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HANSEL AND GRETEL

Name: HANSEL AND GRETEL
Author: Yasmin Studios

developed by Yasmin Studios ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2010

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Not unlike creepy-eyed dolls that never seem quite as cute as they're meant to be, there's something a little off about this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale. All the elements are there: the wayward kids, the mean stepmother, the breadcrumbs left behind in the woods, the witch and her candy-laden house. But the illustrations and animation seem too clean and happy for a story that ends with a woman burning to death in her own home. In fact, the grinning faces of Hansel and Gretel, toting bags of treasure on their backs as they walk away from the burning house is enough to give any parent pause before choosing this app for a bedtime story. Not that the app's eerily cheery approach is the only problem. The sound mix is uneven, with music overpowering the narration. The sound effects are generic (at least one of the character's audio cues is identical to those featured in another app by the same developer). And the on-screen text is too small; on one page it doesn't fit on the screen, requiring readers scroll to catch the last line. Readers can also reposition characters and objects on the screen, moving them from place to place by dragging them with a finger, but it's a feature that seems to exist just ’cause, not to add any value to the story. If this app got lost in the woods like Hansel and Gretel, it isn't likely it would be missed. Quick, somebody scoop up those breadcrumbs. (iPad storybook app. 3-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2010

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Yasmin Studios

Review Posted Online: March 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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Awards & Accolades

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12

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS

From the Dragons Love Tacos series

by Adam Rubin & illustrated by Daniel Salmieri ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2012

A wandering effort, happy but pointless.

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Awards & Accolades

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12

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

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)