A decent offering in terms of music and illustrations, but the bizarre storyline and the complete lack of interaction sink...
A loosely knit doggy meets his demise when his parents lock him in the bathroom closet for the day.
Based on the 2010 traditional book of the same name (which was based on the original song written by Daunais in the 1950s), this story chronicles the plight of Snag, whose parents banish him to a closet while they go to the park to observe humans in cages. The abandoned pup cries and eventually falls asleep, only to be almost completely eaten by a million tiny mites that leave only his tail. When Snag’s parents return and find that he’s been devoured, his mother uses her knitting needles to reconstruct him (begging the question, “Is it really the same dog since it’s a new ball of yarn?”) The song is super peppy, which—when combined with the warped storyline—is reminiscent of an antidepressant commercial that plays cheery music while the narrator reads all of the medication’s ghastly side effects. Illustrations are strikingly colorful and display beautifully on the iPad screen, but none of them are the least bit interactive in nature. “Watch” mode functions like a video (with very minor animation in places); “read” is silent with manual page turns; "sing" is karaoke with pictures.
A decent offering in terms of music and illustrations, but the bizarre storyline and the complete lack of interaction sink the ship. (iPad storybook app. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The Secret Mountain
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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