Flash and dash aplenty, though the text isn’t well-presented, and the plotting is anything but a smooth ride.
To a driving musical beat, flying cyclists cross the Hudson to save New York from bike- and sneaker-eating smog monsters in this melodramatic romp.
Prompted by an urgent dream, young Mona-Star recruits rakish sidekick Merx, a flock of vermilion birds and Velo, “a small tornado who dreamed of being a DJ,” to head off a Fourth of July attack of floating green Guzzle Thugs intent, apparently, on forcing New Yorkers back into their cars. After escaping the lead monster’s maw, Mona leads them to the top of the Empire State Building, where a magical Golden Dragonfly melts them with bolts of “electric color.” Off they eel into the storm drains—leaving tap-happy readers to fill the skies with celebratory fireworks while a final glimpse of one camouflaged as an evil bike stand hints at future episodes. Mona-Star and Merx sport manga-style features in the saturated color cartoon scenes. Along with slow animations, every screen offers sprays of stars, balloons to pop or other tap-activated effects; one screen is even a Manhattan map of selected landmarks that pop up, with a descriptive comment, at a touch. However, on several screens the narrative fades in and out of view (the text is not visible at all in cellphone versions). An associated four-song download requires a separate purchase.
Flash and dash aplenty, though the text isn’t well-presented, and the plotting is anything but a smooth ride. (iPad storybook app. 7-9)Pub Date: July 3, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Pop-Post
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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