an alphabetized profile list of the most common dinosaurs—the app probably displays around 300.  The dinosaurs are navigable via a scrolling horizontal carousel, and each dinosaur is displayed with a moving 3D animation showing it's probably movement pattern.  Upon selecting a particular dinosaur, the user is taken to a full-length spec-sheet/profile of the dinosaur.  Along with the spec sheet comes more 3D generations of the dinosaur along with generations of the dinosaurs prey or plant food of choice.   Almost all 3D generations are expandable in high definition, and have rotate capabilities.  I think this is a great way to quickly learn about various dinosaurs, and could even be used as a quick reference for anyone studying them in the field.
The third section of the app is titled, "Dinosaur Hunters."  This section highlights the most prominent paleontologists from past to present.  This list is in chronological order and each paleontologist is given a quick bio sheet of their most famous discoveries (with accompanying pictures) and about a four-paragraph write-up of their story.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent ebook/app that would appeal to all ages.  I found it to be highly informative and fun to interact with.   But I could also easily imagine a dinosaur-obsessed seven-year-old version of myself loving this app as well.  I would think being able to capture such a wide audience in one app is a pretty challenging thing to do, which I'm sure is the reason this was app received the recognition it did.  From stunning 3D imagery to informative byte-size readings, I would highly recommend this app for anyone with an interest in dinosaurs.

The Interaction of Color by Josef Alberts is an incredible app, especially for designers and color enthusiasts. It allows the user to examine Josef Alberts principles and patterns by inputting their own color palate, as well as watch videos of professionals teaching Josef Alberts ideas. This app isn't for a casual user, however; many of the principles involve very technical writing and have advanced theories about color interaction. The person reading the text will have to have some background information about design and color in order to fully enjoy the app's information. Nonetheless, the visuals of the palates are gorgeous and will give even the least experienced user a pleasant encounter. The app's design allows Josef Alberts creations to stand out - simply a white background with plain text, or a plain white background with the color palates being highlighted.   
 
This lets the color be front and center, giving users a focus while working with the app. The interactivity of changing the colors also heightens the capabilities of how to understand the interactivity of color. The ability to change the colors within the examples, as well as be able to completely redesign how the color looks, gives users a fantastic way of examining Josef Alberts principles. The user can additionally either change the layout with the colors chosen, then change the colors within that layout, giving users a ton of options for creation.

This app, in general, gives users a way to redesign and examine Josef Alberts' principles, as well as have an engaging time with color. 

- Vreni

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore 


The enhanced eBook I chose to review is "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore". This book was originally an award-winning short film that they chose to adapt into an enhanced eBook. When you open the book up, you get a menu with multiple different options to chose from, including the ability to watch the short film, read the book, or view the credits.

From the very first page of the book the interactivity is overwhelming. In order to continue the story and turn the page, you must swipe across the screen, causing a windstorm that knocks over the protagonist (Mr. Morris Lessmore) and sends his many stacks of books flying on the wind. Once you have caused enough wind, an option pops up to turn the page. On page three, Mr. Morris's house is floating in the middle of the screen, and when you move your finger around the screen in a counter-clockwise direction, the house spins and Mr. Morris runs around his house in an attempt to stay on the house and not fall off.

One of (in my opinion) the coolest aspects of this eBook is when you have to help Mr. Morris play the piano. For me this stuck out as the absolute coolest thing I have ever seen on an iPad, due to the fact that you iPad literally becomes a small keyboard with 24 keys that allows you to play songs. I personally feel like this is my favorite feature because not only is the eBook helping to keep children engaged while reading, they can also learn how to play the piano while they're at it.

This is an incredible 27-page eBook that I highly suggest everyone checks out. You can view a short video review of it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr42-_snOCU. The book costs $4.99 in the app store, and I personally feel like that's a steal. Hopefully everyone gets a chance to check out what I believe is the best put together enhanced eBook on the market.

