Multi-platform publisher and app developer YUDU has teamed with Pearson ELT (English Language Teaching) to launch a free app accompanying Pearson’s Poptropica English® range of learning resources. The app can be downloaded now from the App Store for iOS, with the Android version coming next week. It contains six books available for in-app purchase.

Developed to aid children with comprehension, fluency and vocabulary, Poptropica English® allows users to play with interactive characters throughout the stories. Kids can either have the story read to them by a narrator, which turns pages and highlights words as it goes, or read the story themselves, with voice recording functionality allowing for pronunciation checks.

Kate McLoughlin, Pearson’s vice president of international marketing, says of the app: ‘This new ‘touchscreen generation’ demands a high level of interactivity and multi-sensory experience, while parents are increasingly looking to apps to help provide quality learning opportunities. The new Poptropica English® Family Reading App combines the best of both worlds. A richly interactive, playful digital experience that makes reading fun and accessible for children and parents alike.’

CEO of YUDU Richard Stephenson, meanwhile, adds: ‘This project showcases how an app can be successfully used to support language learning. It has been designed to be read by children at home – alone or with their parents – and can also be used by teachers in the classroom. We are delighted to be working with Pearson on this project.’

The six books available through the app – Family Island, Tropical Island, Space Island, Movie Studio Island, Ice Island and Future Island (note the lack of pluralisation) – are varied to suit differing levels of ability with English.