Warning: Cuteness Overload ahead.

Now, I’m not normally the type of girl who gushes over babies or picks up tiny little renditions of sequined slippers and yellow taffeta skirts with crimson cheeks and sparkling eyes, a baby-crazed expression on my face enough to make my boyfriend second guess our living arrangements. But Peekaboo Barn is just… so… cute. It makes me wish I had more immediate access to those miniature denizens of my neighborhood, just so I could watch their faces light up as they recognize the animals onscreen.

Peekaboo Barn by Night and Day Studios is a super cute app for kids that will entertain them as it educates them. Several weeks ago I visited a friend in Northern California who, like most moms, wrestles for time from her two very demanding and attention-seeking boys, both under the age of 3. After one particularly long bout of crying from the youngest, she turned to me with a wistful expression on her macaroni spattered face and said, “I wish there was an app that had animal pictures and the noises they make, so the boys can just watch it and keep to themselves.” True story.

Well, Peekaboo Barn does just that. Featuring wonderfully simple illustrations by Divya Srinivasan, the app involves a backdrop of sunny blue skies and a red barn that contains unknown animals inside making noises. A young child’s voice – Lily, age 2 – is heard when the app begins – she says “Peekaboo Barn” in some over-the-top, quintessentially cutesy kid voice that makes you think of marshmallows and rosy cheeks, blonde hair and cherubic smiles. It’s actually almost uncomfortable.

After an intro melody of Old MacDonald Had A Farm, the barn begins to shake up and down and an unseen animal is heard from within. Before looking inside, your child can gauge what the animal within is based on the sound heard, then he may tap on the barn doors to open them and reveal if his guess matches the animal in question. To help your child remember, the animal will make its sound again after being revealed, along with its name, and then good little Lily will say the name aloud. Tap again to close the doors and repeat the process.

The animal order is random each time you open the app. For me, a horse’s whinny was heard, followed by a horse neighing in animation and Lily clearing saying “Horse.” The other animals depicted are a rooster, sheep, cow, cat, dog, goat, donkey, pig, and duck. After viewing all the animals, the doors shut again and a loud caucaphony of animal noises are heard within the shaking barn. Tapping on the doors, your child will see all the animals grouped together in a festive ruckus, for memory’s sake. Then the sun sets, the stars show, the moon comes up, and the barn shakes again silently. When you child curiously taps the barn doors again, he will see all the animals grouped together in a sleepy huddle. Lily will then say, again in her adorable voice, “Shhhh. All the animals are sleeping.” And the game fades out.

A settings menu allows you to turn Lily’s voice and the animals sounds off should some children enjoy making the animal sounds and saying aloud the animal names themselves. To further the interactive learning, a mother may review the letters of an animal’s name with her child, to further instill word formation and pronunciations. With younger children, mothers can repeat the animal sounds and names and ask their children to join in. The app developers actually suggest mothers to hold the screen near their mouths as they form words; this assists in language acquistion because it allows the child to watch and mimic mouth movements.

While I may be pleasantly saturated with cuteness from some of the kid apps I’ve been reviewing lately, their usefulness in distracting and educating children is undeniable. For mothers who find themselves at the tether of their wit’s end in pacifying their young ones, Peekaboo Barn will fascinate and entertain with its barking and meowing, neighing and bleating for minutes, maybe even longer with its looped play option, and help mother give herself a much deserved break.