Available in the App Store

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Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef is a hard copy counting book that has been brought to life in digital format. With artwork constructed entirely from polymer clay in eye popping, vibrant colors and light animation you will feel as though you are on a coral reef deep in the ocean.

This counting and sing-along book app, available on iPad only, is easy to use and navigate; has three options for enjoying the story, contains light animation of the baby animals so that children can see what it means for the octopus to squirt ink and contains extras at the end of the story to further your child’s learning experience.

Two of the options for enjoying the story are the usual “Read to Me” and “Read to Myself”, but this book also contains a “Sing to Me” option. The pace and narration of the “Sing to Me” is such that your child will be singing along in no time to the catchy little rhyme.

Regardless of which option you choose to read the story, the baby animals can be touched to see them squirt, flutter, dart and so on. During the “Read to Me”, there is a subtle ding to indicate that narration for the page has ended and you can turn the page when ready. Text is highlighted during both narrated options.

At the end of the story, there is an activity for children to find all of the babies, counting backwards from 10. Photos and additional information about the animals are also included, as is information about the author, illustrator, developer and publishing company. The illustrator talks about how she used various kitchen gadgets to make the artwork for the book.

The only suggestion I would have for the developer is to add the ability for children to touch a word and have it spoken, especially the number words which are uniquely identified in the text of the story.

This app does not contain social media or external links, ads or in-app purchases.

Bottom line

Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef is one book app that your family will enjoy over and over again, even after the kids learn their numbers.
Combine baby animals, counting 1 to 10, sing-along, and stunning art and what have you got? A best-selling, award-winning, rave-reviews book that kids read again and again. What happens if you add animation and interactivity so kids can make the octopus squirt ink and the dolphins jump, plus a counting game? A terrific app—one that kids consider entertainment while parents and teachers consider education! “Over in the Ocean” (book) has won nine major awards, including Learning Magazine’s Teacher’s Choice Award and National Parenting Publications’ Gold Award. This app is a fun way to reinforce learning.

Regular Price: $4.99