HELLO TO THE MOON!

Name: HELLO TO THE MOON!
Author: Matchbook Digital

developed by Matchbook Digital ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2012

The global-village theme has a lot of potential, but this rendering doesn’t do it justice. A little more effort would go a...

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A lunar lesson about global community.

Everyone on the planet sees the same moon. So, in theory, the moon is a cosmic intermediary that can help readers feel connected to others—whether it’s a parent we’re missing, or a kid we’ve never even met. The app's illustrations appear to be photographs that have been enhanced by digital software. Each page contains one tap-activated “animation”—photographs that appear or rudimentary graphics that haltingly come and go (though none can be triggered until the narration is complete). The story itself is told in rhyme, and as is the case with many rhyming storybook apps, the verse is often tedious and uninspiring. The idea that the author is apparently trying to convey is creative and communicates a message that could be helpful to some. But the content shifts focus enough that it weakens the thesis. For example, after a quick side note about how grandmas don’t like to be called old, the text reads, “Back to the moon and it’s amazing effects…” After one observation about kids in Pakistan seeing the same moon Americans do, attention turns to stars, the sun and the ocean. Advancing pages sometimes takes multiple taps, as does prompting other features.

The global-village theme has a lot of potential, but this rendering doesn’t do it justice. A little more effort would go a long way. (iPad storybook app. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 25, 2012

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Matchbook Digital LLC

Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

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HOW TO CATCH A WITCH

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2022

Not enough tricks to make this a treat.

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Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.

Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland

Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton & Leo Trinidad

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by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton

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HOW TO CATCH AN INVISIBLE BAD GUY
by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton

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HOW TO CATCH THE EASTER BUNNY

From the How To Catch… series

by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2017

This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.

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The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.

The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.

This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)