{Review + Giveaway} Farfaria App for iPad

I received a free subscription to the Farfaria children’s books iPad app in exchange for writing a review on this blog. All opinions are my own.

As a busy, full-time working mommy, I make it a priority to set aside time in my evening to be with Arielle and Zavier as they get ready for bed. Being part of their nighttime routine helps me from staying awake at night wondering, “Oh shoot! Did I spend time with my kids today?!” This includes their bath, brushing their teeth, changing into their pajamas, and story time. Oh, how they love story time!

Usually they run to the playroom and pick out their favorite book for me to read, but after some time I got tired of reading the same ol’ books. About a year ago, I came across a children’s book app for the iPad called Farfaria and mixed up the routine with traditional books and electronic books.

I was thrilled when the nice folks at Farfaria partnered with me for a review and giveaway since I was already a fan of the app! Here’s some of the cool features:

Variety – More than 600 stories, with 5 new stories added weekly. There are stories old and new, for boys and girls. I found some of my favorite stories when I was a kid like The Princess and the Pea. Zavier is crazy about snakes these days and there was a picture book of different types of snakes. I cringed the entire time, but he loved it! And there’s even a “Preschool Playground” section for books for Arielle to enjoy.

Read-to-me feature – Each story has a read-to-me option where the app reads the story to you. Seriously, don’t judge me – when I read regular books, I skip words or even pages sometimes on those really long, hard days. Or if its a book that I know all too well, I close my eyes and recite the words and turn the pages as needed. Like I said, don’t judge! So Farfaria’s read-to-me feature has been a lifesaver – the app reads to my kids and all I have to do is swipe the page as needed. But I try to use it sparingly – I still want the kids to find comfort in my story-reading voice and not the Farfaria app voices.
Easy to use, no adds or pop-ups – Zavier is 3 years old and quite the expert iPad user. He throws mini-tantrums at apps that have pop-ups or take him to the app store, but I don’t have to worry about that with this app. It’s a clean, easy experience for my tech savvy toddler.

You can try the Farfaria app for free by downloading the app here and read one story a day, or you can enter for a chance to be one of two lucky winners to win a free 3 month subscription to Farfaria with access to unlimited stories.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to you!

Do you read to your kids regularly or as part of their bedtime routine? What are their favorite books?

xoxo // gracielle.