Understated but effective animations and interactive effects boost a long-standing favorite into the storytime stratosphere.
The monster’s face that appears piecemeal and then disappears likewise in Emberley’s die-cut original (1992, rev. ed. 2005) gets even better thanks to interactive features. The “big yellow eyes” blink and “boink!” with a tap, and “little squiggly ears” and other facial features flex and sound off similarly. A touch-controlled “flashlight” for the black “DON’T COME BACK!” finale illuminates a full-body view of the monster (along with other surprises). A terrific set of viewing options add to the glory; with manual page advances, children can either read it for themselves or hear an expressive rendition in the voices of the author or a child, or they can select the automatic mode to listen to a musical version.
A natural and seamlessly designed extension of a modern classic, certain to be more durable in this form than the easily destroyed paper original to boot. (iPad storybook app. 3-6)
