App Review: The Very Itchy Bear - About A Unlikely Friendship that Forms Between A Bear and a Flea

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 cute story from author and illustrator Nick Bland. The title bear is from The Cranky Bear and The Very Itchy Bear. This third story from the series is about the unlikely friendship that forms between Bear and a flea. It is appropriate for young readers, but older children will also enjoy it.

There are simple interactive touch elements throughout the story. Kids can zoom in and out on the flea on certain pages. The bear and fishes move and hidden animals pop up when tapped.

There are two ways to enjoy the story, Read to Me and Read Myself. As a bonus, the latter mode gives you an option to record audio on each page. The recorded audio plays automatically the next time the page is accessed in Read Myself mode.

Find five flowers hidden in the pages throughout the story to unlock a mini game. There is a Boat Builder feature where kids can build a sailboat with different shaped logs and sails. Kids can then watch their sailboat float around the water.

There are some external links and there is the ability to send snapshots of the sailboats to social media sites.

What Elena Liked

The illustrations are very good and I liked the rhyming verse. There is a Guide page with instructions, but the app is very easy to navigate. The ability to record your own audio is a great feature. The kids really enjoyed the interactive elements. My daughter especially loved making Bear swim faster and getting the fishes to dash away. Also, the sound effects really enhanced the story.

Suggested Enhancement

It would be good if karaoke highlighting was available where words were highlighted when spoken. Younger readers would be able to follow along more easily.

Overall

This is a cute picture book about a friendship that forms between a bear and a flea. It is well-animated with many interactive elements that kids will enjoy.