Appropriately for the audience, there’s no story line or dazzling special effects—just a creatively imagined encounter with...
This toddler app revolves around the children’s song of the same name, the first in a planned suite by the illustrator of the now-classic My Very First Mother Goose.
Once the app is launched, one of Wells' trademark sturdy bunnies appears wearing Western clothes, while an orchestral version of “Chicken Reel” loops in the background. Tap the animal, and the violins give way to a small group of children singing the nursery song, while the bunny points to his corresponding body parts. (Fair warning: You may never be able to get the tune out of your head.) Readers are given two other options: Tap the body parts for individual display and enunciation of the words, or record your own version for playback. A menu at the top of the screen shows four different snapshots, each of the same bunny dressed in other attire (which represents the other languages the song is available in—French, Spanish and Japanese). Select a different snapshot and the bunny turns and skips merrily to another screen where he finds a new location, a new set of threads and language/music that reflects that particular ethnicity. Auryn, Inc., hit grand slams with previous releases Teddy’s Day (2010) and The Little Mermaid (2011). This is a perfectly adorable app that makes good use of iPad technology, but it is a much more basic offering than its predecessors.
Appropriately for the audience, there’s no story line or dazzling special effects—just a creatively imagined encounter with a song that has universal toddler appeal. More, please! (iPad storybook app. 1-3)Pub Date: April 8, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Auryn
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
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A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead.
An Easter-themed board-book parody of the traditional nursery rhyme.
Unfortunately, this effort is just as sugary and uninspired as The Itsy Bitsy Snowman, offered by the same pair in 2015. A cheerful white bunny hops through a pastel world to distribute candy and treats for Easter but spills his baskets. A hedgehog, fox, mouse, and various birds come to the bunny’s rescue, retrieving the candy, helping to devise a distribution plan, and hiding the eggs. Then magically, they all fly off in a hot air balloon as the little animals in the village emerge to find the treats. Without any apparent purpose, the type changes color to highlight some words. For very young children every word is new, so highlighting “tiny tail” or “friends” makes no sense. Although the text is meant to be sung, the words don't quite fit the rhythm of the original song. Moreover, there are not clear motions to accompany the text; without the fingerplay movements, this book has none of the satisfying verve of the traditional version.
Leave the hopping to Peter Cottontail and sing the original song instead. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5621-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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