Our newest child-approved discovery is all about helping kids to read. And as far as I am concerned, educational apps like this are as liberating as throwing extra veggies in my daughter's quesadilla.

This bright, fun animal-themed app was developed by an early educator to beginning readers with phonics, sounding out words, spelling, and learning lower case letters. A cute animated Milo the Meerkat cheers you on as you progress through each level of the game where the goal is to collect animals to build and design your own zoo.

And really, who doesn't want their own zoo?

The animals are silly and playfully encourage the learning interactions for a preschooler or kindergartener. Games like feeding the alligator all the words that start with the sound of a letter keeps the player thinking and moving fast. 

For parents, the app also features a cool reporting tool to can track your child's progress. Pretty cool if you are trying to give your kids an extra educational boost when she begs for your iPad or phone. And that's a lot, or so I hear. -Stephanie M