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A review of My Very First App

Welcome screen of My Very First AppI had never before considered reviewing an app on Fantasy Book Review but when Night & Day Studios – the people behind the toddler apps Peekaboo Barn and Peekaboo Wild – suggested doing so I could not think of a single reason why I shouldn’t, especially as My Very First App is connected with Eric Carle, the author of accompanying books and of course the classic children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I must have read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to both my young children at least a couple of hundred times and not only have they never grown tired and listening to – and looking at – it, I have never grown tired of reading it. I can’t say that about many toddler’s books. I’m no art expert and have no idea what type of art Carle utilises, all I know is that both myself and my children find it enchanting.

Matching a bird and its next on My Very First AppAnd all of the charm of Eric Carle’s work has been captured in this lovely little app that both my 4 year old and 2 year old have greatly enjoyed playing on. There are 3 levels of game play: Easy (ages 1-3), Medium (ages 2 and up) and Hard (ages 3 and up). In Easy mode the screen is divided in half (see image to the right) and a child can swipe the lower and upper halves to find a match (for example, the colour green with a picture of trees, or a bird and its home, a nest).

The medium and hard modes are based on the card game Memory; players are presented with a set of cards face down and must find a pair by flipping over cards and identifying their matches or their related concepts.

It is beautiful to look at and the lady’s voice which confirms correct matches is clear and pleasant.

my-very-first-app-4The app comes with Colours and Animal Homes for all three levels but you can add to these by purchasing Numbers, Shapes, Food, and Animal Sounds from the app-store for 99 cents (59p) each. Later this year Words and Motion will be added.

The app retails at $1.99 (that’s just over £1.20).

Yes, you can get memory games as apps for free but none so stylish and so lovingly done. I should also point out that there was an issue with the additional in-app purchases when I was reviewing this app, but this was fixed by an update and there have been no problems since. Initial reviews of the app were critical due to this glitch but I can happily say that the problems are no longer there.

I would happily recommend this app to parent who are looking for a stylish little app that will keep ages 1 –5 entertained for many hours.

For more information and to purchase the app, visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eric-carles-my-very-first-app/id392077095?mt=8. You can follow Night & Day Studios on Facebook here – www.facebook.com/nightanddaystudios and Twitter @nightdaystudios.

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