MeeGenius! Kid's Books

Review

Common Sense Media says

Store sells colorful, narrated, but not interactive stories.
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
 
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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that MeeGenius! is an app that's sort of like an online bookstore that sells children's storybook apps. Download the app for free and you'll get a few free books; but, for the most part, this app is for people who want to buy books for kids to read (or have read to them by a parent or the narrator) on their mobile devices. Sync across all of your iOS devices to let your kids view the books on your iPad and phone with one purchase. Book collections for sale are grouped by publisher (Orca Books and Raven Tree Press are two of many represented here) or subject (fables, animals, and holidays, for example). The "read-along technology" highlights each word read in yellow while a narrator reads the story aloud. Parents should know that the books include text, audio, and illustrations; there is no interactivity or animation beyond highlighted text.

  • Ease of use2
    The app is mostly easy to use, but the book player is missing some helpful functionality. Kids can pause narration, but they cannot easily restart pages or replay a page once it has been read (you have to go to the next page, pause, and hit the back button), and there is no way to interact with text or illustrations. The word highlighting was somewhat glitchy when moving between pages during our review. You need Internet access to purchase books. This app can sync across your iOS devices.
  • Violence0
    None observed in stories reviewed.
  • Sex0
    No sexual content observed in stories reviewed.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism3
    There are currently only a few free stories on this app; all other stories are available via in-app purchases only (prices range from $1.99 to $2.99). The "Bookstore Open" sign is displayed prominently at the top center of the main page. Stories can be previewed before purchasing them. The My Bookshelf page that "holds" all the books currently owned by one user looks pretty bare with only free books on it.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety0
    Not applicable.
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Is it any good?

 

MEEGENIUS! is a nice app on which to buy and read colorful stories for kids who are pre-readers or new to reading. The app may be free, but there are many opportunities for in-app purchases because most of the books aren't free. The books cost about the same as most other storybook apps, but don't include interactivity like others might.

The "read-along technology" may work better on some books than others. The books previewed for this review were read rather quickly and had quite a bit of text on many pages of the story, so the little yellow highlighted box that jumped from word to word was more of a distraction than a help in reading.

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This review was written by Dana Villamagna

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This review was written by Dana Villamagna
Category:Books
Platforms:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Price:Free
Size:10.80 MB
Publisher:MeeGenius!
Version:3.4.2
Release date:December 14, 2011
Minimum software requirements:iOS 4.3 or later
This review was written by Dana Villamagna

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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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