Horton Hears a Who!

Review

Common Sense Media says

Who-ray for this terrific adaptation of a Dr. Seuss classic.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Horton Hears a Who! is a faithful adaptation of the classic children's book, using the original illustrations from Dr. Seuss. The book imparts a good message about the importance of people regardless of size and is narrated in a lively fashion. It also promotes reading skills by highlighting individual words as the story is read. Words also zoom up when pictures in the story are touched. The app is optimized for both the iPhone/iPod and the iPad.

  • Ease of use5
    This is an app that just about anybody can use. Page turns require just a swipe of the finger -- and it's easy to follow the text since words are highlighted as they're read.
  • Violence1
    While no permanent harm comes to the Whos, they are in constant peril -- and their village is damaged when a bird drops the clover they live on. The jungle creatures threaten to boil the clover in hot oil and beat Horton to get him into a cage. No abuse is shown in the illustrations, though.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language1
    There are no obscenities, but one young Who is called a "twerp."
  • Consumerism1
    On the main menu there is a link to other picture book apps from the developer. Also on the info screen there are links to the developer's website. There is also a "News" feature, which can be turned off, that allows the publisher to display pop-up information (i.e., ads) to users when they open the app.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety0
    Not applicable.
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Is it any good?

 

With bullying a common problem in schools, HORTON HEARS A WHO! teaches an important lesson to children about sticking up for people who are unable to defend themselves. The creatures that share the jungle with Horton (and who do not hear the Whos) taunt and mock him for his actions and ultimately try to punish him, but he maintains his watch over the Whos, underlining how critical it is to stick by your virtues, even when there is peer pressure to abandon them. The message alone makes this a five-star app, but the added bonuses of charming narration and wonderful educational elements, such as highlighted words and picture identification, put it over the top

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This review was written by Chris Morris
Parent of 3 year old
August 13, 2011
AGE
5
 
More language than claimed.
Uses the words "shut up" and "boob" on numerous occasions. Other than that, movie was pretty clean. It was an imaginative story.
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Helped me decide (10) | Had useful details (10) | Read my mind (12)
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This review was written by Chris Morris
Category:Books
Platforms:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
Price:$4.99
Publisher:Oceanhouse Media
Version:1.08
Release date:February 22, 2011
Minimum software requirements:iOS 3.0 or later
This review was written by Chris Morris

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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