On
any given day, my five-year-old son’s bedroom is littered with dinosaur toys.
The route from his bedroom door to his bed is a gauntlet of (amongst other
toys) small plastic dinosaurs. Needless to say, he is fascinated by these
massive, prehistoric lizards, and I knew that he would thoroughly enjoy iDinosaur.
iDinosaur is more than a book. It’s
an Augmented Reality experience that merges old-school story-telling with
modern technology. By simply downloading a free app, readers can use their
smartphone or tablet to bring the pages to life, each unleashing a roaring,
walking or flying CGI dinosaur. Readers can also interact and take photos with
the onscreen reptiles, much to any youngster’s delight.
The
comprehensive 32-pager is one to enjoy over a few sittings with your young child
(if they can’t read). If your child is a little older and can read, they can engross themselves in the book and its app at
their leisure. Written by Dr Darren Naish, it is packed with fascinating facts
and tidbits, perfect for any dinosaur buff – young or old. It is also a great research
tool for any dinosaur-themed school project that might come up.
The
visuals throughout the book are bold and striking. Certain elements – like the
bright yellow warning sign-inspired titles - even got my heart racing a little.
It’s a new an exhilarating experience for kids and adults alike, and definitely
didn’t disappoint my budding paleontologist.
iDinosaur is supported by a free app
download, available for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch (all running iOS 4.3 and
higher), as well as Android phones and tablets.
iDinosaur is published by Struik
Publishers. The ISBN number is 9781783120796. Price R150. – Stephanie Millar
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