My Kingdom Books Review: We get stuck into an interactive Augmented Reality book for kids, which is brought to life by a special iOS app.
Kids these days can use iPhones and other mobile devices from a scarily tender age, so books are in serious danger of losing out to YouTube and other online delights when it comes to keeping the wee tykes occupied. However, companies like My Kingdom Books are bringing childrens’ books kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, offering a complementary mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
Head to the My Kingdom Books website and you can create your own tale, featuring your sprog as the hero or heroine. There’s only a single storyline available right now but we’re expecting this to expand over time.
The tale itself is a cute little story about a prince or princess who has to undo an evil witch’s sinister spell. To do so, they must travel around a fantasy land, visiting various creatures who pass over special tokens, which just happen to be letters. These letters of course combine to spell your kids’ name, which is a neat bit of personalisation.
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You can preview the story before ordering, at which point the book is printed and delivered to your home. And while the My Kingdom Books story can simply be read and enjoyed like a normal book, it’s the AR elements that help it to stand out.
Download the free My Kingdom Books app onto your iPhone, iPad or Android device and you’re ready for action. The app uses your handset’s camera; just point the phone at each page of the book and you’ll see characters spring to life. The witch casts a spell, for instance, while the crocodile marches on the page. A narrator will also read out the story to your kid.
My Kingdom Books is a fun little reading experience for your wee ones, offering interactivity and personalisation that kids get a kick out of. We’d prefer a variety of tales, but the one available story is good fun and beautifully animated.
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