Sunday, August 14, 2011

Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe App – Guest Review

I’m pleased to present a guest review of the new Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe App for iPad. Katherine and I met in Mommy & Me when her son Flash and my son Chip were newborns. Flash and Chip have gone on to be pals and even just graduated from preschool together! Flash is a HUGE Cars fan. When the offer for this app review came in, I knew to turn to the expert. Plus, sadly, I do not have an iPad (Christmas is coming tho….). I now present to you the Katherine & Flash review:

I recently had the opportunity to review the latest Cars 2 Storybook app for the iPad thanks to my son Flash's preschool connections.  Mind you, we are ridiculous Cars fans.  Bedding, furniture, books, wall stickers, you name it and we've probably looked at it if not purchased it.  So when we found out Cars 2 was coming out, we bought advanced tickets and saw it on opening day, etc.  Ever since all the crazy marketing has begun for Cars 2, Flash has been telling me about one toy or another, pointing out cereal boxes and fruit snacks with some sort of connection hoping for a prize inside...so when I heard there was an app for the iPad, I was all over it.  On top of that, this app was supposed to be an educational storybook.  How perfect is that?  Flash was thrilled when I surprised him with the new app.  He navigated through the story with ease and was very interested in the "read to me" mode.  The storyline is the same as the Cars 2 movie so if you've seen the movie it's easy to follow. I couldn't get the volume loud enough on the "record your own voice" mode, but that was probably user error. 

The graphics are amazing!! Most pages have something interactive like pressing the sparkle and the car zooms off!  Other pages have a coloring option where the scene turns to black and white and you can re-color it as you choose.  There are also a few games included.  Flash liked the games the best.  Tire toss is his favorite where you slingshot a tire into a pile and try to pinball it off of other tires as many times as possible before it falls to the ground. 
Overall, I would recommend the Cars 2 Storybook app to a) children who are totally into Cars, b) children up to age 4 who don't need things to keep changing to keep their interest, and c) older children who have not yet learned how to navigate the iPad as a gaming device and can't find on their own that there is actually a Cars 2 gaming app.  It's an enjoyable storybook and a sure hit for any Cars enthusiast. Katherine

Katherine, thanks for giving the app a test drive along with Flash! Speaking of the movie, if you happen to be in Hollywood, definitely stop by The El Capitan Theater to see Cars 2 because along with the movie, you also get access to the Cars 2 World Grand Prix Experience afterwards! My super blogger spy camera was in action and I’ve got a pic here to entice you:CarsMovie

Now here is the official info from Disney:

Experience the action-packed story of Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 in this supercharged children’s book app filled with vibrant art, professional narration, exciting music and sound effects, plus A-list celebrity voices from the film.

In the app, Cars star Lightning McQueen zooms back into action with his best friend Mater by his side as they head to the World Grand Prix races.  Readers of the Storybook Deluxe app will get to:

  • Choose between two reading modes that allow you to follow along as the story is read aloud, or to explore each page at your own pace.       
  • Play exciting games inspired from the movie—test your memory in Tokyo Lights and try your hand at Mater’s Tire Toss.       
  • Record your voice reading the story and hear it played back as narration.
  • Tap characters and objects for animated surprises.       
  • Also includes 5 coloring pages and 5 interactive jigsaw puzzles for extra fun!

· Jump to your favorite page with a Visual Page Index.

The Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe App, originally $8.99, is available for $5.99 (for a limited time) from the App Store on the iPad or at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cars-2-storybook-deluxe/id445409124?mt=8#

You can also see a demo video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uSeMCzZAzk

You can learn about all of Disney Publishing’s apps here: http://disneybookapps.com/

Friday, August 12, 2011

Save Tara – Victory!

SaveTaraLogo

For seven long years I have been a member of “Save Tara”, fighting West Hollywood City Hall to preserve a small piece of history and greenery for future generations. Team members have passed away, I had two babies and the fight went on. Today we won! Read about it here in The WeHo News. I knew we would win. Good vs. Evil. Evil destroys itself in the end. Grateful, yet sad for those who did not live to see this. Victory!!!!!!