[App Review] Up: My Name is Dug

Up: My Name is Dug

Fans of Disney/Pixar’s movie Up will appreciate Up: My Name is Dug. However, this interactive eBook is not limited to fans of the well-known movie. It also appeals to kids who love dogs, kids who love reading and kids who simply love to have fun. Designed for the iPad, Up: My Name is Dug allows kids to interact with Dug, the popular dog from the movie, as he searches for a bird.

Read and Play

The app itself is designed for children ages two through eight and both the younger and older ends of the age group will enjoy the app. As with most interactive eBooks, kids can choose to have the book read to them or to read it themselves. The book itself is fairly simple with easy to read lines such as “Hi! I’m Dug! You are my best friend! I love you! Have you seen the bird?” Because of its simplicity, even readers in kindergarten or first grade will be able to choose the “read it myself” option and finish the book on their own.

Those who are fans of the movie will appreciate the “read to me” option because it allows kids to experience the actual voices from the movie as they say popular lines, such as the infamous “Won’t you please be my prisoner, please, please, please!” This sets the app apart from other interactive eBooks which use random voices for their characters. Kids who choose to have the book read to them can still read through the eBook at their own pace, having the text on the page repeat if they want to hear it again or taking their time to tap on all of the interactive elements on each individual page.

Getting Involved in the Story

While the “read to me” option may be more appealing to most children, both modes allow kids to tap around the screen and experience the friends and unique scenery Dug encounters on his journey. In the actual book, the bird, Kevin, is hidden on each of the pages and kids can find him with little searching. With the app, they can tap around and be surprised as they watch Kevin appear. Dug directs the kids to help him in his task to find the bird, so they actually have reason to watch for Kevin to appear. The effects are not limited to finding Kevin though. Kids will be treated to entertaining sound effects, background music and a lot of other surprises as they tap through the pages.

Up: My Name is Dug is a basic interactive eBook based on a popular kids’ movie. Having seen the movie Up will definitely enhance the way kids experience the app, but knowledge of the movie is not required to enjoy all the app has to offer.  At its basic level, the app is a cute story that follows a dog who can talk and loves peanut butter as he searches for a bird and kids will enjoy the graphics and storyline even if they have not seen the movie it is based on.

All images from Up: My Name is Dug

By Stacy Zeiger
Stacy Zeiger is an 8th grade English teacher, writer and mother of two who holds a B.A. in English and M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Ohio State University.