The Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough ? Animated Storybook – Review
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Stepworks Company Limited
Version #:
Date Released: 2010-05-29
Developer: Stepworks Company Limited
Price: 1.99
User Rating:
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Duck in the Truck is the first among HarperCollins’s adaptations of children’s author Jez Alborough’s "Duck" tales. Optimized for the iPhone’s screen and touch controls, Duck in the Truck is a vibrant storybook improved with bits of animation and sound effects, elements that are exclusive to this version of the storybook.
In the storybook’s journey from physical to electronic, the quirky story of Duck and his bright red truck remains intact. "This is the Duck driving home in a truck. This is the track which is taking him back," begins the story. And with that, a delightfully rhythmic little tale about kindheartedness, teamwork, and perseverance is set up. The Duck later gets his truck stuck in a muck, and he is soon joined by Frog, Sheep, and Goat, who try to help him get out of his sticky, or should I say, muddy, situation.
From Alborough’s wonderful rhymes and colorful illustrations to the pitch-perfect narration by Harry Enfield (which you can turn off if you want to read it aloud yourself), it’s obvious that a lot of work was put into making this app squeaky clean, quite unlike how the Duck’s truck becomes after it gets stuck in the muck. Every page is enhanced with animation and sound effects that are tap-activated. For instance, when the Duck’s truck hits a bump in the road, the page is animated to show the vehicle and its feathered driver flying across the track, and the Duck’s panicked quacks can be heard every time the page is tapped.
Truly, every element of this interactive storybook is clean and well refined.
Quick Take
Value:High.
Would I Buy Again:Yes. My little cousins are sure to love this.
Learning Curve:Practically Zero.
Who Is It For:Parents who like to read great storybooks to their kids.
What I Like:The animation and the sound effects. The well written kid's story itself.
What I Don't Like:Nothing actually.
Final Statement:This is the kind of book you would expect a publisher like Harper Collins to put out. Very high quality.
