Seb’s Tail – a QBook

Seb’s Tail is a storybook app offered by Kiwa Media. (They refer to it as a QBook.) This app has some of the more traditional features of a storybook app, as well as a couple of twists. Here are the app’s highlights:

You can listen to a read aloud version of the story or you read the story to yourself. It’s easy to switch between the two modes without having to go back to a main menu. Tap on the screen and a control bar appears. This is how you turn the page, record yourself, exit the book, etc. I suggest visiting the information section the first time you use the app to get a feel for what the buttons mean. You can also record yourself as the narrator. My kids go crazy for this type of feature.

When you choose to read the story to yourself you can tap on the words as you go along and then hear them read aloud individually. If you slide your finger from left to right the words that you touch will be read. If you press and hold a word it’s read and then spelled out. As the words are being read they’re highlighted and they literally jump up from the page. I liked being able to control the pace of the story with my finger.

The QBook allows you to color the book’s pages and then use them as the illustrations if you like. To access the coloring book feature tap on the screen and you’ll see a coloring icon on the control bar. To use your illustrations you’ll need to visit the app’s settings (main screen).

The app includes a memory game based on the story and a word search. The level of difficulty can be adjusted in the app’s settings.

Several languages are offered including English, Spanish, Portuguese and Maori. When you choose a new language it changes both the text and the narration. Very nice!

Finally, a simple thing but it made me smile. When you first open the app it asks you who the book belongs to. Enter in your child’s name and from then on, when you start up the QBook the first screen says “This Book Belongs to…” It’s a bookplate for your app. Darling.

I tried out the lite version of Seb’s Tail. It has only the first few pages of the story, a teaser really, but it gave me a great feel for what the full QBook would be like. From what I’ve been told Kiwa Media will soon be turning children’s books from Penguin into QBooks. When I hear more I’ll be sure to let you know.

Price when Reviewed: Full app – $4.99, Lite app – Free

Seller: Kiwa Media