• Editor Rating

  • Rated 4 stars
  • Recommended

  • Quality
    Editor: 90%
  • Education
    Editor: 80%
  • Entertainment
    Editor: 90%
  • Value
    Editor: 80%
  • Child Friendly
    Editor: 100%

Review Summary:

Roobarb & Custard: When Custard Was Grounded is an entertaining ebook that takes advantage of some of the iPad’s features to build in interactivity and personalized sound effects.

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App Info

Price: [app 932381008] {price}
AppStore User Rating: {stars}[/app]

Download on the App Store

Overview

Roobarb the green dog organizes a model airplane race in this animated ebook, but his feline neighbor, Custard, nearly steals the show (and the grand prize). The ebook is based on the popular British children’s TV show.

Features include:

  • Read to me/read to myself options
  • Professional narration by British actor Tamsin Greig
  • Interactive animations on each page
  • Record your own sound effects
  • Words highlighted as they are narrated

Quality

This ebook app works well and is easy to use. There is an instruction page to clarify the mechanics, if needed, though. There are a few minor drawbacks that parents should be aware of. The text does contain a few grammatical errors scattered throughout the book. There is no way to turn off the background music or adjust its level, which might make it difficult for young readers with attention problems. Pages turn with a right to left swipe in the middle of the screen instead of the more typical swipe from the corner. One character does call another “stinker” at one point in the story, which may concern some parents. All in all, however, the ebook is cute and it’s fun to learn about new characters.

Education

This ebook offers an engaging story that young children will enjoy. The interactions on each page trigger animations, dialog and sound effects that enhance the story, which is wonderful to see. The text of the story itself uses a rich vocabulary, full of words like “magnificent” and “scuttled.” The Read-to-Me option highlights the words as they are narrated, which is great for younger of less-confident readers. There is also a Read-to-Myself option, but no way for intermediate readers to get clues about the challenging words, such as a touch-activated thesaurus or dictionary similar to other ebooks for this age group. Many pages offer a Record-Your-Own Sound Effects feature, which children will love. I do wish there were a few related activities offered during or after the story, though, to extend its educational value. Parents should also be aware that the app is voiced by people with British accents and also that many words, such as “aeroplane” and “flavoured” are spelled in the British manner, which may throw some children off balance.

Entertainment

Roobarb & Custard: When Custard Was Grounded is a fun ebook with an engaging story. The Record-Your-Own sound effects feature will entrance them, and the interactive animations really make the story come to life. American children may not be familiar with Roobarb and his friends, since they are from British television, but if they enjoy the franchise, there are other Roobarb paper books and toys available, as well as the Boj series of ebook apps from the same developer.

Value

At $3.99, this children’s ebook seems a bit pricy since it does not include any supplemental educational activities. If your child is already a fan of the characters, or if the story becomes a favorite, it will be a worthwhile investment. It’s even a good deal if you have several children who will enjoy the story. However, if your young reader does not fall in love with Roobarb and his friends, the app may gather dust after the first reading or two.

Child Friendliness

Roobarb & Custard: When Custard Was Grounded is a very child-friendly app. Parents won’t have a thing to worry about as their children play with it, because developers covered all of the safety bases in this one!

  • NO external links
  • NO social media
  • NO in-app purchase
  • NO 3rd party ads

Roobarb & Custard: When Custard Was Grounded is an entertaining ebook that takes advantage of some of the iPad’s features to build in interactivity and personalized sound effects.

Editor rating
Rated 4 stars