If you’re looking for a great holiday app download to keep kids (or adults) occupied and happy this holiday season, look no further.

The now-classic animated holiday TV special (1965) A Charlie Brown Christmas is available in a new format. Loud Crow Interactive has released a delightful iPad app (November 2011) of the story of Charlie Brown’s search for the true meaning of Christmas. Narrated by Peter Robbins (the original voice of Charlie Brown, now grown up) and including the original voices and (most of the) dialogue from the TV cartoon, the app does a wonderful job of incorporating interactive and animated features to explore as you read the story. Tap stars, lights, and falling snowflakes; try your hand at playing “Linus and Lucy” and “Jingle Bells” a la Schroeder (on piano keys that appear in two scenes); create your own version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree; and find ornaments for the tree hidden throughout the story (a new one is revealed on each of the last twelve days before Christmas). Unlock more ornaments by discovering hidden clues inside the story, and listen to additional dialogue by tapping on the characters. (My favorite extra was definitely uncovering the conversation between Lucy and Charlie Brown at her psychiatrist’s booth.)

But perhaps the greatest treat is that the plot and dialogue of this beloved story is left almost completely intact (I was especially glad to hear all of Linus’s “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown” speech near the end). Longtime devoted fans are sure to be enamored of this fantastic, high-quality app.

Happy Holidays to you and yours from The Horn Book, Inc.!

Available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (requires iOS 6.0 or later); $5.99. Also available for Android devices; $4.99. Recommended for primary users and up.