I have to admit that I couldn’t say anything mean about Mister Rogers if you paid me. I grew up watching the guy and his zippy sweaters and his neat plain sneakers and his pleasant voice and his little projects and his Land of Make Believe (although, the Land of Make Believe kinda gave me the creeps).
Mister Rogers himself does not make an appearance in Make a Journal, but that whiny cat who lived in the grandfather clock in the Land of Make Believe is the main character (although he’s not so whiny here).
Mister Rogers’ Make a Journal lets kids tell a story about one of five different subjects: Pretending, Playtime, Books, At School, and When I Get Mad. Each “journal” has four pages, three with prompts. The first three pages have five options from which kids can choose, and the final page lets kids draw or write their own picture or words using markers, a paintbrush, crayons, or a variety of basic clipart.
The “journals” can then be saved, and can be viewed at any time from the main screen by tapping “Library.”
Mister Rogers’ Make a Journal isn’t some phantasmagoria of luscious graphics. But it is a nice, friendly, simple (and isn’t that what Mister Rogers was all about?) app that gives little kids the chance to create something and express themselves.
The real test? My 3-and-a-half-year-old niece, Elisa, gives it 47 “I wanna play Mista Woges!” inside the span of 30 minutes. Win!
