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Common Sense Review
Updated July 2012

Ice Is Nice!: All About the North and South Poles

Interactive book makes scaffolding easy for many levels of readers
Common Sense Rating 3
Teacher Rating (1 Teacher Review) 5
Price
$5.99
This grade range is a recommendation by the Common Sense Education editorial team, not the developer/publisher.
Grades
K-3
Platforms
iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Show Additional Product & Pricing Details
Subjects
English Language Arts
  • reading
  • vocabulary
Science
  • weather
  • animals
  • ecosystems
Social Studies
  • geography
Skills
Critical Thinking
  • applying information
Purpose
Targeted Practice
Standards
Common Core State Standards
  • The Cat in the Hat teaches kids about the North and South Poles.
  • Interactive elements teach kids new vocabulary.
  • Kids can read on their own or listen while they read along.
  • Clicking words in bold shows the definition.
  • Record your own voice reading to the kids, or have kids record themselves.
Pros
Kid-friendly help with vocabulary and word recognition.
Cons
Runs a bit long at 48 pages.
Bottom Line
Ice Is Nice is a versatile science text for varying reading levels.
Amanda Bindel
Common Sense Reviewer
Classroom teacher
Common Sense Rating 3
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return? 3

The book runs a bit long and could use more interactive elements. Kids who are already interested in learning about Earth may have more interest in it.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer? 3

Science content is informative. Kids interact with new vocabulary, tapping to read or hear the definition. For reading, kids hear the words read by the narrator or another reader, read themselves, or record themselves reading.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students? 3

Very easy to use. Kids can move through the pages at their own pace, getting help with words as needed just by tapping the word.

About our ratings and privacy evaluation.
How Can Teachers Use It?

Use Ice is Nice to introduce science concepts like weather, climate, geography, and science-related careers. The same interactive text can be used with all levels of readers, making it excellent for early elementary grades with both readers and pre-readers. Pre-readers can listen to the narrator (or teacher) read aloud while they read along. Emerging readers can read the text and tap to hear any words they get stuck on. Advanced readers can record themselves reading the text aloud and then listen to themselves reading. Kids could work in small reading groups, as well, taking turns reading and recording.

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What's It Like?

Ice Is Nice!: All About the North and South Poles is an informational book about science featuring Dr. Seuss characters; it's part of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library Series. In it, the Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Dick on a journey around the world to the North and South Poles. There, they learn about the native animals and people and how changing weather affects them. The 48-page book includes interactive features such as a linked dictionary, text highlighting, and light animation.

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Is It Good For Learning?

Ice Is Nice!: All About the North and South Poles is a good educational book app for competent readers or early readers with a high interest in science. The text is factual with a little rhyming to make it more kid-friendly, but without the wit and silliness of the original Seuss books with the same characters.

Words like glacier and adaptation are in bold and linked to the dictionary, so if kids tap on the word, the definition pops up. Kids can listen to a narrator read aloud or can read themselves, tapping to get help with unfamiliar words. They can also record themselves reading the text, which is excellent for developing fluency.

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