Chopsticks

The book that I decided to review was Chopsticks. Now, I know they were testing the waters on this enhanced ebook, but I honestly don't think the content of the story was very well done. The interactions of the book were great, but at the same time I don't think it was necessary.

Whenever there was an interaction, there would be music notes flying all around the area. At first I was confused by the sight of them. I thought there would be music playing if I tapped on it due to the book being called Chopsticks, but the were simple interactions of a paragraph appearing or indicating that photos very able to be moved around. It was nice interaction, but I just wished they chose multiple ways to show an interaction.

Most of the content is just photos you flip through. You get a general feel about where the story is taking place and you understand that the protagonists are two teenagers who are falling in love. You're able to interact with them throughout the story and see them take photos, write instant messages, and even listen to the playlist they created for each other. It was great interactions, but as a reader I felt left behind.

I wanted to know more about Frank and Glory's past life. I got the sense that their mothers past away, but I wasn't sure why or when it happened. I knew Glory had a rough relationship with her father, but I didn't understand why. Had her father always been like this or was it just after her mother pasted? For Frank, I knew he was struggling in school but never understood why. I knew he was bullied but I didn't get why he was they way he was.

This ebook had great interactions, but there was just not text content, or there was just enough to get you by. As a reader I wanted to learn and engage more with the characters. I wish I got to see both characters developing, but I mainly just saw photos. So I wasn't sure if I should consider this a book when I feel like a book as content depth. I felt like what I got was just the icing on the cake but I couldn't eat it too.

The Magic Of Apps

For my review, I decided I would look deeper into The Magic of Reality app. It immediately struck me as very interesting, simply based on its content. I read a good chunk of it and got a good feel for what it had to offer. A lot of apps these days are trying to do too much and making the user experience more complicated than it needs to be. Magic of Reality uses elements of real text books along with new features that are available digitally to entertain the reader. The book begins with discussing our ancestors, way way way back, how even though it's extremely gradual, living things are constantly evolving. I just thought the writing and the way it was presented was very interesting. I have been talking about how I think apps and e-books are the future of education. This book convinced me of that. Although it had similarities to a boring text book, it was not nearly the same and kept me interested.
A few improvements the app could make would be to allow more accessibility for the reader to jump around to different sections of the book. There needs to be at least a table of contents or menu that you can access while reading but there isn't. For the most part, I really enjoyed how Magic of Reality is a continuation of text with images and other media. It has interactive features, such as sound bites, and games that allow you to face a task that relates to something from the book. Like blowing into the microphone to push the iguanas safely to shore. There is also a page that lets you see how temperature effects pressure. There are some bug fixes and minor adjustments they could make to have the app be more technically capable and as visually pleasing as new apps are. However, Magic of Reality is an amazing look into the possibilities of e-textbooks. If this were my science textbook in middle school, I would have loved that class. It is an awesome opportunity we have to explore so many different digital stories and applications. I am going to spend a lot of time looking at examples and find one similar to what I would like to create myself.

The New Literacy of the Book-App

The form of literacy required to engage with a well-authored book-app may be distinct from the skills and techniques utilized to decipher a traditionally bound book. It follows that different literacies may be necessary both to author as well as to read a well-developed book-app.

If this is true, it may be that neither the traditional novel, nor the traditional novelist, is best suited for the book-app. Rather, storytellers who tell stories freed from the archetypical plotline, engaging instead with a new kind of “story”, will create the book-apps that successfully pioneer the emerging media.

Arcadia, a new book-app by Iain Pears, may be one of the earliest narrative book-apps to step in the right direction in creating content to fit the medium. The book-app tells of ten characters’ in three different but connected worlds through a series of inter-related vignettes. It still utilizes a text-based narrative thread, but it does this with a supplemental geographic/temporal “map” of the story. This menu allows viewers to see the way multiple plotlines intersect.

