This combination interactive storybook/creativity center is thoroughly engaging. Based on The Little Mermaid animated movie, the program has all the features you've come to expect from a quality electronic book, plus a whole lot more. The words of the story are highlighted, and there's an interactive thesaurus entry on each page, as well as poems that creatively introduce children to word definitions. Clickables are numerous and serve to advance the storyline. Children collect special stickers as they proceed through the pages, and they'll often find their own name embedded in the illustrations. As kids wind their way through the tale of Eric and Ariel, they'll come across fun sing-alongs and three solid activities. Our testers loved the story making area that let them create their own illustrated tales. Children can choose from different background scenes, add characters and props and then write two lines of text for each page they create. These story pages can be printed out in color, or they can be done in black outline, for coloring away from the computer. Another clever activity is set in an undersea grotto. Here, kids invite various types of fish and other sea creatures to swim about in the grotto and can also add plant life, which grows and gets bigger as time passes. There's lots of opportunity for learning in the grotto, as plants and animals are identified, and kids can take snapshots of things and learn more information by collecting the creatures' photo/fact cards. Our only criticism is aimed at the program's suggested age range, which is six to eight. There are a lot of four- and five-year-old Little Mermaid fans out there who would do just fine with this product. For four- to eight-year-old children (girls especially), this program is sure to please.
Teaches: reading, writing, creativity
Age Range: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue
Amazon.com Product Description
Join your favorite characters from
The Little Mermaid in a living world where you can create, learn, and play. Participate in multiple activities and watch in wonder as incredible graphics and lovable characters emerge. Dive into an ocean of activities with Ariel and her friends as you explore this adventure-filled interactive story on CD-ROM. Expand your vocabulary with synonyms, learn new definitions, and listen to the story as told by Ariel, Sebastian, or the wicked Ursula herself! (Ages 6-10)
