Common Sense Media Review
By Mieke VanderBorght
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Folk tales look great, but interactive elements disappoint.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Truth and Tales - Kids Stories
What's It About?
From the main menu, choose one of stories available TRUTH AND TALES - KIDS STORIES. Currently there are three fantastical tales: Leo, the Lion, The Child and the Dragon, and The Prince's Journey. All stories are told in rhyme and are narrated with highlighted read-along text on the screen. Kids tap the designated areas on the screen to advance through the story. Sometimes, there's an activity that kids must complete before moving forward. The Prince's Journey is more interactive than the other two stores in that kids move the Prince around the screen as they direct where he goes and what he does.
Is It Any Good?
Traveling through these magical worlds is a delight with enchanting music and lovely visuals, though the interactive elements are often confusing. Just as many folk tales do, these stories, supposedly based on "old eastern tales" certainly have some elements in them that showcase wisdom, bravery, valor, or problem-solving skills. But, the way the stories are told is sometimes a bit odd, and the educational claims are a bit of a stretch. And though some of the interactive elements are fun and cleverly use different tech capabilities (e.g., shaking the device, augmented reality), they're mostly few and far between. The more complicated activities include no indication of what kids are supposed to do and end up feeling somewhat random and quite confusing. This is especially so for The Prince's Journey where kids need to explore and interact to make the story advance, and if they don't understand the subtle guiding clues, they're pretty much stuck. Even though the stories overall are nice, given the high price tag and the developer's big promises, parents may find what they actually get to be a bit disappointing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the lessons in the Truth and Tales - Kids Stories. How did the characters solve their problems? What choices did they make that helped them along the way?
Read and tell folk tales and other stories. Make it a game to find what the moral of the story is and relate it to situations in your kid's life.
Make your family's expectations about screen time clear before handing over the device. Check it our screen time guide for advice.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects : Language & Reading : reading
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : problem solving , solving puzzles , Emotional Development : moving beyond obstacles
- Pricing structure : Free to try (One story available to try for free. Additional stories for in-app purchase of $10.99)
- Release date : June 1, 2020
- Genre : Education
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures
- Publisher : Explot
- Version : 1.1.11
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 11.0 or later; Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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