Bottom Line: A lovely story app that is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale about two friends pulled apart by a bewitched mirror. With pretty illustrations and sweet animations throughout, this is a story app that will entertain young users.
If you would like to download The Snow Queen (iPad only, FREE with in-app purchase), please use this handy link so they'll know who sent you:
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What's free: The entire book is free to read, and the interactive activities on pages 1-10 are free as well. The in-app purchase of $1.99 is to activate the animated interactions on the remaining pages.
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The Snow Queen, by Saturn Animation Studios, is a new rendition of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale about best friends Kay and Gerda, and is perfect for any little fairy tale lover. The story itself is a sweet one of how the friends are pulled apart by a magic mirror, but are reunited in the end. The app is free, but does include an in-app purchase of $1.99 t hat gives access to interactive animations throughout the story (as opposed to just the first ten pages).
The storybook itself is long, with 44 pages, numerous characters and different events. In the free version, only the first 10 pages come with interactive animations, but all 44 pages are accessible regardless of in-app purchase, allowing the child to read the whole story in either version. The story of the Snow Queen is a complex one, and this version has been simplified enough for children to engage with it. There are spots where the tale isn’t as smooth or clear as it could be, but the overall story is linear and makes sense.
Narrated in both English and Russian, the book's English narration is read at a slow pace, allowing children to engage with the illustrations and take in the story before moving on to the next page. My daughter enjoyed listening to the story, but my son was a bit impatient for the narrator to finish each page. The volume of the narration can be controlled in the settings. Other settings allow the user to control the sound volume, select which page to begin or jump to, and turn auto play on or off.
Unlike some storybook aps, this one is focused on the story and not simply on flashy effects. There are interactive animations, but they do not detract from the story. Instead they add to and expand the overall experience. With a tap, for example, horses might neigh, flowers might grow, or a mirror breaks into pieces to go along with the story. On some pages there are more elaborate animations. My daughter’s favorite pages had snowflakes or shards of ice that can slide around on the screen. All of the animations can be repeated if the user chooses.
Overall, this is a sweet fairy tale that focuses on this traditional Hans Christian Andersen story. There's nothing extraordinary about it, and in many ways it's similar to other fairy tale apps available in the App Store. But it works well, held my child's attention, and was written in a way that allowed her to retell the story to me in fairly coherent fashion. It's a solid addition to the fairy tale app line-up.
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Emily B. is afraid to tell her daughter that The Snow Queen is the basis for the story in Disney's Frozen. It might prompt another round of "Let It Go," and she doesn't think she can take that right now. SmartAppsForKids.com was paid a priority review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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