A storybook app that's out of this world

Nothing can beat a good story. I have loved books from an early age and it seems my little boy is also fond for stories too. At the moment, a book is filled with fun and colourful pictures to point at and a means for Ethan to hear his Mum and Dad tell him a tale, even though he doesn't yet understand what that tale may be. It doesn't matter to him; his imagination is growing and he is learning more and more each day, with the help of play and of reading.

As well as books, Ethan is a fan of my phone and my iPad. At 15 months old, he knows how to turn them on, how to swipe through photos and his face lights up as he knows that his Daddy and Gramps occasionally pop up on the screen to say hello.

There's a few other things on my iPad to interest him. I have a selection of our favourite picture books on there (such as those by Oliver Jeffers) as they're useful for when we are out and about or staying away, so we always have something fun to read him, and now I have a new storybook app to capture his imagination.

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Moon Man Dan is a sweet, interactive app that features a storybook mode, a video and a night-light function, which you can personalise with your little one's name.

The story features the man on the moon himself, Moon Man Dan, who takes care of the moon, and you join him for a space adventure. Moon Man Dan is joined by the Nooms - funny blue characters who pop up to help him - and MoonMoos - who knew there were cows on the moon?! Ethan loves pointing at these different characters, particularly the MoonMoos as he has recently learned to say 'Moo!' enthusiastically whenever he sees a cow.

The style of the story illustration is really lovely and the 'turn the page' swipe gives the app an authentic feel, as if you really are reading a book. There's lots to see and do whilst you are reading - from tapping different parts of a fallen telescope to putting a see-saw together and using the MoonMoos to spring the telescope back into the sky - which is great for helping children to develop their coordination and to get them involved even more in the story, something which I am sure Ethan will really like as he gets older.

This part of the app is a great way to spend some quality time reading with your child, as part of their bedtime routine, and I used the 12 minute video to then help Ethan to relax and settle down. To hopefully send them off into a sweet slumber, there's a night-light feature of a full moon to leave on as you tiptoe out of the room.

I love children's stories and this new app is no exception. It's a really fun, sweet tale to tell and my favourite part is how Moon Man Dan pulls across a blanket on the moon at night, which gives it the shape we see in the sky. Perfect for bedtimes but with lots of features to enjoy too, this is a must-have app for your iPad.

You can download pictures from the app from the website and the app is available to buy from the Apple iTunes store for just £1.49.

*Note: this app was provided to me for the purposes of this review but we're genuine fans of Moon Man Dan!