App Review: Monkeys in a Boat

Josey were watching TV in the other room while I was talking to her Dad about his experience as an iOS developer.  Steve is a friend of my son’s from graduate school and I have followed his career with interest over the years.  I was meeting his wife Karen and their two young children Ben and Josey for the first time.

Josey is an adorable, precocious two-year old. She eventually peeked through the French doors to see what was going on in the living room.  I was determined to entice her to come and "play iPad" with me.  She headed for the drawing paper on the coffee table despite my invitation to join me and look at a book.  Understandably hesitate, she had never seen me before, her natural curiosity eventually got the better of her.  When she heard The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore being read aloud, that was all it took.

 It was great fun to see her engage with a number of apps. Some with little or no direction from me.  She is a real expert is swiping backwards. She liked them all, but the most fun to read with her was Zimm’s Monkeys in a Boat.

I can’t even remember how I learned about this app but it was love at first site.  It proves that bells and whistles are not necessarily what makes an app a perfect fit for a very young child. The story is simple. Too many monkeys in a boat and it sinks. Josey had no trouble counting to 5.  There was a great sense of accomplishment with each successive reading.

The illustrations are as simple as the text.  Silly little monkeys are orange, purple, green, blue and yellow. The water is a beautifully saturated light blue.  The minimal animation is the boat as it moves onto the page and very round black eyes blinking on the faces of silly little monkeys.

This simple little app is a delight and an inspiration.  Bigger and more is not always better.