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
Preserving the look of the classic board book—even to the trim size and rounded corners—this makeover folds new into old in such inventive ways that it may take more than a few passes to discover all the interactive features. Aboard a ship that rocks in response to a tilt of the tablet a set of animal passengers bounce belowdecks. First they take a bath featuring user-created bubbles, and then they brush their teeth using water so hot that the whole screen hazes up with wipe-able “steam.” Pajama-clad, all then wobble—or, tweaked by a finger, rocket—back outside for a bit of exercise before bed. (Readers control this part by twirling the moon.) In the finest animation of all, every touch of the night sky in the final scene brings a twinkling star into temporary being. Along with making small movements that resemble paper-engineered popup effects, Boynton’s wide eyed passengers also twitch or squeak (or both) when tapped. And though they don’t seem particularly sleepy or conducive to heavy lids, an optional reading by British singer Billy J. Kramer (whose well-traveled voice also pronounces each word individually at a touch), backed by soothing piano music, supplies an effectively soporific audio. “The day is done. / They say good night, / and somebody / turns off the light.” This is as beautiful as the developer’s earlier PopOut! Peter Rabbit while styling itself perfectly to Boynton's whimsy. (Ipad board-book app. 1-3)
Pub Date: March 7, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Loud Crow Interactive
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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