Petting Zoo

PreS-Gr 3—Simple line illustrations by famed illustrator Christoph Niemann belie this masterful presentation. The app features 21 animals, each with its own chapter of whimsical animations. The opening screen depicts a pencil drawing an image of a hat, from which a rabbit with impossibly long ears emerges. Swiping and tapping the creature stretches or squishes it and youngsters will gleefully await the next delightful animation sparked by their fingertips. Though the app is eminently intuitive, a simple, visual tutorial may be accessed from the title screen.Users have the option of turning the animated transitions off between screens, but doing so significantly limits the fun. What child wouldn't want to see animals morph from one shape to another: the rabbit into a house from which a break-dancing dachshund emerges? Or witness a lion's tail turn into the body of an alligator, whose mouth then fills with sharp teeth? Bold colors and black line are featured throughout and some of the scenes feature animate objects. Occasionally the twangy guitar soundtrack can feel at odds with the sounds accompanying the animations, but if and when that happens, users can mitigate sensory overload by switching the music off.Since it has neither text nor narration, this app provides an excellent opportunity to get kids to talk about what's happening on the screen. With its element of surprise, viewers never tire of in Petting Zoo's charm. A trailer is available.—Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA