BIZZY BEAR ON THE FARM
illustrated by Benji Davies & developed by Nosy Crow
A bear visits Sunny Farm to help with the chores, but he’s pretty helpless without assistance from the toddlers and preschoolers who are “reading” the story.
A bus drops Bizzy Bear off at Farmer Joe’s so he can spend the day helping out on the farm. Interactive elements are signaled by flashing blue dots, though most of the time they must be tapped two or more times to activate the feature. Still, there’s plenty of fun for eager little fingertips—turning on the hose to give the dog a drink, putting lambs in their pen, even controlling the gait of a horse and the direction she will go. Bizzy offers running commentary throughout, making constant observations about the scene or harping on what needs to be done: “That dog looks thirsty,” he says, or “Will you help me feed the pigs?” There’s nothing to signal that all of the interactive elements on the page have been found, leaving readers to assess when it’s time to move on. In read-by-myself mode, the amount of time the speech bubbles stay on the screen can be adjusted. Fans of Nosy Crow’s Cinderella (2011) will recognize the British children behind the voiceovers; their opening chant of “Bizzy Beah / Bizzy Beah” is cute but has major earworm potential.
Plenty of solid visual and tactile stimulation for little would-be farmers.
(iPad storybook app. 2-5)