Publisher / DeveloperAgePriceScore
Disney3+$0.99

This is a short, but well-made ebook that’s fun for both you and your kids.  Although the story and interactive elements are short and simple, this actually works in the book’s favor and makes it a great recommendation for young toddlers.  And the wonderful artwork and excellent narration show that the book is short and simple as a design choice, rather than to cut corners.

 

 

Artwork

I doubt that any of the artwork in this book is original.  With all the storybooks and animated features Disney has produced over the years, there is really no reason to have generated original images for this simple book.  Nevertheless, the artwork chosen is typically excellent Winnie the Pooh material, and it fits the story perfectly.

 

 

Sound/Music

The sound and music in the book is very well done.  The famous Winnie the Pooh theme song plays quietly and unobtrusively in the background throughout the story, which does a great job of adding to the atmosphere and keeping the kids interested.   Additionally there are periodic sound effects.  The effects are minimal, but effective.

Story

This is the story of Winnie the Pooh’s appetite for honey.  But every place he looks is devoid of honey.  “No honey for Pooh.  What’s a bear to do?” is the mantra repeated throughout the book.  Eventually he finds honey.  That’s it.  That’s the whole story.  And while it’s not going to win a Pulitzer,  it will win your child’s approval.

 

 

Narration

The narration is excellent.  One of the best things about Disney’s ebooks is that they seem to always hire professional narrators who understand how to be very emotive without condescending to the children as though they are reading to puppy dogs.

What’s even better about Disney’s ebooks, though, is that you usually have the option of replacing their typically high-quality narrator with your own voice.  I always do this and it makes me feel a little bit better about not being there to read bedtime stories to my daughter when I’m out of town.  I hope Disney continues adding this feature to their ebooks, and I wish that more ebook publishers would take note. 

Interactivity

Like the story, the interactivity in Winnie the Pooh is simple, and geared toward very young children (under 4).  There are two elements.  Throughout the book you’ll find little variously colored honey pots shaking on various pages.  Your child collects these by tapping them, and then at the end of the book gets to play a little color matching game with the pots he/she collected. 

 

 

In addition, every third or fourth page contains a big six-piece jigsaw puzzle for your child to put together.  The pieces must be placed on top of an image of the completed product, making it very easy.   You’ll find that your child can put these puzzles together at a surprisingly early age, and their jig-saw skills will improve quickly.  My four-year-old daughter can put together jig-saw puzzles FAR more complicated than most of her peers and it’s pretty clearly a result of repeated exposure to the puzzles in this and other Disney ebooks.

 

 

Fun For Kids

Kids love this one.  It’s short, sweet, and fun.  I’ve seen this one a lot because my daughter has selected it a lot.

 Fun For Adults

Adults love this one too, but for entirely different reasons.  This is a cute ebook, but it’s hardly one to showcase the awesome power of the iPad for children’s books.  It’s mostly good for adults by being cute and short and therefore entirely inoffensive.  You won’t mind seeing this book a few times or even a few dozen times over the years.

 

 

Conclusion

If you have kids under four, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.  Disney could easily cash in on their franchises and sell a bajillion copies without putting any effort into it.  They haven’t done so.  They’ve treated the Winnie the Pooh license with care here and produced an excellent book for toddlers.  Just keep in mind that if your kid is Kindergarten age or older, they’ve probably outgrown this one and you should think about looking elsewhere.

Winnie the Pooh Puzzle Book - Disney Publishing Worldwide Applications

  

*Note: The overall score is not a composite score, but rather my own subjective opinion of the overall quality of the book.  

Story
Artwork
Sound/Music
Narration
Interactivity
Fun for Kids
Fun for grownups

 


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*Note: The overall score is not a composite score, but rather my own subjective opinion of the overall quality of the book.  

Story
Artwork
Sound/Music
Narration
Interactivity
Fun for Kids
Fun for grownups

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