Columbus the Explorer Mouse app for iPhone and iPad

Discover new words and learn about the world around us with Columbus the Explorer Mouse! A fun, educational app of six read-along books to help toddlers and pre-schoolers expand their vocabulary. Very young children can enjoy listening to and watching the stories, while those who are a little bit older can read along at their own pace.

Columbus is inquisitive. Columbus is curious. Columbus likes to learn. But most of all Columbus loves to explore! Join Columbus as he:

- Learns the names of baby animals at the farm,
- Discovers what there is to see at the beach,
- Finds out about the treasures in a museum,
- Sees the worlds most amazing animals at the zoo,
- Explores how snow can be fun,
and understands the jobs that different vehicles do in the city.

All six tales in Columbus app come with audio, illustrations and highlighted text. This creates a wonderful introduction to books and reading for young learners. The app even comes with a completely free story!

- For iPad, iPhone and iPod touch
- Specially created for toddlers and pre-schoolers
- Six stories, including one free tale
- Choose "read it to me" or "read it myself" modes
- Simple, educational and fun

As with all apps from The Story Mouse, Columbus stories are presented as virtual books. Larissa Murray is our storyteller whose warm, North American voice brings the adventures to life. Text is highlighted as Larissa reads each tale, making the words easy to follow, while Chris Whites wonderful illustrations bring fun to every page.

On the iPad, each page has an illustration on the left, with text on the right. On the iPhone and iPod touch the illustrations are displayed full-screen when when you hold the device vertically. To display the text, simply hold the iPhone or iPod touch horizontally.

There is a choice of reading modes too. In "read it to me" mode, Larissa reads the story and the pages turn automatically. Or, choose "read it myself" to turn the voice off and advance the story at your own pace.

Columbus tales are perfect for bedtime or to pass the time on a long journey. As with all books from The Story Mouse, the stories are both a pure listening experience and an introduction to reading for those who are just starting to learn their ABCs.

Columbus app comes with a free story, "Columbus Explores the Farm" and you can safely purchase other titles using your iTunes account. You can preview the first pages of each book free of charge too. All purchased stories can be retrieved on all mobile devices associated with your iTunes account.