4.5
Where to Buy

Blue Ocean Bob App Review

App Info

Price: $1.99

Overview

Blue Ocean Bob is a beautifully illustrated book app that teaches the importance of setting goals and how to achieve them. Also, included in the app are numerous puzzles and a match game.

Features include:

  • Three reading options
  • Puzzles and a match game
  • Text highlighting

Quality

Though the interface is intuitive, the app does include an information section that provides brief instructions on how to use the app.

Navigating through the app is fairly easy thanks to a nicely designed main menu and navigation features such as a main menu button available during the story and a chapter index. Adding a Games button on the main menu would be ideal. Currently, games can only be accessed by going into one of the story options.

Blue Ocean Bob offers three options for enjoying the story; Play for Me, Read to Me and I can Read. The narrated options are a joy to listen to.

All of the design features in Blue Ocean Bob make this a high quality book app. While there are numerous book app features that are important, the graphics play a huge role in drawing the reader into the story. Blue Ocean Bob’s illustrations are delightful. The quality and care put into them is obvious.

Education

Blue Ocean Bob is divided into five chapters. Five chapters may sound like a lot of text to read, but it really isn’t. There is a small amount of easy to read text per page. Text highlighting, in the Read to Me option, moves along nicely with the narration. Narration can be repeated as desired. Readers can touch specific words that appear in a different color to hear their definition. The text highlighting, narration speed and vocabulary features are fantastic book app features for beginning readers.

The Play for Me option is for those times when the reader wants to just sit back and watch.

Using animals with human like qualities to serve as mentors, guardians and friends, is a great way to teach young readers how to set and achieve goals. It presents the lesson in a way that kids can relate and understand. Discussion questions would be a great addition to this book app providing parents and teachers an additional method for continuing the discussion or reinforcing what the children read.

Puzzles are available every couple of pages or so throughout two of the reading options. The puzzles may be too long of an interruption and distract the readers focus. It would be better to have them located on a Games menu available from the main screen or at the end of each chapter.

Entertainment

This book app has a lot to offer in the way of entertainment. The story length is such that some readers may need to read only one chapter in a sitting. The numerous puzzles and match game are a great addition; kids will want to play them over and over again. The games are beneficial from an educational and entertainment standpoint, too. A faster method for accessing them is a must.

Value

Blue Ocean Bob is a terrific value. This universal app provides three options for enjoying the story, includes many of the ideal book app features we desire and games to be used for entertainment or educational purposes. Don’t forget the beautiful illustrations, five chapters worth of text AND the fact that the app teaches an important lesson in a way kids can relate.

Child Friendliness

Moving the external link from the end of the story to the Info section would increase the app’s rating for this category. The app does not contain in-app purchases, social media or ads.

Blue Ocean Bob
Blue Ocean Bob
Think It, See It, Believe It, Achieve It – the lesson of Blue Ocean Bob, a superb book app. This universal app is beautifully illustrated, contains games and is affordable.
Quality
Education
Entertainment
Value
Child Friendly
4.5
Where to Buy