Not Without Bear

by Appropo

What is your child’s “lovey”?  Is it a stuffed animal?  A blanket?  For Audrey it’s a sweet, stuffed teddy bear.  An interactive story released about a month ago, Appropo developers have brought Anna Grossnickle Hines story, Not Without Bear to the mobile device world.  Appropo is a member of Moms With Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers.  Not Without Bear was originally published as a pop-up book in 2000.  Today it is available via your iPad device running iOS 3.2 or later.  Like most toddlers, Audrey, the main character, is a very imaginative and active little girl. She loves to travel but not without her bear.   It is an adorable story that all young children can make a connection with.  It is your child’s goal to find bear within each page and interact with everyday items as they tap and swipe each page.

Not Without Bear incorporates all the senses as Audrey goes on her adventures.  Like most interactive books, there are multiple ways this story can be read. It can be read by the narrator, a parent, or a child.  If choosing to read myself, be sure to take advantage of the finger pointing reading strategy.  For children just learning to read this is a wonderful feature, simply tap each word and the narrator will read that word as the words are highlighted in yellow shadowing.  Integrating this reading strategy will encourage children to read from left to right, to understand where they are the page, to develop sight words and build their vocabulary.  Text is not only read, but each page incorporates a number of animation and sounds.  A new feature that Applicable2U noticed that Not Without Bear has included like no other interactive book out there, is the ability to Stop and Go on pages.  Need to cut the story short one day/night, not to worry.  Simply click the green directional and a red stop sign or green go will appear.  As Applicable2U explored, we were impressed to see that if you choose to stop, when you return the next time the story will be in the exact place that you left off.  Come ride your bike with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and play in the park as you ride a horse and play hide go seek. Use your imagination as your climb high mountains, explore the jungle, and find hidden treasure.  At the end of the day it is time for bed, but not without bear!  Where will your little one take their special stuffed or fluffy friend?

Overall, Applicable2U enjoyed reading and sharing connections with my son as we read. After reading, a parent and child could continue the conversation with their own rendition of Not Without ______.   If you have a child between the ages of 1-6, Not Without Bear is applicable to you.  If you would like to learn more about Appropo and their other applications, please visit their website here.  To begin downloading this engaging and imaginative book to your iTunes library, please click here.