The book aims to be a novel in the author’s words, “minimal graphics, no music and no animations. The reader does not choose outcomes or influence decisions, and there are no prizes or levels.” But the reader does make choices, and the text still feels heavily demanding of the user. Even if the prose entices, the urge to reference the map and “figure out” where one is on the storyline detracts from the invitation to fall into the alternative prose as brilliant novels – even structurally complex pieces of writing – will do. Rather, both right and left brain must be engaged as one navigates and pieces together the various aspects of the plot.

In evaluating this book-app, I thought about how it would be to read it as a paperbound book. Indeed, it may become quite frustrating to flip back and forth between vignette and map. More than likely, a reader would simply read the vignettes straight through, even if encouraged by the author to make their own path as they discover junctions in the various narratives of the story. The app in some ways forces a more engaged reader, if simply by making the act of engaging as simple as a swipe or a click.

Yet in my initial reading, I felt perplexed and rushed as I worked my way through the vignettes (that ever-present pressure to scroll and flip which screens induce) rather than enriched with a new way of seeing the world whole.

And I believe this is what story can do at its best. By making the particular seem universal and finding the personal in what is generally perceived in ambiguities, stories stir in us a momentary sense of the interconnection and completeness within which humans go about their lives. In order to keep this spirit alive, I believe the book-app will need to more acutely separate itself from traditional beginning-middle-end plot lines. Those stories will live on, but they will live on in their traditional form. A story fully written and read in the language and literacy of the book-app will be more innovative – and far less complicated – than the interwoven threads of Arcadia.

Post for 9/25

Stride and Prejudice

I chose a simple ebook to review this week, a new take on the old classic "Pride and Prejudice." Entitled "Stride and Prejudice" this ebook tries to find a fun way to encourage it's audience to read piece of classic literature.  It does this by creating a pixelized representation of the main character Elizabeth Bennett which then jumps over gaps in the scrolling text of the novel itself in video game like fashion.

There are several fonts used within the application and the mix seems to take away from the vintage video game motif that the developers were trying to create.  The home page menus have a sans serif font that that looks out of place on the box shaped menu buttons.  Despite this being an electronic source, the serif font used for the text in the title and the actual reading material is done well and is not a distraction.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that the text does not form paragraphs and pages, but remains one line.  The serif font also helps the viewer imagine the words as a "platform" from which the main character will be jumping.

The color choices for the menu  and character are the same.  This creates a monochromatic feel to the experience because there are not many other colors in the first place.  Cool colors like a light blue don't jump out to the foreground much either, but the lighter tints of blue of the sub menus are done well and can be easily distinguished from the main menus.  One of the exceptions to the monochromatic theme is the deep red of the "Game Over" screen.  While there are not many colors in the book, the audience has the option to change the background color, however the light tan and black backgrounds make the character even harder to distinguish as the focal point.

When you first open "Stride and Prejudice" the pixelated menu resembles a vintage video game and the ebook maintains this motif throughout it's various menus and the actual text itself. The menu's themselves are very simple and easy to navigate.  The viewers have the options of changing the background color and the speed the text scrolls.  They also have the option of "reading" the book from the last spot they finished, or starting over in a "survival mode" which is intended to test the viewers skills with the game aspect of the app.  The scroll speed can be increased to a speed which is nearly impossible to read, which turns the ebook into more of a game at that point.

Once the reader begins the story the application becomes much more simple.  A musical tune begins to play and the character appears standing on top of the words of the book.  The words then begin to scroll across the screen and when the character reaches the end of the words, the viewer must press the iPad in time to cause the character to jump onto the next set of words.  While this idea seems simple, trying to read and time the jumps of the character is not easy.  If the viewer focuses too much on the character (game aspect) of the book, then they are not able to read the story.  Likewise, if they focus too much on reading the story and the character falls, the reader must either restart the story or be disturbed by a menu prompting them to decide to continue reading or end the experience.

Perhaps the most distracting part of the reading experience is the structure of the gaps the character must jump over.  The gap spaces appear at random points mid sentence, which cause a chaotic and unorganized feeling.  The segments of the sentences also vary in height, length and gap space.  While this is clearly meant to keep the reader actively engaged, it further distracts from the fact that they are supposed to be reading a classic novel as well.

