Snow Rabbit

Review & Appy Chat

Developer: Silke Voigt

Review:

Snow Rabbit is beautiful Christmas story of a young rabbit, named Joey, who is longing for his own Christmas tree and his friend, a raven, who wants to make Joey’s dream come true. The raven picks out a lovely tree, and goes to his nest, where he has stored a variety of trinkets he has found in the woods. He plans to use them to decorate the tree in the woods with the trinkets, and make it Joey’s own Christmas tree. Of course, Joey is very happy to see his Christmas wish has come true, as if it is magic! As the rabbits and raven are celebrating, a human comes along and discovers the tree, and is shocked. He is convinced it must have been magic too, as there are no footprints in the snow near the tree. The rabbits hide, as more humans come to see the tree. The story has beautiful ending.

This is is a wonderful tale of friendship, the magic of childhood, and a touch about how we tend to lose sight of that as adults and focus on the concrete. It is whimsical tale, at first, of the the beauty of winter and the magic of childhood and Christmas, but it turns into even more. The graphics and animation are fantastic. There are several options, including the ability to turn on and off the “read to me” option, which is a little speech bubble on bottom the left. Your child can do the same with the music, which is a little music note symbol on the bottom right. There is a pause button on each page on the top right. The Snow Rabbit has just the right amount of interactivity. It also has a pause button on each page on the top right, as well as a start over, page select, and resume button at the end. After reading or viewing the very last page of the story, your child can play a game called “build funny snowmen”. On that page, you see two rabbit snowmen and one raven snowman. Their arms, legs, heads, hats, scarves, and so on, can all be moved around and be arranged in a silly fashion. To reset the snowmen to their original state and start over, you just hit the little broom icon on the bottom right side of the page. It is a charming end to a wonderful storybook. (Reviewed by Angie Gorz)

Appy Chat:

When did you decide to develop this app?
I decided to develop the app in summer 2011.

When did you first release this app?
I released the German version Schneehase on 5th October, the English version Snow Rabbit on 2nd November and the Spanish version on 9th Nov.

How long did it take you to develop this app?
About one year

What is your favourite feature?
Spinning rabbits on page 15

What is your favourite page in the app?
Page 9

What skills were you hoping to help the end user to develop?
Reading for beginners, education, fun

What age range would this app most suit?
From 4 to 8 and the whole family

Description:

“Snow Rabbit” is a bibliophile picture book telling a moving Christmas tale for the whole family.

On Christmas Eve, snowshoe rabbit Joey discovers that the village in the snowbound valley is decorated for Christmas. Enchanted by the festive lights, Joey longs for his own Christmas tree. His friend the raven has a brilliant idea! Overnight, Joey’s wish comes true in a magical way. Humans and animals alike are amazed. Reading the multi-dimensional ending brings enjoyment to adults and children.

The app consists of twenty lovingly designed picture book pages with beautiful illustrations by Silke Voigt. Moreover, the book entails many interactive animations, which draw the readers’ attention and will stimulate your children’s imagination. You can decorate the Christmas tree together with your children! You can build funny snowmen in all kinds of versions! You may even have an interactive snowball fight! Discover all the hidden suprises! Let the rabbits and the raven dance at your fingertips on the touchscreen the way you would like them to dance!

You may either listen to the story read out to you or read it for yourself; the font is extra large for beginners; and the app includes Christmas music as well as an interactive puzzle. Have fun!