those darn kids » and another thought

If you have kids no doubt books are a part of your daily life. In our house we read books individually and as a family and no bedtime routine is complete without a story. I even review children’s literature once a week through my Write a Review Wednesday posts on my personal blog (also syndicated on EverythingMom).

Actual books are great for their size and physical feel (turning pages, lifting flaps) but technology can add a new experience around reading and kids. Hallmark’s Interactive Story Buddy is a lap-sized stuffed animal your kids will instantly befriend. What makes the Interactive Story Buddy extra special is his ability to interact with the story you’re reading or rather the Hallmark Interactive Storybook (either the hard copy or the iPad app). The first book comes free with your Story Buddy purchase. We received Watson the Raccoon but you can also purchase Cooper the Bear. The other nice thing about the Story Buddy is that his responses when you read the book. This makes for an ever-changing experience each time your child listens or reads the story.

You can find book 1: Watson and the Case of the Sneaky Stealer as a free download in the app store. The iPad app lets your child enjoy the story being read to her and her Story Buddy will interact with key lines being read in the story. My daughter enjoyed loved hearing Watson the Raccoon interacting along with the story she was listening too; like a friend commenting during story time together. The pages have subtle animations like rain falling or or leaves blowing to add some movement during the story and you control when to move to the next page so you’re child can take it all in at their pace.

Along with hearing the story with the default narrator, there is the option to have someone else record the audio, like dad or grandma or mom. This is a nice touch for the child to hear a story from someone who may not be around all the time. You record the story right in the app, page by page. In the settings you can choose which audio to play when your child listens to the story. This means one story can have multiple readers. Watson the Raccoon also reacts to the recorded audio but make sure the Story Buddy isn’t around when you are recording or you’ll get his reaction added recorded also. And be sure to speak loudly when recording so the Story Buddy will be able to hear the key words and react when it’s being played.

Unlike the book form, the interactive storybook also included some games: an easy 9-piece puzzle based on various pictures from the story and a search-and-find puzzle based on comparing two illustrations from the story. Just another fun way to interact with the story.

The app is only available for the iPad but that size is ideal for little fingers and it presents a nice story space too.  You can also get the iPad app for Hallmark’s Cooper the Bear Story Buddy and their Christmas themed Jingle Story Buddy.

When you purchase your Story Buddy, you do get the book 1 for that particular Story Buddy for free plus you can buy additional Interactive Storybooks to be read with your Story Buddy too.

I love when technology merges and converges to give you and your family an experience based on your needs. We love looking at the hard cover version of Watson and the Case of the Sneaky Stealer but the interactivity of the iPad version, such as the ability for my daughter to listen to the story on her own or to have different family members record the story for her enjoyment, is a great advantage too. And all items work with her Story Buddy. right now you can only get the original Interactive Storybook as an app. Perhaps down the road they will give you the option of buying additional books in app form.

I want to thank the folks at Hallmark for sending the Interactive Storybook and Story Buddy to us to try. We stumbled upon the iPad version and thought it was worth sharing.