mybookshelf
Written by Heather Leister
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mybookshelf was released earlier this month by mytales digital. I’ve featured several of their apps on the site before, including One Rainy Day and Hush Little Baby. I’ve always found them to be peaceful apps that have the look and feel of traditional picture books. This new release, mybookshelf, is no exception. It is exactly what the title implies – a bookshelf for young readers. There are six stories on the bookshelf, each is recommended for ages 2-7.
mytales has teamed up with the independent publisher Tiger Tales to bring these stories to the iPad. I found them to be unique and enjoyable. The illustrations are top notch. Each story comes with the option to listen to narration or read quietly to yourself. mytales has made mybookshelf very friendly for young readers. To enjoy a story all they’ll need to do is tap on the book’s cover and then select read to me or read by myself. Simple and straightforward. The app looks fantastic and my only request is to add auto page turning to the narrated version of the story.
The last thing that I’d like to mention about mybookshelf is something I learned from Jon Prial of mytales digital. He tells me that mybookshelf will never have any push notifications or alerts prompting you to download new stories. These six titles are the only titles that will be included in the app, the goal is to keep the app free of frustration. As the mother of a toddler who is constantly tapping just the right button that will exit an app or take us to the brink of an in-app purchase for more content I applaud this decision!
The titles in included in mybookshelf are:
- Mrs. McGee’s Coconut
- Panda-monium
- A Little bit of Love
- The Dancing Clock
- My Favorite Michael
- The Ice Cream King
*Update 5/19 – mybookshelf is now available in a FREE version that will come with Mrs. McGee’s Coconut unlocked. In-app purchasing will be available with each story costing $.99 or $3.99 for all. All of the books are downloaded in the initial installation and the purchase will simply unlock them. You still won’t find push notifications or pop-ups here.
Price when Reviewed: $3.99
Seller: mytales digital
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.
