How To Be a Cool Grandparent

How To Be a Cool Grandparent

Step 1: Purchase an iPad

Step 2: Install all your “bragging” photos on the device

Step 3: Install the Jack and the Beanstalk app

By taking these three steps, your friends will be seriously envious of your “Bragging Album;” your kids will be overjoyed at how well you “babysit;” and your grandchildren will think you’re the coolest Granny or Grandpa on earth. Jack and the Beanstalk almost makes me ready for Granny-hood!

I was amazed at Alice on the iPad (see my Alice review), but Jack and the Beanstalk proves that interactive books are only going to get better. Here’s why:

While Alice has exquisite graphics and fun animations, Jack and the Beanstalk has cute, kid-friendly graphics and LOTS of animations, PLUS music, interactions on every page, and games such as a memory game, a shape-matching game, bubble popping, and finger painting.

The interactions on Jack and the Beanstalk are things that kids will love to do like touch the screen to light the street lamp or start the fireworks, find hidden “easter” eggs that sing and wiggle, touch characters to make them talk or dance, and swipe to reveal hidden creatures in a lake and then count them.

While reading the story, I suggest you turn “Narration Audio” off so you can read to the grandkids yourself. That is, until you get tired of reading! Jack and the Beanstalk is a “book” that kids will want to “read” over and over again, not only to hear the fun story, but also to hunt for the hidden surprises.

And when you’re finished reading, go to the Ayars Website (www.ayarsanimation.com) and download the Jack and the Beanstalk coloring book.

For those of you with other Apple^TM devices, don’t despair. Jack and the Beanstalk works on the iPhone (3.2 or later) and iPod Touch, too! Although the iPhone and iPod have smaller screens, the story is just as fun, and carrying it around is a bit more convenient!