Goodbye, heavy books —

Hands-on: Barefoot World Atlas for iOS a boon for kids

$4.99 delivers plenty of education these days without the back-breaking books.

Hands-on: Barefoot World Atlas for iOS a boon for kids

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.

Every region has sections of information accompanied by a reading from the author.
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.

On the upside, the music that accompanies Barefoot World Atlas is a pleasant surprise. Quiet melodies play as you zoom around the globe searching for something that piques your interest. The ever-changing sounds usually correspond to the region you’re on; Japan provokes the sounds of the shamisen, while the Bahamas has a more Caribbean flavor. The sounds occasionally cut in and out when moving the globe ever so slightly, which is a tolerable annoyance. Sound effects are paired to almost every feature or animal, and most animals come with their own call; tigers roar and penguins honk. The odds of finding your favorite animal’s squawk are pretty slim, however.

Want a man to read to you about the Atlantic Puffin? There's an app for that.
Want a man to read to you about the Atlantic Puffin? There's an app for that.
Barefoot Books

Instead of simply entering data and letting it stagnate within the app, Barefoot World Atlas features integration with Wolfram Alpha, making its printed relative practically obsolete. With a country’s relative distance from you (using your location data) and copious amounts of other interesting facts, parents and nerds will appreciate the up-to-date information.

At $4.99, Barefoot World Atlas is cheaper than your local bookstore’s world atlas, and is definitely packed with more information than DK could fit into one. As an introduction to geography and culture, Barefoot World Atlas does a great job of capturing young minds with its interactive planet, impressive visuals, and brief summaries of wherever you’re visiting from the comfort of your iOS device. More images and links to approved videos would also be a great addition, and links to an actual Wikipedia page for more on a certain topic (dietary requirements of the very sticky tomato frog, anyone?) would be excellent for older elementary schoolers who are experienced enough to handle the information overload. Longer paragraphs would do more than enough to satisfy the more curious young minds as well. But if you have a little one who uses and abuses your iPhone or iPad, sharing a moment to learn something new every day is no doubt worth the price of admission. Who knows? Maybe it'll convince them to go outside.

Channel Ars Technica