BBC’s neat story-telling app gets further improvement
A host of new stories have been added to the BBC’s popular Cbeebies Storytime app, including some read by familiar voices such as Lauren Laverne, Maxine Peake and Michael Palin.
The app now also includes a library feature. Just like a real-life library, children can take out (download) up to 12 stories of their choice at a time, returning them to take out others when they are done (thus saving on your device’s storage space).
The app, which has been downloaded more than one million times, has had six new stories added with more arriving in the coming months. Among the new stories added to the app include those based on programmes such as Topsy and Tim and Swashbuckle, while the story read by Monty Python star Palin is a Clangers tale that’s set to arrive later in the summer.
The new stories follow the same format as Storytime’s existing stories, with each one designed to help support early years reading. Children can choose from two reading options: ‘Read to Me’ or ‘Read by Myself’, with the former narrated by the likes of Laverne and Palin. There are interactive elements throughout. As your child goes through the story they are prompted to join in with the tale by using the touchscreen and at the end of each story their comprehension is tested with some quick recall questions.
Kay Benbow, controller of CBeebies, says: “Our dedicated teams have created something truly amazing and this is a very proud moment for us at CBeebies. I’m delighted that Storytime and our other wonderful CBeebies app, Playtime, have been downloaded 5 million times collectively, showing how our audiences have embraced new platforms over recent years.”
The CBeebies Storytime app is a free download available on Apple iTunes, Google Play and the Amazon app store.
