Lion & Mouse - Orchestra
By Christy Matte,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Nonsensical narration negates cute story, activities.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Lion & Mouse - Orchestra
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
LION & MOUSE - ORCHESTRA is a retelling of the classic fable, The Lion and the Mouse. In this version, the mouse has an accident on his scooter and accidentally startles the sleeping lion. The lion lets him go when he promises to come back and help if needed. Later, the lion is terrorizing other animals in the forest when he fells into a pit. The mouse comes to help, but needs to convince the other animals to pitch in. Lion & Mouse - Orchestra has plenty of hidden surprises, including enough instruments for all of the animals to play. There are also mini-games, such as tangrams, shape matching puzzles, and filling in missing numbers on a clock. These change as kid re-read the story, so they aren't completing the same puzzle each time. Once kids complete the story, they can access the tree house where the animals are ready for a concert. Kids will want to find all of the hidden instruments throughout so all of the animals can participate in the concert.
Is It Any Good?
If you turn the volume off and allow kids to follow the story with their imagination, this is a lovely and interactive story that kids will enjoy. Lion & Mouse - Orchestra has pretty illustrations, plenty of interactive points, a story with a reasonably positive message, puzzles that change each time, and a musical reward at the end. It has almost all the makings of a great app. But the narration, presumably the result of an awful translation, is painful to listen to. It's stilted and awkward and often makes little sense. For example, "Wow... there was a... BAD scooter! Could it be fixed?" And as the lion is about to fall into the hole, "The lion felt interesting to be a monkey. He was so proud of it. Do not walk backward!" There are some other minor complaints, namely that young kids may not quite get what they are supposed to do with the puzzles and the orchestra since they are never told to look for instruments (and some of them aren't technically instruments to begin with). The story is short, but the fact that the mini-games can be replayed (there are numerous tangram puzzles, for example) and the orchestra is fun to dabble with, raises the value for enjoying over time. If only they would re-record the narration and add some guidance, Lion & Mouse - Orchestra would be a really strong app choice.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about apologizing. In Lion & Mouse - Orchestra how did the mouse behave when he woke the lion? How did the lion behave when he was mean to the other animals? Did his behavior change when they helped him? What can you do if you hurt someone else's feelings?
Talk about tangrams: What are they and how do they work? Make your own tangrams by drawing or downloading and printing some (or try My First Tangrams HD). What kinds of shapes can you make with your tangrams?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Math: shapes, Arts: music
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: solving puzzles, spatial reasoning, Emotional Development: empathy, Responsibility & Ethics: integrity, learning from consequences, respect for others, Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: May 1, 2018
- Category: Kids' Games
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Wild Animals
- Publisher: Yunbu Innovation
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated: May 14, 2018
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Download
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate