I am a serious Oz fanatic. As in, I read every one of the L. Frank Baum books as a child and now I’m introducing them to my girls. Not that there’s anything wrong with MGM’s technicolor version–should you be okay with the silver shoes becoming ruby slippers (ahem). In any case, my girls have come to love the books as well. So I was excited if a bit skeptical about trying out the Oz for iPad app, wondering if it would be some cartoon-y condensed version of the movie. Boy was I wrong.

[don’t miss a fantastic limited time discount after the jump]

This stunning ebook is true to the original Baum story (if
abridged), and comes to life in 19 chapters, from Dorothy of the Kansas
Prairies, right through There’s No Place Like Home. In the middle,
you’ll find the characters you know and love, along with the characters
forgotten to all but the purists, like the Stork, the half tiger-half
bear Kalidahs, the helpful Field Mice, and the Winkies.

The illustrations are exquisite; even more so when they animate based on
touch or tilt motions. And when your kids do so, it yields fun
surprises; the lion is cute when you make him cry and spinning the
cyclone is great fun. In the spirit of Animalia,
kids also have the option to seek out 15 hidden monkeys throughout the
pages and when they do…well, I don’t know. We haven’t finished yet.

As is standard with ebooks today, you have the option to read the story
yourself or have it read to you. My only complaint with the app is that I
find the female narrator’s voice a little too perky and grating for my
tastes. Not that my kids seemed to mind her at all.

I was truly surprised that this app is just $1.99–then I realized it’s
for a limited time. However for less than the cost of a movie
rental, my kids were riveted–to a book–for a good hour. Then they
argued about who would get to play with it next.

Thanks for doing right by my beloved Oz books, Podotree. Seriously. –Liz

Download the Oz for iPad app at iTunes for $1.99 for a limited time! It’s regularly $4.99 and still a great deal. You can also watch the trailer at Ozipad.com – where you can also find instructions on how to get a $10 itunes gift card just for offering your feedback.