# Penguin's Family - Smithsonian — Smithsonian Oceanic Collection > Interactive children's storybook about a penguin's survival and learning. (iPhone/iPad app by Oceanhouse Media, Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguins-family-smithsonian/id448795650 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Oceanhouse Media, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/309501176) - Category: Books, Education - Price: $2.99 - Rating: 4.70/5 from 12 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 26 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2011-07-19 - Data updated: 2026-07-01 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguins-family-smithsonian/id448795650/reviews.md ## What is Penguin's Family? Come along on an exciting adventure to the west coast of Peru where the Humboldt Penguin family teachers Baby Penguin how to survive. Explore pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalize the story with your own narration. As Penguin grows older, he must learn to swim by himself. Will Penguin be safe on his own? Explore the Story: - ENCOURAGE literacy skills with highlighted narration - LEARN new vocabulary with tappable words and pictures - RECORD your own narration & share it with others - SELECT a scene with easy-to-use navigation - KEEP kids in the story with parental controls  This title has been carefully reviewed by experts at the Smithsonian Institution. Designed for children ages 3-8 ----------------------------------------------- The Reviews Are In: - Editor's Choice Award - Children's Technology Review - Featured as "New and Noteworthy" by Apple - July - "As an omBook this title sparkles, giving enormous value over its print counterpart." - Digital Storytime ----------------------------------------------- We'd Love To Hear From You! - Please share your thoughts in a review! Your experience matters to us. - Need tech support? Contact us at support@omapp.com - Say hello to us on FB! facebook.com/oceanhousemedia Official Smithsonian Institution licensed app ## Key features - Interactive story with highlighted narration - Learn new vocabulary with tappable words - Record and share your own narration - Parental controls for uninterrupted experience - Scene selection with easy navigation ## Recent user reviews (6 of 6) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguins-family-smithsonian/id448795650/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Penguin's Family *2012-11-08* Illustrations are realistic and detailed. The read to me selection is fluent and inviting for the listener. I would love to have more non fiction topics to share with my class. ### 5/5 — Another great book by the smithsonian! *2011-11-22, version 1.08* Keep them coming. My family has all four so far! ### 5/5 — Penguin Palooza *2011-11-21* Our 2nd grade students at Finch Elementary love this book. They read this book to find out more about Humboldt penguins and learned about how they might help this endangered penguin. ### 5/5 — Gorgeous Illustrations *2011-10-04, version 1.08* What We Liked: Our family cuddled up on the couch and enjoyed Penguin’s Family together in Read It Myself mode while I did the reading to our crew of little girls. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous on the backlit screen, and my girls, ranging from 3 – 8, were all glued to the story. We tested out the Read To Me option together as well, and we found the male narrators voice to be warm, clear, and engaging. This title is a fairly simple read, making it a good choice as a science reader for around the late grade 2/early grade 3 reading level. The vocabulary is straight forward and the story helps young children learn facts about penguin life, reproduction, habitat, food, etc. all within the context of a living story. One of our favorite (and most effective) ways of learning in our homeschool is by reading stories together. They really help to cement ideas in my children’s minds – if you want to learn about South American penguins, this book is a great choice for younger children, just the right amount of detail. What We Didn’t Like: This title is an earlier one from Oceanhouse Media, and it doesn’t offer quite the full interactivity that their full titles do. In the newer titles, each individual word can be tapped on to have it read, but that feature isn’t available in this title (yet). I hope it will be added in the future – it’s an awesome one for emerging readers. Also, there is some delicate background music that is included in both the Read To Me and Auto Play mode but isn’t included in Read it to Myself. Overall: This is another excellent digital book from Oceanhouse Media – it meets the requirements for a living book for science, engaging children deeply with the day-to-day life of a young penguin. Disclosure: I received a promo code of this app to review. ### 5/5 — Excellent!!! *2011-08-24* Children's books by Oceanhouse are fantastic! This is no exception. ### 4/5 — Fantastic *2011-07-21* My son (7 years old) loves penguins! He was so excited when he saw it. The ability to read on your own as well as read along with the touch items, is fantastic. I hope we can see more from them! What a great way to help re-enforce reading! Thanks, ## Frequently asked questions about Penguin's Family ### What is Penguin's Family about? Penguin's Family is an interactive storybook that follows a Humboldt Penguin family teaching their baby how to survive. It focuses on literacy, vocabulary, and personalized narration for children aged 3-8. ### How does Penguin's Family encourage literacy? The story features highlighted narration that syncs with the text, helping young readers follow along. It also includes tappable words and pictures to introduce new vocabulary. ### Can I record my own voice in Penguin's Family? Yes, you can record your own narration to personalize the story and share it with others. This feature allows for a more engaging and custom reading experience. ### Is Penguin's Family safe for young children? Yes, the app is designed for children ages 3-8 and includes parental controls to keep kids focused on the story. It has been reviewed by experts at the Smithsonian Institution. ### What devices does Penguin's Family support? Penguin's Family is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed to work across these Apple mobile devices. ### How often is Penguin's Family updated? The latest version, 2.8, was released on July 15, 2021. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, it has received updates since its initial release in 2011. ### What is the price of Penguin's Family? Penguin's Family costs $2.99. This is a one-time purchase for the full application. ### Does Penguin's Family have ads? No, Penguin's Family does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application designed to provide an uninterrupted experience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.8 — 2021-07-15 - updated to latest codebase for better compatibility - bug fixes ### 2.7.2 — 2017-02-13 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. - optimized for full 64-bit performance - bug fixes ### 2.5 — 2014-01-21 - iOS7 bug fixes (audio related) - Parental Controls Added! Thank you for your purchase! All of us on the Oceanhouse Media team appreciate your support. Visit us at www.omapp.com ### 2.2 — 2013-03-11 Parental gating feature added: app catalog and info screen are now "parents only" More Smithsonian!: www.ombook.com/products/smithsonian/ Become a Fan: https://www.facebook.com/OceanhouseMedia ### 2.1 — 2013-01-11 MAJOR UPDATE, NEW FEATURES! - Record your own voice and share voice tracks with others - New options for sound effects, hot spots and alerts - Page selector - New hints - Retina main menu - And more! More Smithsonian! www.ombook.com/products/smithsonian/ Become a Fan: https://www.facebook.com/OceanhouseMedia ## More apps by Oceanhouse Media, Inc. - [Bowls - Tibetan Singing Bowls](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bowls-tibetan-singing-bowls/id309501173) - [Dr. Seuss Camera - The Grinch](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dr-seuss-camera-the-grinch/id340675683) - [The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-wisdom-of-avalon-oracle/id348093359) - [The Psychic Tarot Oracle Cards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-psychic-tarot-oracle-cards/id349536203) - [Alice for the iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alice-for-the-ipad/id354537426) - [Dr. Seuss Camera](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dr-seuss-camera/id354850853) All apps by Oceanhouse Media, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/309501176 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-01.*