App review: Punky Dunk Project: Punky Dunk and the Gold Fish - Story of A Young Mischievous Kitten

Reviewed by Elena – I’m a SAHM who is trying to homeschool my 18 month old. I have a BA in Computer Science and Information Systems. My professional background is in quantitative analytics.

Details

This is a beautiful storybook about a young mischievous kitten called Punky Dunk. The story tells the tale of the kitten’s antics in trying to get to the goldfishes and how it suffers the consequences for its bad behavior. The illustrations are from the original print book published in 1912, but they have been wonderfully animated. There are also plenty of interactive elements to entertain young kids. For example, they can tap a tune on the kitten’s whiskers or the flower buds. Also, tilting the iPad sends some things swinging, sliding and rolling. The app can also be personalized by recording the name of a child on the title page.

The book is narrated in both English and Spanish with words to match. This is a great way for kids to learn another language. The bi-lingual quality of the book makes this appropriate for slightly older kids, too. The narration and background music can be turned off.

There are social media and website links accessible from the menu.

What Elena Liked

The graphics were delightful and navigation was simple. There were many interactive touch elements and sounds. The kids enjoyed finding and playing with all the little hidden animations. I liked the rhyming verse and consonance of the story. I also liked that this was a dual language book.

Suggested Enhancement

I would wish that social media links were removed. I would like to see words highlighted as they were read. This would help early readers follow along with the narration, both Spanish and English.

Overall

Punky Dunk Project: Punky Dunk and the Gold Fish is a wonderful interactive storybook about a mischievous kitten learning that there are consequences to misbehaving.