Today is the birthday of beloved children’s author Theodor Geisel, better known under his pen name of Dr. Seuss. The animated feature film based on his book, The Lorax, comes out in theaters today, but before you see it maybe you’d like to revisit the book. Suess’s books haven’t been released in Kindle editions, but thanks to Oceanhouse Media, Inc., plenty of those wonderful classics you remember from childhood are now available to share with with your own kids in the form of apps for your Fire tablet.
The apps reproduce Geisel’s original artwork and text, and the user can read the book or have it read aloud. The apps also feature fun sound effects and music, and help young kids learn to read by allowing them to have words repeated aloud. The user can also tap on items in the illustrations to have the words that describe them displayed.
The Lorax app is currently available for just 99 cents in the Amazon App Store. From Amazon:
Since 1971, this Dr. Seuss classic has been teaching kids and adults about
environmental awareness. Now it’s available in a paper-free digital format for your Android device with fun, exclusive features to help your children enjoy reading.Much more than a regular ebook, this Oceanhouse Media “omBook” is sure to enhance your child’s learning experience with three ways to read it: Read to Me, Read It Myself, or Auto Play. Read to Me allows your child to listen to the story with a professional audio narration, highlighting the words as they are read. Read It Myself allows your child to read each page in a traditional manner. Auto Play plays the story like a movie, automatically reading and turning the pages; this is the best option for very young children.
As children turn from page to page, they can touch the screen and learn new vocabulary. Words on the screen are highlighted when the narration reaches them, making it simple for even the youngest of readers to follow along and recognize each word. Touching the words or long-pressing any paragraph highlights and repeats the word aloud. To increase picture and word association, children can also touch any image on the screen, and the word will pop up, identifying the object in bright, bold letters.
“…The Lorax is (Oceanhouse Media’s) best effort to date.” – Wired
“…A vivid rendition of the Dr. Seuss classic, with some nice features to assist early-readers.” – Wall Street Journal
“The original illustrations and story of the beloved The Lorax book from Dr. Seuss [are] masterfully presented.” “4 stars out of 4.” – USA Today
Other titles in the series include The Cat In The Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Dr. Seuss’s ABC (each priced at $1.99). There are plenty more, so you’re sure to find your personal favorites and those of your kids among Oceanhouse Media’s many titles.