Peter and the Wolf may be my all-time favorite piece of classical music for kids! When MomSelect asked if I was interested in reviewing the new Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood app as part of a promotional campaign, I was intrigued.
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Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood Kids’ App Review
Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood takes your classic Peter and the Wolf tale and twists it into a modern tale. Peter has left Russia and is now living with his hippy grandfather in Los Angeles. On his birthday, some big news takes over the stations: a wolf has escaped from the zoo! Peter happens to know a fair bit about wolves, and he takes it upon himself to capture the wolf.
All four of my kids thoroughly enjoyed this app! Eight-year-old Johnny and six-year-old Lily were particularly transfixed – they ahve now gone through the entire story several times. Three-year-old Anna found the wolf a bit scary for her liking. Ten-year-old Emma enjoyed the story, but as a grown-up fourth grader was not as absorbed by the storytelling as my first and second graders.
The design of the app creates a visually engaging experience that combines the soft classical music with modern rock and roll. I think it would engage any early elementary aged child’s attention, and it is a great jumping off point for exploring Prokofiev’s music in its entirety.
As much as the kids and I enjoyed this app, I would love to see the creators add on a more educational side for the product. My kids were fascinated by the short “making of” clip in the bonus features section. They would have happily gone into more detail on how the film was made. I also think that every Peter and the Wolf app should include information on the different instruments that play – and it would be nice for the kids to be able to hear Prokofiev’s entire piece through the app, since only portions of it are played within the app. There is a study guide that both parents and teachers may find useful – see the bottom of the main page of the Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood site. The app does deal with a number of topics that aren’t addressed in the original Peter and the Wolf story: being different, feeling lonely – even invisible, and losing parents.
Do you have a favorite music-based app for kids? How about a particularly kid-friendly piece of music – in any genre – that you think my kids and I would enjoy?
I received compensation for this post as part of a promotional program with MomSelect. All opinions are my own.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Always great to find something your kids enjoy!
I agree; I think the beauty of Peter and Wolf is to see how each instrument “played” the role of the character.
Hmmmm….. I haven’t seen many music based apps yet, so no, not yet. I’ve got a few history apps that I’ve played around with.
I would love to hear about any history apps your recommend!
We have the Maestro Classics CD of Peter and the Wolf, which is a wonderful combination of entertainment and education. Much requested on road trips!
I’m so glad to hear that you like that one! I have wondered about their products – they sound good but we don’t own any of them.
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