An appealing, developmentally appropriate effort that could be enhanced by a few tweaks
An engaging ABC book camouflages the letters of the alphabet within critters.
When the hidden letter in the animal on each page of this ABC book is touched, it turns orange, along with all the other iterations of the letter on the page. The sharp, crisply designed illustrations offer just the right level of challenge and will appeal to little ones. (A lowercase “i” forms a stripe on the nose of the impala, for instance.) The cadence and rhyming patterns mostly work: “Sidney the squirrel smells snapdragons and sneezes, / while Tobias the turtle giggles and teases,” although there are some strained moments. There is also an animation on each screen, although it’s not always easy to discover how to get it to work. A screen at the end of the app encourages little ones to choose letters and trace them, which affords excellent practice in a critical early literacy skill. The app provides some tips under the settings button for ways that adults can enhance kids’ learning experience. It is a pity that the music cannot be turned off without also losing narration and sound effects. Another issue is that there is no way to navigate other than page-forward and -back. An additional feature that would greatly improve this app would be to have the narrator speak the letter itself when it is touched.
An appealing, developmentally appropriate effort that could be enhanced by a few tweaks . (iPad alphabet app. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Wee Society
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2012
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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