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TRAIL, MARTIM IS A STRONG BOY

Delightful at every turn.

A young boy goes for a ride on his bike, exploring the world around him in this simple but engaging interactive story.

“Martim is a strong boy / who wanted to ride a long way.” From the very first page, readers must figure out how to move the story forward. Martim lifts the first letter of “strong” up and then points down to the word; readers experiment by tapping on the remaining letters and watch them fly up onto his shoulders one by one. Once Martim gets on his bike, he rides through a wet yard, along a smooth sidewalk, over a bumpy trail and more. The black-and-white illustrations have an appealing line-drawn quality, with plenty of white space in the background. Readers will enjoy the variety of interactive elements as they help Martim proceed through the story. The interplay among the illustrations, animation and printed words is thoroughly enjoyable, whether Martim is climbing the tall letters of “HILL” or bouncing “down” the blocky letters of the square’s steps. The assortment of sound effects adds interest. Although some readers may miss narration, its absence suits this app nicely for a read-aloud experience.

Delightful at every turn. (Requires iOS 7 and above.) (iPad storybook app. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2014

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Casa Gráfica Expressa

Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014

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HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE AND SEE THE WORLD

What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 2, 1994

ISBN: 0-679-83705-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994

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THE WATER PRINCESS

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...

An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.

Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.

Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

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