All Kevin wanted was a baby brother. Until he got one.
Unfortunately, the baby grows big—bigger than Kevin—and takes over his world with “his largeness and fist full of doughnuts.” The baby touches all his toys, cries at night and follows him everywhere. But one day at the Old Woman in the Shoe playcare, Kevin begins to see his big little brother in a different light. In this delightful story of preschool brotherly angst and love, storyteller Kling and painter/cartoonist Monroe combine their talent to create nothing short of a modern children’s classic. Page after swiped page, Kling’s precocious sound effects and tap-for-more commentary add hilarious depth to the well-rounded story: Tap the plastic army figure, and you get “Beans again?!” Tap the hotdog, and you get “a tubular cuisine.” And tap Kevin’s pop-up thought bubbles to hear him say what he really thinks: “And when you’re older, you will do whatever I tell you to do.” Monroe’s detailed, nostalgia-infused illustrations underscore the heartwarming, whimsical aesthetic of the story. Any way the doughnut crumbles, this is a 37-page page-turner, with hundreds of surprise interactive elements and audio that both parents and children will love, especially those with siblings. And the end—the first time music sounds—is simply beautiful.
At last, an iPad storybook so good it doesn’t need additional narrative options or games or technological wizardry to distract from its flaws. Because there are none. (iPad storybook app. 3-6)
