We all know one—a child obsessed with cars. Around School Library Journal’s office it’s Sam Tuchman, our art director Mark Tuchman’s son. Like Edsel McFarlan, though, Sam has recently developed some new interests. The last time I saw him, he had a plastic gizmo strapped to his wrist that has all sorts of mind-boggling functions. But, despite the appearance of that nifty new gadget, I know that there is still a room full of well-attended cars somewhere in Brooklyn.

This app’s for you, Sam.

Title: Edsel McFarlan’s New Car
Author: Max Holechek
Illustrator: Darrell Toland
Developer: Auracle/Auryn, Inc.
Platform: iOS, requires 4.3 or later
Version: 1.0.1
Price: $.99

PreS-2-Striking illustrations and a complementary text pop to life in this app based on the 2010 picture book of the same title (Book Publishers Network). Readers can enjoy the minimal, though effective, text in three ways: “Auto Play” advances the book like a movie, turning pages and narrating the story in a timely and prosodic manner; “Read to Me” narrates each screen but allows children to explore each until they are ready to move on; and “Read Myself,” which permits children to drive the app at their own pace.

Touching objects in the illustrations elicits visual and verbal labels. However, this function is limited and at times inadequate; for example, tapping a row of toy trucks in Edsel’s room brings up the word “car.” Fans of the book’s detailed and imaginative pictures may be disappointed by the lack of attention paid to this feature.  Nonetheless, the stunning HD presentation of the book’s art inspires awe.

In “Read to Me” and “Read Myself” modes, children can experience the story in a nonlinear fashion, jumping from beginning to end and between pages with ease. Each restart of the app will bring readers to the page where they left off, but a restart of the iPad is the only way to switch among reading modes. Tapping a button on the first screen brings an offer of audio customization, available for an additional charge through the App store. Edsel McFarlan is a satisfying introduction to the possibilities of apps for lovers of traditional picture books, and, of course, cars.—Sara M. Bryce, La Crosse Public Library, WI

Related posts:

1. Review: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore for the iPad
2. Review: Spot the Dot for the iPad
3. Review: Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter; Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night for the iPad and iPhone
4. Review: The Wizard of Oz 3D for iOS
5. Review: Hildegard Sings for iOS

Tags: iPad exclusive

This entry was posted on Monday, August 1st, 2011 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Preschool - Grade 4 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.