Comparison

Is that Silly? vs Reading Skills 4A

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Is that Silly?

This app uses vibrant illustrations of absurd scenarios to help children develop critical thinking and language skills. It's designed to assist those with ADHD, Autism, and language disorders by encouraging attention to detail and vocabulary expansion.

Highlights
  • Identify silly vs. not silly image pairs
  • Explain why scenarios are absurd
  • Customizable auditory and text prompts
  • Progress tracking with Report Card
  • Targeted for ADHD, Autism, language disorders
  • Clinically proven design
Features
Read full description

Is That Silly? is a premier educational tool developed by Smarty Ears to promote expressive and pragmatic language skills in children. Designed specifically for speech-language pathologists (SLPs), educators, and parents, this app transforms traditional therapy into a joyful experience that encourages children to pay attention to detail while expanding their vocabulary. Why "Is That Silly?" is a Must-Have for Language Development Children with ADHD, Autism, and various language or learning disorders often struggle to notice subtle details in their environment. This app utilizes over 120 vibrant illustrations to target these challenges through fun, interactive "silly" scenarios. By identifying absurdities—like a shark walking in the desert or a car flying in the sky—students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Key Features & Therapeutic Benefits: Receptive & Expressive Language: Children practice identifying "silly" vs. "not silly" image pairs to build foundational language skills. Higher-Level Reasoning: The app prompts children to verbally explain why a picture is silly, bridging the gap between simple identification and complex expressive formulation. Customizable Learning: Adjust settings to toggle auditory prompts, written text, or "Well done" reinforcement to match each child's developmental level. Progress Tracking: Generate a detailed Report Card after every session to track accuracy in identifying absurdities and expressive explanation scores. Clinically Proven Design: Perfect for story comprehension, adjective practice, and aphasia therapy. Who Is It For? Speech-Language Pathologists seeking an engaging, data-driven tool for clinic use. Parents looking for "brilliant" educational apps that make learning feel like play. Teachers aiming to improve visual and auditory attention in the classroom. Unlock your child's potential for language growth through the "Science of Silly." Is That Silly? is available now on the App Store.

About

Reading Skills 4A

Features
Read full description

Do you know how a rainbow is made? Have you ever wondered how a snake sheds it skin? How do turkey vultures help people? What makes a kite fly? Reading Skills 4A is a collection of nonfiction passages with interactive learning activities, written by children's author Marne Ventura, M.A. and developed by Fred Ventura, Ph.D., as part of the Reading Skills Series published by Ventura Educational Systems. Understanding informational text is essential to literacy. To help young readers develop this skill, twelve fun, high-interest passages about snakes, vultures, forces of flight, and more, written at the fourth grade reading level, are presented: * Chasing Rainbows * New Skin for Snakes * Bird Watching Journal Entry * The Water-Saving Plant * Turkey Vultures * The California Poppy * Banana Smoothie * The Four Forces of Flight * Flour Power * A Transparent Invention * Thirsty? * Superhero Soap Each passage is followed by three engaging activities based on the following Common Core Standards for Grade 4 Language Arts: • comprehension • vocabulary • main idea and supporting details • drawing conclusions • making inferences • summarizing • synonyms and antonyms • multiple meanings words • fact vs. opinion • genre • author's purpose • compare and contrast • text features The Reading Skills 4A follow-up activities for each of the 12 passages are described below: Word Fun - a clue is given along with the scrambled letters of a vocabulary word from the passage. The challenge is to unscramble the letters to spell the word. Fact Check - helps improve recall and comprehension. Students read a statement and tap either True or False based on the contents of the passage. Skills Practice - Students practice reading comprehension skills by answering multiple choice questions. A record-keeping component keeps track of the student’s scores on all of the activities.

Screenshots

Is that Silly?4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Reading Skills 4A at $2.99 against Is that Silly?'s $14.99. Reading Skills 4A also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). Is that Silly?'s advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Is that Silly? costs $14.99 and Reading Skills 4A $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Is that Silly? ships an update every 22 months, Reading Skills 4A every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Is that Silly? versus Reading Skills 4A: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIs that Silly?Reading Skills 4A
Price$14.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews84.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 17 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmarty EarsVentura Educational Systems

In-app purchases

None

Is that Silly?

No in-app purchases

None

Reading Skills 4A

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Is that Silly? free?
Is that Silly? costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reading Skills 4A free?
Reading Skills 4A costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Is that Silly? or Reading Skills 4A have ads?
Neither Is that Silly? nor Reading Skills 4A shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Is that Silly? or Reading Skills 4A?
Is that Silly? ships an update every 22 months, and Reading Skills 4A every 17 months. Most recently, Is that Silly? was updated on October 23, 2026 and Reading Skills 4A on October 26, 2026.

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