Overall "Stride and Prejudice" appears to be an idea that simply didn't come together correctly.  The simple colors used by the menus and character bring to mind retro video games from the past, but the text of the book is somewhat meaningless.  In order to continue reading the story, the viewer has to jump over the gaps in the text, which distracts them from the very words they are trying to read.  In this case "Stride and Prejudice" seems to be more of a game with a unique twist than an actual ebook.

Device 6 - The Whole is Less than the Sum of it's Parts

I chose the highly rated Device 6 for my app to review this week. After reading plenty of reviews of the app I was excited to see what all the hype was about. Gaming sites especially gave the app extremely high reviews, including IGN, a particularly harsh video game site, giving an unheard of 9.5 out of 10.

Background

Device 6 was made by a small Swedish studio called Simogo. It is made up of a pair of friends, one who codes and the other that creates the art for their "game-like things." After being released in October of 2013, it sold 100,000 copies within two months. There wasn't much additional information on how many copies have sold since that time, but 

Steampunk and the Enhanced Ebook

To find an app/enhanced e-book to review, I wanted to start searching simply, since if I were trying to find one for my own personal enjoyment, I probably wouldn't go far out of my way to find one. On my iPad, I opened the app store and searched for "enhanced ebook". I found two enhanced ebooks, both free, one titled "The Witcher" and one titled "SteamHolmes".

I downloaded both, but I immediately went for "SteamHolmes", opening it first for the keyword, 'steam', which I assumed was a link to its genre, steampunk. For those of you who don't know and may be interested, steampunk is known as a genre similar to science fiction (or even a sub-genre within) science fiction. Wikipedia supplies a lovely definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk, however, I'll summarize by saying that steampunk usually has a setting within the future (distopian or post-apocalyptic), the technology is a mix between 'far-advanced' and 'steam powered', while also being within a 1800s to early 1900s Victorian or American Wild West style.

A few easy examples of the steam punk style are below:

-From the realm of film:

-And for novels:

 

Description of SteamPunk Holmes:

As far as content is concerned, "Steampunk Holmes: The Legacy of the Nautilus" is a novel, with eight chapters full of text, based on the evermore popular Sherlock Holmes universe created by Doyle. To base a new storyline off of Sherlock and his companions is a smart move as the Holmes universe is within the public domain and already has a following.

Along with an interesting storyline, Steampunk Holmes has interactive pages, full of drawings that react with movement and sound once you tap them, as well as a unique soundtrack that plays in the background of the novel. If you want, you can set the enhanced e-book up to play narrative (essentially an audio book component that reads the text aloud to you), the soundtrack and automatically turn the pages, so you can sit back, watch and listen to the novel without ever needing to swipe a page.

There are also basic e-book functionalities present, like bookmarking, fast scrolls, and menus. Other enhanced features include a map and interactive media galleries, including "tap to launch" links within the text that pop up the connected interactive media.

Published by Noble Beast LLC, a "transmedia publisher specializing in fiction of the fantastic"(Twitter: https://twitter.com/NobleBeastBooks, website: noblebeast.com), and written by P.C. Martin, Steampunk Holmes has both a connected Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/SteamHolmes) and website steampunkholmes.com. Both the websites for Noble Beast and SteamHolmes were down when I checked them, but Steampunk Holmes' Goodreads page is up (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13564369-steampunk-holmes), as is the author's (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3521319.P_C_Martin), and it seems that Steampunk Holmes is P.C. Martin's first non-fiction novel.

Published in 2012, Steampunk Holmes won the "Best App-Adult Fiction" award for 2014.

Evaluation: 

I loved this enhanced e-book. I thought that the storyline was well written and the functionality was a perfect fit. The only things that I would improve would be better links to the websites and a more obvious connection to the author (I had to investigate for a bit to find the name P.C. Martin). 

