Booklets vs Bugs and Beyond
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Booklets
This app is part of a reading and writing curriculum designed for beginning readers or those who have struggled with literacy. It focuses on teaching children to read and write independently through interactive word and picture pairings, offering immediate feedback.
- Interactive word and picture association
- Audio playback for word sounds
- Immediate feedback on reading accuracy
- Focus on phonetic blending
- Part of a comprehensive reading program
Read full descriptionHide full description
Center for Innovation in Education Booklets Description The fourth of the fourteen apps that comprise the Baratta-Lorton Reading Program. The Reading Program is a reading and writing curriculum for beginning readers and any child who has already experienced difficulty in learning to read. 99% unique – 100% effective - 100% free Background for the fourteen apps The Baratta-Lorton Reading Program also known as Dekodiphukan (pronounced decode if you can) was developed by the Center for Innovation in Education. Dekodiphukan has been in use in classrooms across the United States and Canada since 1985. The Program has been used to teach thousands of children to read and to write regardless of background or supposed lack of reading readiness. To date, no child using the program in a classroom setting has ever failed to learn to read or to write. This Dekodiphukan reading and writing curriculum is now a series of fourteen apps plus a parent-guide for the iPad that, within a period of six months to a year (or occasionally a bit longer for some special needs children), will enable every child using it to read and to write. Reading with enjoyment. Writing creatively. Two and Three-Sound Booklets The fourth of the Fourteen Apps The Child Reading on His or Her Own The Two and Three-Sound Booklets represent the child’s first experience in reading the sounds on his or her own. In each of the Booklets, the word to be read is on one page and an illustration of the word’s meaning is on that page’s flip side. There are two reasons for this particular arrangement of words and illustrations. First, there is nothing else for the child to look at on the word page, but the word. There is no illustration to distract the child from the word or to provide contextual clues as to what the word might be. The child may not always be able to read the word correctly but most certainly the child cannot ignore it. If the child cannot read the word, or is unsure of his or her reading, pressing the play button plays its sounds. When words and pictures are on the same page, the child can use the picture to guess the word. The Booklets give the child the opportunity to read the word and to know that he or she is reading. Second, as the child reads the word, he or she forms a mental image of what kind of illustration is to be found on the following page. If the word read is “cat”, the child expects to see a picture of a cat on the next page. The child then turns the page and sees if he or she was right about what was read. The Booklets provide the child both the opportunity to read and the opportunity for immediate feedback on the correctness of that reading. The word read on the word page gives the child the power to know in advance what kind of picture might be on the flip side. If the child is unable to blend the sounds on the word page, the play button on the picture page plays the word. Picture Packet Prequel It is necessary for the child to read the booklets before beginning the fifth of the Fourteen Apps - Picture Packets-Words. The words and pictures in each booklet use exactly the same words and pictures that the child will encounter in the corresponding Picture Packet-Words page. Reading the Booklets first insures the child will know which word to match with which picture. Two and Three-Sound Booklets The child’s first experience in reading on his or her own Audio hints provided Booklets must be read before beginning Picture Packets
Bugs and Beyond
Explore a world of learning with over 18 interactive 3D games and activities designed to entertain and educate young children. Develop essential skills like logic, memory, and programming through engaging gameplay and fun challenges.
- Over 18 3D activities and games
- Develops logic, memory, and programming skills
- Designed for ages 4-6
- Parental gate for settings
- Apple Pencil support
- Profiles for multiple children
- High-quality graphics and music
Read full descriptionHide full description
Bugs and Beyond is the newest and first fully 3D app in the award winning Bugs and Buttons series. With over 18 activities and games, this app is packed with hours of curious activities to explore and entertain. Play a board game with whimsically animated characters. Program a robot to navigate its way to a battery. Explore and seek your way through a beetle safari, but don’t forget to feed the cat today! Skills: Colors Hand-eye coordination Letters Logic Memory Numbers Physics Pincer using Apple Pencil Programming/coding Sequencing And more... Highlights: Designed for ages (4-6) but every child is different NO In-Apps / NO third-party advertising Parental gate for settings and non-playable content Visual instructions that demonstrate game play Advanced haptics (iPhone only) for fun vibration effects Apple Pencil support Intelligent leveling in most games Profiles to support multi-child scores and achievements Lots of achievements to earn High quality graphics for next generation visuals Lots of beautiful and fun music Humorous interactions, surprises, and sound effects Data Policy: This app does NOT collect any data. All saved scores, achievements, profiles, and other data elements are private to your device and associated platform account. We want and appreciate your feedback! Email: support@littlebitstudio.com Facebook: littlebitstudio Instagram: @littlebitstudio Twitter: @lilbitstudio
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Booklets at Free against Bugs and Beyond's $0.99. Bugs and Beyond's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 37 months). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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
Booklets is free to download; Bugs and Beyond costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Bugs and Beyond holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Booklets ships an update every 37 months, Bugs and Beyond every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Booklets | Bugs and Beyond |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 37 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 421 MB | 227 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bob Baratta-Lorton | Little Bit Studio, LLC |
Customer experience
Booklets
Bugs and Beyond
In-app purchases
Booklets
No in-app purchases
Bugs and Beyond
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Booklets free?
Is Bugs and Beyond free?
Which has better reviews, Booklets or Bugs and Beyond?
Do Booklets or Bugs and Beyond have ads?
Which is updated more often, Booklets or Bugs and Beyond?
Other comparisons















