The entertaining song at the core of this picture-book app is poorly served by unsophisticated effects and uninspiring animation.
This app is based on a picture book that is in turn based on a song by Andy Z, a children’s musician with several recordings to his name. Scarecrow ventures out each night to run in the cornfields, leaving the farmer puzzled as to why his clothes are tattered in the morning. The Scarecrow song is catchy, and the two-voice harmony accompanied by guitar is very enjoyable. However, the muddy colors of the Scarecrow are discordant with his playful expressions and jar with the pastel greens, blues and purples of the background. The animation is uninspired and simplistic, with Scarecrow moving awkwardly through the cornfields. The expressive crows are probably the best element of the graphics and animation. The challenge to creating an app based on a song is apparent here. Any interactive opportunities for the viewer in the “sing-to-me” mode would interfere with the flow of the song, so the creators wisely don’t put any in. Even in the "read-by myself" mode, however, there is only one rudimentary interactive element per page, doing little to enhance the experience. Navigation works fine, with a forward, backward and home button on every page. Meager enhancements and amateurish animation mar this effort. (iPad storybook/song app. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Think Active
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 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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