Common Sense Media Review
By Mieke VanderBorght
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sweet animated story of friendship uses kids' own drawings.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
The little line
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
Tap play to start the story of THE LITTLE LINE. A narrator begins reading as text and animation tell the story of a boy who finds a little red line and takes it home with him. The boy and line end up having various adventures as the boy grows up. At certain points, the story stops and kids make drawings that help continue the story. Kids can follow an outline of a drawing, or draw whatever they want. The home page also has a draw button where kids can make simple line drawings with a red line and an eraser.
Is It Any Good?
This sweet little story features lovely, simple animations and a few fun ways to be directly involved with the narrative. The whole concept feels very much like Harold and the Purple Crayon, though The little line distinguishes itself as being more a story about friendship than creativity. Just like Harold and the Purple Crayon, though, The little line is a story that's easy for kids to relate to. And it's great to be able to make your own drawing contributions to the story, even though it turns out that there's actually limited room for creativity. Though kids could conceivably draw whatever they want, the faded line suggestions do cut down a bit on how much kids can let their imaginations go. Usually there's an option to turn those drawing suggestions off, but many times the story actually depends on kids following the suggestions pretty closely. Another nice feature is that the story has the ability to take slightly different directions each time you play, so it's not always exactly the same. Overall, it's a cute, creative, and unique experience for young kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of friendship in The little line. What does it mean to be a friend? What do you like to do with your friends? Who can you count on to be there for you?
Encourage kids to be creative in their drawings. How does what they draw affect the story?
What did the line give to the main character? Why was their friendship important to him throughout his life? How does he share that with others?
The little line is based on a hard copy story called The Big Adventure of a Little Line. How is it different to read the story on a screen versus the hard copy version? Is one experience more fun than the other? Why or why not?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading : reading
- Skills: Creativity : imagination
- Pricing structure: Paid ($2.99)
- Release date: April 26, 2018
- Category: Adventure Games
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Friendship
- Publisher: Bachibouzouk
- Version: 2.7
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.1 or later; Android 4.1 and up
- Last updated: February 12, 2020
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