Five Little Monkeys for iPhone

CNET Editors' note: The "Download Now" link directs you to the iTunes App Store, where you must continue the download process. You must have iTunes installed in order to open the link, and you must have an active iTunes account to download the application. This download may not be available in some countries.

CNET Editors' review

by: Paul Hughes on November 10, 2009

Five Little Monkeys is a colorful sing-along app designed for toddlers and preschoolers, with three different versions--country, rock, and pop--of the popular simian head-injury song ("Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head..." etc.). Kids can select which version they want to hear using a visual menu, and then they watch the ever-dwindling squad of monkeys bouncing on said bed, as karaoke-style subtitles run below. You touch a monkey to trigger the next line of the song, at which point an owl--apparently a doctor, with a white coat and a head mirror--breaks up the action ("No more monkeys jumping on the bed!").

Although crude in its animation and lacking much in the way of educational merits, Five Little Monkeys provides a surprising amount of interactive fun. In addition to choosing which monkey will bump its head (and even being able to send formerly fallen monkeys back to the front lines), kids can explore a handful of other responsive objects in the room, including an alarm clock, a monkey family portrait, a banana tree, and a cat hiding under the bed. The best touch, recently added, is a traffic light that's accompanied by a shouted "Stop!" and "Go!" Toddlers--especially those who are often told to stop jumping on beds themselves--will relish being able to turn the tables on these virtual monkeys.

Five Little Monkeys is far from the best app available for this age group, but it provides a good amount of fun at a reasonable price, especially for die-hard fans of the song.

Publisher's Description

From LoeschWare:

With Five Little Monkeys for iPhone, as the little monkeys jump on the bed, children build counting and math skills as well as color recognition by adding and subtracting different colored monkeys from play, simply by touching a monkey, or shaking your iPhone. Explore, touch, and control the game with interactive options that allow creative freedom for your preschooler. It features interactive features that your child will love, including toys that react to touch, three original music types to play and sing to, press the highest number in the left corner to add the monkeys back to the bed, and interact with objects throughout the bedroom.