Tech Talk Tuesday: Learning about Wooly Mammoths

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In my house, we have an interest in big animals. My husband regularly finds cool shows (usually on a certain channel) that relate to the African savannah and big cats. We find ourselves hopeless in the face of lions dismembering a giraffe.

Some of us side with the giraffe. Others cheer for the lions. Regardless of our disagreement, we are fascinated, interested, owned by the drama of nature.

The same is true in our backyard. Certain children find me rocks and bugs and all manner of life forms in between. Other children find me decorations consisting of any number of things from outside.

When I had a chance to review Wooly Mammoth in Trouble, a new interactive book app by Oceanhouse Media, I suspected it would be a big hit with my crew. Big animals, great pictures, interactivity. I smelled success.

Wooly Mammoth in Trouble is one of the Smithsonian apps that Oceanhouse has, and it doesn't disappoint. Not only is there a wooly mammoth in the story, but there are big cats. (We were smitten, even if it was a mean cat.)

As with the other Oceanhouse apps we've used, there are three different ways to use it: Read to Me, Read It Myself, and Auto Play. On each page, you can click on different elements and the words pop up (and, in some cases, are stated).

The illustrations are wonderful and the story is interesting. Oh, it's educational too, but in a way that doesn't shove natural history down your fiction-loving throat.