Skyscrapers

K-Gr 5—Like the other apps in this series, this one does not come with instructions; children are encouraged to jump in to discover how the app and the environment work. Here, the form and structure of the buildings can be altered and the water and electrical systems activated; a side panel allows for access to these and other functions.A variety of facades (curtain walls) and spires are available along with a palette of colors as children customize their buildings and develop a skyline. As they do so, they'll observe how adding floors necessitates the building's foundation to increase in depth and flights of stairs to be added, etc. Inside the buildings, figures can be moved about to ride the elevators and use the lavatories. A tap to an icon allows for several up-close system views: in one, children can watch as an electricity meter rises and falls when they switch lights and appliances off and on. In another, they can observe how and where water drains and what happens when a foreign object (a rubber ducky) clogs the plumbing. (Users can also activate the repair.)Equally fascinating are the environmental effects of lightning, wind, or an earthquake on a building. Wind will cause it to sway, an earthquake causes it to shake, and so on. In buildings 18 floors or taller, viewers can install a "mass damper" and see how it alleviates environmental effects on a building.Ambient sounds are heard as figures travel about the building and the weather outside changes. Whimsy enters, too: children can add elephants or massive rocks to the floors (the added weight impacts the foundation) and hot-air balloons float across the sky, along with a small plane trailing the player's name on a banner. As with other Tinybop apps, extended play rewards viewers, who will want to return again and again to add or subtract to their skylines.While there are no directions, there are labels with multiple language options. In addition, a free online PDF offers detailed background notes, including discussion questions—a boon to teachers and homeschooling parents.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal