Three visual stunners in kid apps

The old adage of "seeing is believing" rings true with three newly released kid apps. Sporting visuals that offer treats for your children's eyes, these apps raise the bar for illustrations, animations and how an app is presented visually.

Your children will pinch and pull-out to zoom into new imaginative worlds, touch to transform letters into wondrous creations and watch as common household objects transform into art.

David Wiesner's Spot

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, best for ages 6-10, $3.99, iPad

Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)

David Wiesner, a renowned children's book author who has already been awarded three Caldecott Medals for his creative vision in storytelling, breaks into the book app scene with Spot, a story crafted specifically for the iPad. Using the spot on a ladybug's back as a recurring theme, this book app transports kids into five intriguing alternative-reality worlds. Kids visit a realm run by cats and another filled with robots. They dive into the ocean, zoom out to an intergalactic space station, and delve under an armchair to observe dust bunnies in their natural habitat.

Why this app is visually exciting: Spot revolutionizes the way kids "see" a story. By using the zoom feature of spreading two fingers across the screen, kids catapult into the new worlds. Fleeting enlargements accompany the zooming-in, along with a "swooshing" sound to make it seem as if you are falling into a new world. When readers emerge on the other side of the seven to ten repetitive zooms, the fantastical worlds they discover are filled with unusual artwork, quirky characters and light animation. There are no words, just music and the occasional sound effect, so readers become their own storytellers. The five worlds intertwine so you can move from one to another by finding a portal spot in which to zoom. In Spot, things aren't always as they seem; so kids should look closer and imagine more.

Bonus Tip: For Android users, check out Monument Valley, an Escheresque puzzler that challenges the reality of what you see. It is also available on iOS.

Metamorphabet

Vectorpark.com, best for ages 3-7, $3.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Rating: 4 stars

Throw your alphabet flashcards away, open this app, and prepare to be dazzled. Instead of your boring "B is for Ball," kids watch this "B" grow a "beard," then sprout a "beak" which opens to release fluttering "bugs" and a "butterfly."

Each letter appears in a vibrant color set against a solid, contrasting background. When children touch the letter, the magic begins, including watching an "M" "march," an "A" "amble" and an "N" open windows to reveal "neighbors."

Why this app is visually exciting: Metamorphabet uses eye-popping graphics and surprising transformations to entice players to explore the letters of the alphabet. Each letter goes through three or four astounding alterations to introduce players to new words. Touch the letter "E" and out pops an "egg." Tap the "E" again, and the lower half grows teeth to form a mouth into which you drop the egg so the mouth can "eat." With the next touch, the "E" grows a trunk and big flappy ears to transform into a trumpeting "elephant." As the elephant's body fills the screen, you see that it is balancing on top of a ball that looks like the "earth."

Overflowing with creativity, this app wows players with its unpredictable animations and whimsical transformations. This alphabet app expands kids' vocabularies by creating zany, memorable interactions that will even mesmerize the adults looking over their children's shoulders.

Scribbaloo Train

Scribbaloo Limited, best for ages 2-4, $2.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Rating: 4 stars

All aboard the Scribbaloo Train for a hand-crafted railroad adventure that puts toddlers and preschooler in charge of creating the scenery. For this animal-filled train to chug through the app's 10 scenes, players must tap on missing shapes in the background. They magically fill-in with a distinct craft materials, such as a red-checkered cloth or a piece of cardboard.

Why this app is visually exciting: Scribbaloo Train's visual hook is its use of craft materials to create a vibrant, inviting world to explore. Corduroy, aluminum foil, cotton balls, kids' drawings and such adorn the scenes presented in this simple train journey app. Each backdrop — from cityscapes to mountain peaks — is varied and visually appealing because of the contrasting textures used. Seeing train tracks made from popsicle sticks on a carpeted floor just might motivate your kids to grab recycled and craft materials to invent their own play scenes.

Jinny Gudmundsen is the Editor of www.TechwithKids.com and author of iPad Apps for Kids, a For Dummies book. Contact her at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her AJinnyGudmundsen.