As a child, there were two kinds of books that persuaded me to beg my parents for a trip to the library: Goosebumps books and world atlases. While I’ve outgrown R.L. Stine’s hardcover horrors, I still find myself drawn to geography and culture. Children's books publisher Barefoot Books, in conjunction with Touch Press (maker of the popular iPad app "The Elements"), has taken one of its greatest creations and adapted it for iOS in the form of Barefoot World Atlas. A world atlas geared toward young children, it features an interactive globe with hand-drawn visuals by artist David Dean, as well as accompanying images and narration for every entry. Barefoot World Atlas has somehow captured the awe and scale of a world atlas book and exponentially improved upon it, using the iPhone and iPad as shoulders on which to stand.
The atlas introduces itself with a globe filled with tiny icons representing different countries and regions, and a faint musical number reminiscent of a National Geographic special, complete with squalling seagulls and crashing waves. It is no doubt a beautiful experience, but the occasional stutter when zooming in and out was surprising, given the polish of this app.
Enlarge / Every region has sections of information accompanied by a reading from the author.
Barefoot Books
Animated images representing animals, athletes, and landmarks dot the landscape, bringing life to the usually still drawings. All entries are accompanied by an actual photograph, bringing painted pieces into the real world. There are even 3D models of historical artifacts that can be rotated. The only thing missing from the bevy of multimedia is some kind of video content. As my younger sibling (my test subject) and I read an entry on the African Lion, she asked to see a video of it hunting for food. That meant either a trip to the YouTube app or my laptop, both choices removing us from our educational experience. While shooting video of every feature on every continent is obviously impossible, links to hand-chosen videos would have been enjoyable and reassuring to me, as someone who doesn't want to accidentally show my four-year old sister a clip of a bloody lioness tearing open a carcass.
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