
Family movie night? There's an app for that
Download our new mobile app on iOS and Android.
Red in Bed
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Silly story about colors is short and sweet.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Red in Bed
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
From the home screen, swipe to start reading RED IN BED. When Red feels too sick to get out of bed, the other colors promise to color for it. Orange, yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet each get a turn to color objects, including ones that should be red like a fire truck or a tomato. On each page, kids tap the grayed out object to fill it with color. Red eventually feels better and gets out of bed, and kids can tap the wrongly colored object to make them red. Each color blob also has a musical note, which plays when kids tap it.
Is It Any Good?
This sweet little story incorporates color and music in a short, bare bones ebook. Red in Bed has lovely graphics and a simple but lovable plot. Kids will get a kick out of coloring strawberries orange, a stop sign yellow, and so on -- and will feel satisfied when they can color the red things red again. It's also fun to hear a musical note upon tapping the color blobs, and it's nice to play multiple notes together. But the story isn't about music, and there's nothing to scaffold or support musical exploration. With no read-aloud feature, Red in Bed is an app for parents and kids to use together. The story is short, and the interactive elements limited. Just as with any traditional book, the lasting power of Red in Bed depends on how many times kids want to repeat the same story over and over again.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the colors in Red in Bed. What other things are orange, yellow, green, and so on?
Cuddle up and read the story together. Ask them questions such as, have you ever felt sick when it was time to get up? What helped you feel better?
If your kids are interested in the musical notes, help them explore more by listening to music, singing songs, playing instruments, or finding kids music apps.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading : reading
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: November 16, 2015
- Category: Books
- Publisher: Pop Pop Pop LLC
- Version: 1.09
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 5.1.1 or later
- Last updated: May 31, 2019
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
Best Book Apps for Kids and Teens
Reading Apps, Games, and Websites
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