Overview
In 2010, Oceanhouse Media brought the classic Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat book to the app stores as a book app. And while true to the artwork and narrative of the book, the app was lacking some of the bells and whistles now expected in this genre of apps. This newly released Cat in the Hat - Read & Learn delivers the same tale full of hilarious antics by the Cat in the Hat, but now it has more interactivity, new animations, and 31 mini-games. Kids hear, see, and play inside the story of what happens when the rascally Cat in the Hat arrives at the home of siblings Dick and Sally when their mother is away.
What's Inside
This book app invites readers into the wacky world of the Cat in the Hat. On each page, kids see the words highlight as read, and they can touch any word to hear it read again. They can also touch objects to hear and see the word associations. Many of the items animate when they are tapped or the device is tilted, and on every page is a hidden star that can be found by touching different things on the page. The star leads to a learning game. With 31 pages and 31 games, there is a lot of content within this book app. And a gifted narrator and exciting sounds contribute to this fun reading experience.
App Analysis
Cat in the Hat - Read & Learn is carefully crafted to help kids learn to read while also having fun with the mischievous Cat in the Hat. By offering a treasure hunt for a special star on every page, kids gladly tap on all of the objects in the scenes in hopes of uncovering the prized star. In the process, they see words associated with dozens of objects, such as cakes, fans, fish, and ball. And the tapping becomes even more fun when objects animate, such as a book spinning or the rain coming down harder and starting to add thunder and lightning.
When readers find the hidden star, it leads to a learning activity that reinforces reading, such as completing the spelling of a word in the book or rhyming objects featured within the pages.
Another great aspect of the animation is that it puts kids in charge of the movement in the story. When the Cat in the Hat arrives at the door, it is the reader who uses his or her finger to move the cat inside of Dick and Sally's house. Likewise, when the silly cat is poised on top of a beach ball, kids can decide to move the ball making the cat balance more precariously on the ball. The app cleverly provides hints to encourage kids to get involved. When players have ownership over what is happening in a book app, they become invested in both the reading and in determining the outcome of the story.
As much as we love this app, we have one recommendation for the developer. It would be helpful for the app to remember where you left off. It does remember the stars you have found, but doesn't return you to the page on which you stopped. However, there is a visual table of contents, so it is easy to navigate to any page.
Parents can access reading stats which are found behind a parental gate. The apps reveals the minutes and pages read as well as how many times the book has been completed.
Best For
Cat in the Hat - Read & Learn is a great book app for all kids. When your child is starting to read, pull this one out because it scaffolds the reading process by highlighting words and allowing kids to tap any word to hear it spoken.
Cat in the Hat - Read & Learn is also a great app to download before going on a trip. The antics of the Cat in the Hat will make the miles zoom by and hopefully keep the "Are we there yet?" whining at bay. With 31 pages, this is a book app that takes some time to finish, so you get good value for the price.
Bonus Tip: Looking for more classic books as interactive apps? Explore this rec list:
Classic Children's Books as Apps.
This Cat in the Hat - Read & Learn app review was written by Jinny Gudmundsen.
All tech products are judged on a five star scale by looking at the following factors: fun, education, ease of use, value, and technical.
