The author of this review, Kelli, has recently become the owner of a beautiful paint pony named Gypsy. Kelli is in love.

We begin our story in Kiwaka, isolated deep in the African jungle, where we meet four fantastical animal friends:
The four made up an unlikely group of friends who loved to spend nights stargazing together. The friends knew that the stars in the sky formed constellations, but they didn’t know much about them and they wanted to learn more. Tuka remembered a legend that fireflies carried the light of the stars…maybe the fireflies in Kiwaka could tell the friends more.
Sure enough, the fireflies were able to share stories with the group of friends and begin to show them how the stars fit together to form the constellations. The friends were thrilled to learn the stories, and excited that from Kiwaka, on the equator, they could see all of the constellations. Looking at the stars made each of the friends long for their own adventures.
What adventures, you ask? Well you’ll just have to read the story to find out more. Besides a delightful story, this app has several pages introducing thirteen different constellations and telling the story behind each one. Each page in our story is full of interactive elements. You can make each animal move or make the fireflies group to form the constellations. You can make the entire night sky rotate in order to see each of the constellations. Functionally, I found this app to be extremely well made with beautiful, seamless interactive elements. I like that they not only work properly but also tie into the story and enhance it rather than just being thrown in for effect.
Overall, this app is very lovely visually, with bright, interesting characters and beautiful artwork. The narration is pleasant and engaging, telling a story that kept my kids interested through multiple play-throughs of the app. I personally love the section that introduces us to the different constellations and the stories behind them. I am happy to make this app our newest Top Pick, awarding it a strong 4.5 stars.
Bottom Line: Kiwaka Story is a very lovely interactive storybook app that introduces us to a whimsical group of animal friends that live deep in the jungles of Africa. These friends go in search of the stories that the stars tell and have adventures along the way. This beautiful app would delight children who are already interested in stargazing or be a wonderful introduction to the stars for newcomers.
Highly Recommended
This app has been thoroughly evaluated by our staff. Please click on the 'star ratings' tab above, to see how it fared in all nine of our rating categories. See synopsis tab for more details about the storyline.
This guest review was originally published by SmartAppsforKids.com on July 27, 2015.
The author of this review, Kelli, has recently become the owner of a beautiful paint pony named Gypsy. Kelli is in love.
All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.
Author/Illustrator:
Susana Landolt
Developer:
Landkae, Lda
Length (time):
20 - 30 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: No
Allows Own Narration:
No
Uses Motion: No
Age: 4 - 10 +
Languages:
English • French • Spanish •German •Italian •Japanese •
Length (pages):
12 Pages
From iTunes:
Do you know that, according to an old legend, fireflies carry the light from the stars?
Our story begins in Kiwaka, a small place tucked away in the depths of the African jungle. There lived four of the strangest creatures ever.
In this interactive book you will follow our friends in their quest to light the stars in the sky and unveil the ancient mysteries of the constellations.
The book app transports you to the warm and delightful nights of Kiwaka, where the four friends happily discover the night sky. Meet them in this magical learning adventure!
FEATURES
- Music by David Leon (Emmy-nominated, award-winning composer);
- Narrated by Diogo Morgado (English and Portuguese editions only) who played the role of Jesus in the biblical epic film “The Son of God”;
- All the pages are interactive and animated;
- Languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese.
You can also play our educational game, Kiwaka, and help the four friends to catch fireflies and learn about stars and constellations.
Orientation: Landscape
Format: Universal
Options:
Read to Me, Language, Narration, Music, Credits, Links (under parental gate): AppStore, Web, eMail, Facebook, Twitter
App Release Date:
2014-06-05
Size: 287.27 MB
Version: 1.1
Lite Version Available: No