Before most educators and publishers assigned levels to titles for emergent readers, there were the Dr. Seuss “Beginner Books” (Random House). The vocabulary in these titles is basic, selected from a list of 300-plus words compiled by Phyllis Cerf at Random in the 1950s. There’s a Wocket in My Pocket is actually one of the “Bright and Early” Beginner Books, and while it’s doubtful that “wocket,” “vug,” and “nink” made it on that initial list, paired with “pocket,” “bug” and “sink” these words have been rolling off the tongues of new readers for years.
PreS-Gr 2-There is a consistency of presentation and design in Oceanhouse Media’s Dr. Seuss apps, which currently number twenty-four. The There’s a Wocket in my Pocket! app remains true to the original text (Random, 1974) and Theodor Geisel’s original illustrations are untouched, but subtle sound effects have been added to each page to suggest movement or to give voice (giggling, muttering, etc.) to the zany characters.
Children can follow along as spoken text is highlighted in the “Read to Me” option or if they prefer, operate the “Read It Myself” mode; both allow users to control page turns. For those indiscriminate touchers, “Auto Play” will insure that the story is read in its entirety without interruption. Within each option, labels pop up on the screen as objects are tapped and given voice to when the auto reader is off.
An information screen, accessed by a button in the lower left corner of every page, includes usage tips and allows news items and sound effects to be switched on and off.
This excellent app introduces children to the names attached to common household items, encourages them to poke around and delight in discovery, and opens their ears to some delightful wordplay. Like Oh! the Things You Can Think!, Wocket will be a worthy addition to collections.- Nicole Politi, Ocean County Library, NJ