App Review: BroadwayBarks - Interactive Storybook App About A Dog

BroadwayBarks – Interactive Storybook App About A Dog

Posted on August 3, 2012

BroadwayBarks is an interactive storybook app which tell the story of a stray dog, Douglas, who finally finds a home through singing and dancing. The app combines traditional paintings with collage style elements as well as songs and narration to create an effective learning and entertaining experience for children.

Details

BroadwayBarks is an interactive storybook app that tells children the story of a stray dog who found a new home by singing and dancing. Douglas the dog hangs around the park without an owner to accompany him. He is drawn to and follows a pretty girl who feeds him and takes him to a place called Broadway Barks – a place where he can find people who are willing to adopt him. Douglas sings and dances until he is adopted by a young girl.

The story is told through full screen illustrated story book pages with story text and voice over narration. On the main menu, users choose one of two story options: “Read to Me” stops after playing each page to allow users to explore the interactive elements within the page. “Autoplay” reads through the whole story without stopping.

In the “Read to Me” mode, interactive elements within the page are highlighted with yellow dots so children know what to tap. These elements unlock simple animation and sound effects that add depth to the overall experience of the story. When children are finished with the story, there are some extra content for them to play with. First is “Showtime” where users can dress up Douglas with four different combinations of accessories then help him sing and dance onstage through very simple and intuitive controls. Second is “Kramer’s Song” where the app plays the full song that is used in the story.

What iHeartThisApp Liked

The app’s layout and controls are simple and intuitive which makes it easy for young children to use. In certain parts, the app even gives out hints on screen to further help users like the yellow dots on the interactive elements or the controls icons for “Showtime”. This is definitely a kid friendly app.

Visually, I like the art style of combining traditional paintings and illustrations with collage elements for the backgrounds and some details. It creates a unique look and feel that children will find different in a time when 3D and 2D animation are the norms. These visuals are supported well by the strong voice over performance, music, and sound effects.

The two bonus activities of “Showtime” and “Kramer’s Song” really give the app a higher replay value as well as added entertainment which enriches childrens’ experiences of the story.