Impact:

The application is free, but I would have been willing to pay $10-$15 dollars for this e-book. I think that this is a great model as far as enhanced e-books go, and it does well on the app market. As we have previously mentioned, enhanced e-books just 'make sense' for certain genre, like children's novels. I believe that the steam punk genre may be another natural fit. 

-Jones

Where's Waldo

For my app review, I wanted to pick an interactive ebook that was based on a book from my childhood. I landed on a book I loved as a kid, that I already thought was pretty engaging, to see what great additions the interactive ebook would provide. The book I selected is ‘Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey.’

Origin and Background

The iPad app was published June 3, 2010, and had three version updates – to fix various bugs – that lasted until July 5, 2011. Just to put it in perspective, the book of the same name was published 22 years earlier, in September 1989.

The iPad app developer is Ludia, which is based in Montreal, Canada, specializes in creating and distributing cross-platform interactive entertainment with mass consumer appeal. They have developed other apps such as, ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Family Feud,’ ‘The Price is Right,’ and ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’.

‘Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey’ is a game made for kids ages 4 and up. The app claims to use all HD graphics, multi-touch features, additional quests, and Party-Game Mode where you can play against your friends. The app has been rates #1 in 9 different countries, as the first game ever created in the ‘Where’s Waldo’ franchise.

My Evaluation

It was interesting for me to play around on the ‘Where’s Waldo’ app. What I liked about it was seeing such great graphics and seeing how the developer created movement and animation from characters within the pages. They put voices and sounds to the 5 main characters. It was all of the pages and worlds I’ve known and loved, with elements that came to life for me. I also like that you can do additional quests and play with friends, as any die-hard fan would want to do.

However, there were several things that were disappointing to me as well. The images were locked at a set zoomed-in level that you could not change. It would be nice to have the ability to zoom all the way in or out as you’re searching. The search was timed and you had to find certain characters in the order they dictate, which kind of takes away the fun of exploring and looking for anything you can find.

Also, while the animation they did include was nice, it was pretty few and far between. It would have been nice for them to include a whole lot more animation and movement. If you click on the page too frequently in a short amount of time, these birds will appear and prevent you from guessing further.  You have to pace yourself, apparently.

I would like to see them add a few of these changes I’ve mentioned above. It would be nice to have the option to play on a timed mode or not, or to have a drop down list of ALL of the things you could search for on that page. It would also be nice if Waldo told more of a story and gave more background info on his travels and the places and people he visited.

Impact

All in all, after 22 years since the book was released, I was expecting the interactive app to have more functionality and interesting dynamics. I would not consider it worth purchasing, as I feel the hardcover books still allow you to do more things. The greatest advantage I see with the app is having a portable version of the books for those die-hard fans. But other than that, I think there are a lot of changes and updates they could do to make this better and engage more with children.

Peter Brown

Look & Cook

Lately I have been binge watching Chopped (I linked to it, just in case you want to get addicted too). I am totally mesmerized by how the chefs can transform seemingly impossible ingredients into something delicious and elegant. I decided to check out the Look & Cook app with unrealistic hopes that perhaps it might turn me into a Chopped like chef. Unfortunately, the app cannot produce such miracles but it does provide a fantastic cook book experience. Here's a quick overview of why you'd want the Look & Cook app in your kitchen. 

Origins

The app was developed through a collaboration between Kinetic Art and Israeli Chef Meir Adoni. The design firm is an Israeli start up that specializes in making cooking apps. The app was released in 2012 and originally had a price but is now free. 

Layout and Content

The app is beautifully designed. It has a clean layout that is easy to navigate. The app is designed to highlight the stunning images of the various recipes. Once you have selected the recipe you would like to work with, breadcrumb menus are located at the top and bottom for the user to quickly navigate back to the main menu or the full recipe. The app breaks each recipe into three sections: Look, Cook, and Tools. Each section offers the cook a different experience. The Look section displays beautifully shot images of all the ingredients in the selected recipe. The Cook section starts with a full description of the recipe and ingredients and then breaks it down into a step by step process. The Tools section offers a huge array of kitchen gadgets that correlate to the recipe. 

