Laura’s Star and the Dream-Monster: Imaginative and Interactive Storytelling

Klaus Baumgart’s series continues in another delightful and interactive adventure in Laura Star and the Dream-Monster. Bastei Entertainment’s storybook app lets children take part in the tale. More than 60 animations in all scenes, funny sound effects and narratives available in three languages await.

As your tot slides their finger across the starry sky, a trail of magical twinkling stars follow. Touch Laura’s Star and the others light up the sky. In the following page, your child will discover toys sitting on shelves that will come alive with their touch; every page has something new to discover.

Previously, Laura took an astronomical adventure in ‘Laura’s Journey to the Stars‘. You can read our review that confirmed the app is easy enough for a 3 year old to use here…

In this part of the series, Laura and her little brother Tommy are off on a mystical adventure as they sail into night sky in search of the dream world to find Tommy’s missing toy dog. With a little magic from Laura’s special star, the sibling duo drift off into the clouds to the City of Dreams where they ward off the dream monsters and rescue Tommy’s toy dog.

While my six year old and ten year old hovered over our tablet, they took turns finding new ways to take part in the story. A few mini-games also aid in participation along the way. Tommy and Laura zoom across the sky in a boat had my kids dodging toys and other items on their journey to The City of Dreams. In another game, keys are matched by shape. It was easy enough that my two year old was able to get the correct shapes matched together.  Finally, a maze lets your children use Laura’s Star to guide them home.

I appreciated that the children drove the story at their pace, they could spend as much or as little time as they liked on any particular page. At one point, my daughter insisted we go back to see the castle leading to The City of Dreams. Buttons located at the bottom of the screen let your kiddo explore Laura’s world by moving forward and backward throughout the story.

The content is light and magical, but sneaks in some lessons about trust, courage, and love all while stimulating imagination. At one point, Laura finds some Dream Monsters, but with the help of the reader, she faces them and they shrink away. The  warmth of Laura’s heart and her bravery underlines a strong bond between siblings.

With or without the interaction, the story and illustrations are incredibly well done and combine the perfect amount of before-bed fun. Baumgart’s drawings translate beautifully onscreen and create a feel that is calming.

Currently, there are four other apps in the series your kids will also enjoy.

• Laura’s Star
• Laura’s Secret
• Laura’s Christmas Star
• Laura’s Journey to the Stars

Laura’s Star and the Dream-Monster is available now for purchase for $2.99 in the iTunes App Store – Google Play Store – Amazon.

Disclosure: Although this post has been generously sponsored by Bastei Entertainment, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Bastei Entertainment.