I'm a full-time mummy

I'm so glad I bought my iPad few months ago. Good investment choice as I get to do more reviews on books and iPad apps! Who would've guessed one day I could be brave enough to request doing reviews on iPad apps?!!

Anyhooo, I received a press release on the 4th omBook (Oceanhouse Media digital book) in the "Five Little Monkeys" series and immediately replied with my interest to review it. This is my 2nd reviews for the "Five Little Monkeys" series, the first one being "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed". Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do
* Price: $2.99
* Category: Books
* Released: Jul 26, 2011
* Current Version: 1.08 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
* Size: 11.6 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

Description from the product page:

"When the usually rambunctious five little monkeys tell mama "We're bored. There is nothing to do!", mama cleverly responds "Oh yes there is" and enlists their help to clean the house for Grandma Beesie's visit. So enthusiastically they pick up their room, scrub the floors, beat the rugs, and run to the muddy swamp to pick berries for dessert. . . but when Grandma arrives and the five little monkeys proudly take her inside, they are all in for a big surprise. "Oh my!" "Oh dear!" "Oh no!" they exclaim. Children and parents alike will adore this silly story of five clumsy but well-intentioned little monkeys that don't always get things exactly right, but always have a good time doing it! "

Praise for "Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do":
- Top 10 in Paid Book Apps on App Store - July 2011
- "This story may prevent your kids from ever saying they are bored again." - AppAdvice.com

Picture below taken of Ben while we went through the book together on my iPad... I've never seen Ben so  engrossed and fascinated with the story, I guess maybe he recognised the same monkeys from the previous "Five Little Monkeys" app which I reviewed early June this year.

What's good?

* It is engaging and interactive and I love that we can also touch the objects in each page on the screen and the words pop out to tell you what it is!

* I like that the monkeys help out their mama (and I repeatedly hinted to Ben to help mummy too!) when they are bored and have nothing to do!

Ben was quite engrossed with this page, maybe because of the familiarity with our bathroom ;P

What's not so good?

* I would love to see the 5 little monkeys helping out to clean up the mess rather than the story ended the way it was. (I had to explain to Ben that we should not leave the house dirty and in a mess and must always always clean up everything)

You can purchase the "Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code by the sponsor to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

I received a press release on this new app and immediately replied with my interest to review it. And as always, the ever helpful and friendly Cathy from Oceanhouse Media replied with the promo code for me to download the app for free! Yeayyyy!!! Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: Leo the Lightning Bug
* Price: $2.99
* Category: Books
* Released: Jun 30, 2011
* Current Version: 1.08
* Size: 19.0 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later

Description from the product page:

"Children will identify with Leo and grasp the importance of believing in themselves as they follow Leo’s adventure to make his very own light. The other lightning bugs tease him, but with determination, motherly support, and a little luck, Leo eventually lights up in the night. Transformed by his newfound confidence, he now laughs at himself, plays with the others, and enjoys a good night’s sleep!

New features only available in this omBook include professional narration, background audio and enlarged artwork for each scene. To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read. By combining the original text and artwork of the book with features that entertain and promote reading, this omBook appeals to readers of all ages. "

Praise for Leo the Lightning Bug:
- #2 L.A. Times Children’s Bestseller List
- Benjamin Franklin Award Winner — Best Children's Book
- ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award— Honorable Mention
- Book Sense 76 Children’s Pick

Picture below taken of Ben while we went through the book together on my iPad... Ben was  initially engrossed when I told him this book is about a lightning bug. He was mesmerised at Leo but as we reached the middle of the story, he starts to lose interest and moved on to play with his toys.

What's good?

* I love the beautiful illustrations!

* Storyline wise is good as it teaches us not to give up and keep on trying until we succeed.

What's not so good?

* The volume is a bit too soft. I've adjusted everything to the max and yet still am not able to listen clearly to the narrations. Maybe this is why Ben lost interest halfway through the app.

You can purchase the "Leo the Lightning Bug" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code by the sponsor to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

(* Article first published as Book Review - Photographing Children and Babies (Michal Heron) on Blogcritics.)

I have the privilege of reviewing this awesome photography book packed with cool tips and tutorials and below is my review of the book...

Title: Photographing Children and Babies: How to Take Great Pictures
Author: Michal Heron
 Publisher:  Allworth Press (October 2005)
ISBN: 978-1581154207
Paperback: 160 pages; Softcover
Dimension: 8 1/2 X 10 inches

Description from the product page:
"This family-friendly guide shows parents how to dramatically improve their baby photos and create beautiful, memorable albums without extensive experience, technical knowledge, or equipment. Featuring more than 150 striking examples of successful pictures, the book provides the skills and technique to create excellent portraits, action shots, group pictures and more. Written in an easy-to-understand, to-the-point tone, the book evolves from general to specific photographic concepts, with chapters including: seeing your children, the value of shooting close ups, portraits, capturing different moods, backgrounds and environments, film and editing, choosing b/w or color, the technical side, and family photos. Dozens of tips and instructions for bringing creativity to kids' photos are featured, including posing and catching great non-posed shots, working with children as models, advice on equipment, and more. A chapter on "Tips for Photographing All Ages" gives recommendations on how to get the best pictures in all stages of a childís life. Special assignment forms help the reader go beyond good intentions, get organized, and fulfill their goal of excellent portraiture. "

About the author:

"Michal Heron has been a freelance photographer for more than thirty years Heron has appeared on an NBC morning show to talk about children’s protraiture, and currently works on assignment for a variety of publishing and corporate clients as well as stock photo agencies. She is active with photographic associations and is a frequent lecturer at seminars and workshops throughout the country. She lives in New York City."

This is a great book for those of you who wants to take great pictures of children and babies!

When I first saw the book title, I was having some doubts as I seriously do not have any experience or knowledge at all in photography or camera stuff (see, I don't even know the proper jargons in photography world!) I researched further and found this in the product description "family-friendly guide shows parents how to dramatically improve their baby photos and create beautiful, memorable albums without extensive experience, technical knowledge, or equipment", oh hey, I'm in!!!

Like I said earlier, I have no experience in photography skills and I mostly use my trust Panasonic Lumix 10MP digital camera to take all my pictures. One thing that I always always do is to take loads and loads of pictures, since digital camera can store more pictures. I am happy to read that this is one of the tips found on page 21 which tells us to 'Shoot a Lot!' - so I guess, I'm doing something right here, hehehe...

I also learned that background (chapter 6) plays an important part in our photography as well and am glad to learn the tips and tutorials from this chapter. In chapter 7 (How Much Film Do You Need?) I also learned a lot on the things to look for during the editing process and I am practising some of the criterias listed currently too.

The pictures in this book are totally gorgeous and beautiful and I love the basic 4 precepts on page 11 which tells you how to best improve our photographs.

In my opinion, Heron's book is a good one to invest in if you would like to take better (and professional looking!) pictures of children and babies! 

You can get this book from Allworth Press, Amazon and many more.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a copy of the book by Allworth Press in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous book reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My Book Reviews"