Treasure Kai 2 : Book App Review

★★★★★  $ 3.99  

Book App recommendations by Aridan Books

Educapp Award Winner

      – Krayon Kiosk Approved –

Review Excerpt from The Digital Media Diet — Carisa Kluver  – Please click here to read the original review !

“In this sequel to Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island, readers are in for a treat! Full of exceptional interactivity that is both story-related and fun, this title surpasses the first book in a way that is rare for a series. The first title was based on a print book with a similar approach to non-linear storytelling, using a series of treasure chests at the bottom of the book (with small toys representing each new page). In print, this title has been a family favorite in our home to this day. But, in digital, this title really took the storytelling up a notch, with a design that feels tailored to the medium of the touch tablet without losing any of the ingenuity of the original design.

Fun interactive elements include touching the ‘globe’ lamp to see Kai disappear, placing each of the seven keys to find new clues and a sea of pages to explore as the story is either read silently or with narration (with phrase by phrase highlighting). Page turn is by simple arrows, making the interactive ‘sprites’ easy to find without accidentally turning the page. Text is presented in a small box that can be dragged to different areas of the page when exploring the detailed and cartoon-like illustrations. Arrows at the bottom of this text box allow the reader to move through the story as well as play & pause the narration. Fun elements to play with include a soccer ball that bounces around Kai’s bedroom and a globe lamp that turns off and on. Some of these interactions are not entirely related to the plot, but they rarely distract from this very engaging storyline.

I met the author, Karen Robertson, nearly 18 months ago and have been impressed by her dedication to the story app format. I also love her vision, which is really focused on making reading fun, especially for older and reluctant readers. The Treasure Kai books are apps I have enjoyed, even as an adult, but the real ‘treasure’ for me has been in watching my young son read the stories and talk about the plot. These are titles where reading comprehension comes before ‘bells & whistles’ (which are also stellar in this series, but never get in the way of the narrative). Treasure Kai’s new adventure is so engaging that we have done many ‘extension’ activities, like pretending to be Kai on an exploration of our yard, creating original stories about traveling through time, making our own treasure maps and treasure hunts, which gives my rather gifted 6-year old reader the opportunity to challenge himself by sounding out all the clues by himself. Free curriculum activities are available on the developers website, at: https://treasurekai.com/educate, making this a top recommendation for educational settings! ”