Within the app, you receive 52 recipes that range from brunch, dinner with the guys, vegan and more. There are more than 100 professional cooking techniques and kitchen hacks. The app also recommends over 1000 kitchen gadgets to add to your supply. 

Features

There are some great features with this app that make it incredibly useful in the kitchen. It has a voice command that allows you to turn the page of the recipe by talking to your tablet. This way your sticky or wet hands won't need to touch the ipad. The app allows you to switch languages between French, Hebrew and English as well as selecting either metric or imperial measurements. The step by step break down of each recipe is accompanied by images that show you the before and after of performing each step. For more difficult steps, a video of how to perform a cooking technique is included. A timer is embedded within the steps that require the cook to watch the clock. The timer allows the cook to set the timer that will then go off when the cook needs to respond. The app also allows the cook to share recipes via email. The interactivity of the app is perfect for its genre. There is nothing that seems gimmicky or unnecessary. Each of the interactive features adds to the cooking experience and is useful to the cook. 

Improvements

Overall, I am very impressed with this app. There are a few things that I think would allow the app to be even better. I would love an option to annotate your recipes so that you could note any changes that you would like to make to the recipe. I think a social function to the book would also be great. Having cooks rate the recipe would add community to the app. I also find cooks comments on the recipe about adaptations they made very useful. You also need wifi connections for videos and they stream slowly making the video experience less enjoyable. 

Rating

I would highly recommend this app. It is slick and gorgeous. As a person who likes to attempt ambitious recipes, this app gives me confidence that I might actually be able to deglaze a pan and properly sear a steak. The app is now free thanks to the enormous marketing potential the tool section provides. Even if the app cost money, I would recommend it for anyone that enjoys cooking. This (to me) is the future of cook books. 

The video below is a review of the app:

- Meagan Thornton-

Getting Lost With Morris

Due to the app I chose costing money and my lack of personal funds I haven’t actually seen the app in it’s fully glory; although, I did watch a lot of videos and read quite a bit about it online.

The app I picked out is The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. It’s created by Moonbot Studios located in Los Angeles, California. Moonbot creates entertainment on an array of different media platforms, such as books, films, apps, and games, specializing in animation.

The history of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore began in 2011 as an award winning animated short film created by William Joyce, known for his movie Rise of the Guardians, Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot. With such great success of the film an enhanced e-book was created for the Apple App Store. Following with a physical book adaption in 2012.

The synopsis of the story is about librarian Morris Lessmore, a simple man who loved words, stories, and books. Everything in his life and his library are blown away by the winds. Morris is on a quest to retrieve his belongings back while learning valuable and emotional life lessons.

While going on Mr. Lessmore’s adventures you are highly involved through the interactivity on the iPad or iPhone and are exposed to different forms of media. Included in the game are video, text, sound, and touch. My favorite features were the use of mini games like solving a puzzle or playing the piano to help the story proceed. Another touch feature I thought was innovative was when the winds take away Morris’s house he’s thrown into a whirlwind and in order to move along with the animation you have to take your finger and swipe it repeatedly causing the tornado to spin faster.

With such mesmerizing animations, touching story, high interactivity, and not to mention such notability I believe this app is definitely worth the $4.99 you’ll spend. It’s currently rated 4.5 stars in the Apple App Store. You can purchase the IMAG-N-OTRON: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore app as well for $0.99 and with this app you create a new storybook experience using it with the actual book. When using your iPhone or iPad along with the physical book the pages come to life with sound, animation, and touch interactivity.

I haven’t discovered any other enhanced e-book with as much interactivity and popularity as this one. The story can be accessed on three different platforms and all can be combined together which is genius. It’s award winning with beautiful animations, touching story, and emotional music all with a lot flawless interactivity. It’s an app for a wide range of ages, which is the most appealing.

The next enhanced e-book I’m checking out from Moonbot Studios is The Numberlys...