Short, sweet and shallow.
This glorified game of paper dolls offers a basic lesson about what to wear in winter, summer, spring and fall.
Stephanie the frog needs help getting dressed. The cheery amphibian—who happens to have bushy red hair—sits in a chair by the Christmas tree and declares, “When it snows, I like sledding.” Ornaments dangle and sway, and tilting the tablet causes objects to move from one side of the screen to the other. Stephanie identifies various pieces of winter clothing when each item is tapped. On the next page, little ones can drag four pieces of clothing/accessories to Stephanie and put them “on” her. When adorned, she exclaims things like, “Super!” and “It fits perfectly!” The entire process is repeated for spring, summer and fall. On the final page, there are 15 different items lined up, and Stephanie conducts a quiz to see if readers can identify them all. Though the app is available in both English and Polish, the narrator sounds a little bit French and a lot like a computer-generated voice. Cywinska’s illustrations are vibrant and charming, and developers have added just enough movement and sway to make them stand out. Though toddlers may be mildly enchanted the first few times through, though, neither the story nor the interactive options offer the depth that might fuel longer-term interest.
Short, sweet and shallow. (iPad storybook app. 1-4)Pub Date: July 7, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Krecha Games
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Cute and sprightly but not a standout.
Deck the stalls?
A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune “Deck the Halls.” (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, “boughs of holly” is “translated” as “cows and holly.” Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn’t—it’s clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it’s recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this—except for that final line!—to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66591-435-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Boynton Bookworks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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