Parents' Guide to Story Patch

STORY PATCH lets kids fill the blank pages of a virtual book with their own words and custom-created illustrations that they can piece together from a vast library of images. It's a brilliant idea and especially effective in the way its "guided" mode helps kids work through writer's block by probing for ideas. Building the illustrations by layering several character and object images over a background of your choice is also fun and fulfilling. Unfortunately, kids can get frustrated by some glitchy controls. It's too easy to accidentally move part of a picture if your hand brushes against the screen. And trying to get a character to the right size (for perspective) can be a real chore -- a little pinch or stretch of your fingers can quickly make the image either grow or shrink far more than you want. With an update to fix these little issues, Story Patch can be a truly great kids' app.