Time for another iPad Book Review, this time courtesy of the lovely folks over at Ink Robin - the creators of the 'Will & Kate' App for the iPad. Ink Robin is a new children's ebook production company based in Toronto.

Will & Kate: A Love Story tells the story of Prince William of England and Kate Middleton, of course. In the beautifully illustrated and interactive storybook, Prince William grows up from an ordinary little boy who always knew he'd grow up to be the king and meets Catherine, a very pretty small-town girl who used to dream of someday marrying a prince. They meet each other by chance one day and fall in love. And well... we all know how the story ends, don't we?

THE FUN'S IN THE DETAILS

Children can choose to have the story read to them by a charming British female narrator, or choose to read the book themselves. You move through the story by clicking the arrows back and forth in the bottom on the screen and there are enough distractions along the way to discover and play with - ancestors gasping, sheep bleating, birds chirping, fireworks popping - lovely. These interactive features are the highlight of the book, I'd say. They're incredibly witty and combined with the hilarious sound-effects and ambient background noises, they make for a very entertaining book. The application is very intuitive and it's quite easy to navigate and 'get' all the little jokes hidden within the pages.

A CONTEMPORARY FAIRYTALE

The illustrations in the book are really nicely done as well. The illustrations are done by British illustrator Adam Larkum and he chose to cleverly combine Quentin Blake-esque drawings of the characters with actual photographs of historical artworks, countryside landscapes, and landmarks. This makes for a fairytale story with a contemporary feel, which, let's be honest, is what Will and Kate's story represents, doesn't it?



WHERE'S THE DRAH-MAH? The only thing I was less impressed by in this adorable app, was the story. It feels kind of flimsy. It might be that I'm just the only person in the world who hasn't been completely blown away by this royal love story - but I would have liked to see more of a storytelling arch. There's no crisis. Little Prince William isn't unhappy with his fate to become a king and little Catherine isn't lonely. There's no moment of doubt before them getting married or mention of their famous breakup because of the pressures of living a life in the limelight. I'm missing a bit of drama here, which makes the story feel like Snow White without the evil Queen.


MORE PLEASE! Other than that - this is a delightful little app and very well suited for younger readers interested in the Prince and Princess getting married soon. The story is fun and happy, the drawings are lovely, and the interactive details had me laugh out loud (especially the talking paintings). Can't wait to try out Ink Robin's other book The Lollipop Lady Mystery. Great job, guys!


Links: Ink Robin's Website | 'Will & Kate' in the iTunes store


---
RELATED POST: Book/iPad App Review: Oliver Jeffers - 'The Heart and the Bottle' Comment »

---