Moonlite Gift Pack – Projector And 5 Story Reels- Review

Reviewed by Julie Hayward

The product I was expecting to review was Moonlite Gift Pack-Winnie the Pooh (Projector & 5 story reels) (210082) from Amazon, I was a little disappointed as I received an alternative product, Moonlite Redwood 210081 Gift Pack – Fairy Tales (Projector & 5 story reels) plus an additional reel.  This was a shame as Winnie the Pooh is a family favourite.

The item came well packaged and the box itself provides good storage for the projector and the reels, so easily put away when not in use and should prevent the reels becoming separated as sometimes happens in a toybox.

The images of the books contained are typical of first reads and classic fairy tales, they include Goldilocks and the three bears, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, The tortoise and the hare and the ugly duckling.

The stories are in French and English, so all the written content is in both languages. The front of the box shows an adult and child sitting together with the device clipped onto a smartphone and it projects a large image of Goldilocks and the three bears onto the wall. Also pictured are images of all five books.

On the reverse is the step-by-step information on how to use the projector with your phone. Firstly, you need to get the app, available on either the App Store or Google play depending on what your phone is compatible with. Inside the box is a pretty illustration of fairy tale characters, on the reverse of this card is a Quick Start Guide.

Once you have downloaded the Moonlite App. Which was a very simple process by looking for the ‘moon’ character. Open the app and set up your account using the activation code that is included in the box. Follow the in-app tutorial for instructions on how to use the Moonlite projector with your phone, it’s a case of clipping it on to your phone and lining it up with the torch facility, I suggest you practice doing this before you want a story time with you child as it can be a bit fiddly, however I should imagine the more you use it the easier it will become. Getting the image in focus will also take some prior preparation, the lens on the projector turns clockwise and counter-clockwise to help focus the image.

I found I needed to be quite close to the wall to get a clear image, I think it would work in a small bedroom or snuggled up in a play tent, also the room needed to be dark to see it clearly. It was a challenge to find the first image and to rotate the small reels around all whilst holding the phone in the right position and steady. If you were then to have a tired pre-school child, you were trying to settle to sleep this may prove more hassle than it’s worth and a regular book would do just as well. An older child who is learning to read may like to follow the story on the phone and a clever feature allows for you to press certain words to hear a sound effect.

The product is sturdy and well-made, and you can add more reels to your collection. Overall for me, the images and stories although familiar were a little too basic.

Rating: 3/5

RRP: £32.74

This product can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk here.