Developer: Sago Sago
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad 3

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Fans of dream team developer Sago Sago will be interested to know about their new app, Sago Mini Fairy Tales, which creates a landscape where children can move about while interacting with many different characters and objects – here with a distinct fairy tale theme that children will enjoy.

Sago Mini Fairy Tales stars Jinga the Cat – a character Sago Sago fans will recognize from many of their other apps – complete with the addition of fairy wings that allow this kitty to fly about the magical forest in which she lives. And also allowing children to explore many different characters and devices in this open-ended app. Navigation is a simple drag from a finger, which will allow Jinga to move about the page to discover many mini-adventures from touching upon the Sword in the Stone to taking a nibble from the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel. Children will enjoy the cameos from familiar characters, including Harvey the Dog who dresses as Rapunzel, or Robin, the pretty pink bird that children will remember as well, here styled as Robin Hood – a charming inclusion that will make adults smile.

IMG_0907To young children, Sago Mini Fairy Tales as well as the other apps in this series such as Sago Mini Ocean Swimmer and Sago Mini Space Explorer will seem like an endless landscape of areas to explore, from the lush green forest floor and rolling layers of foliage where one may come across many garden gnomes to a magical bean stalk or a frog to kiss. Sago Mini Fairy Tales does a great job of stimulating children's abilities to create their own narrative to go along with the interactions they come across in this charming and creative application.

I admire the look of this app, with a different palette of colors seen in the related Sago Mini Forest Flyer, which also take place in a forest setting yet includes a crisp blue sky – a contrast to the chance to admire the evening's sunset colors seen peeking between the clouds and over the distant mountain peaks within this app. I also admire the use of ambient sounds such as crickets and sounds of a waterfall that add to this app’s magical tone, which also makes it a relaxing activity one can enjoy before bed.

IMG_0914I enjoy the different fairy tales touched upon here, but it is worth noting that if a parent or child is expecting to find popular mass market princesses they may be disappointed as Disney characters are not touched upon here – a choice that I am fond of. Instead, this app includes a friendly giant, a troll under a bridge, a baby dragon, and a non-specific purple monster as well as other characters, such as Humpty Dumpty, that allow children to create their own tales instead of simply rehashing of Frozen or other popular stories. Sago Mini Fairy Tales will delight toddlers who will find the interactive nature of this app intuitive and engaging. As with other Sago Sago apps, the level of polish continues to be quite high and enjoyable to the adults who may be sharing this app with their young children, making it one that is easy to recommend.