BIZZY BEAR BUILDS A HOUSE

Kids who love trucks and construction will identify with Bizzy as he dons his hard hat and "helps" the crew build a house.

Lots of attention has been paid to making this app easy for little ones to use, and young readers will have fun participating in all aspects of the construction site. Narrated in a British accent by child actors, this brightly illustrated app allows the reader to bulldoze, mix cement and dig a hole for a foundation. A blue dot blinks to help readers locate the many interactive elements. Page turns and the home-screen icon must be tapped twice to activate, which neatly prevents accidental navigation, and while they occasionally blink to suggest readers move on, they never rush things, allowing readers to move along at their own pace. Highlighted words follow the text in Read and Play mode, and in Read to Myself, readers can adjust how long the text remains on the screen. With the exception of a slightly annoying loop of background music, the sound effects, from truck engines and bird chirps to brick laying and a flushing toilet, are nicely done and add an extra level of fun.

Like the board book it is based on (Bizzy Bear, Let's Go to Work! 2012), this app has only a few pages, but each one is packed with features that encourage budding builders to linger as long as they like.