The app, about a rogue red squirrel who pushes an owl too far with his persistent pestering and riddles, is nearly identical...
Not as stunning or surprising as Loud Crow Interactive's previous Potter adaptation, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, its take on her subsequent, squirrel tale is nevertheless a clever, faithful retelling.
The app, about a rogue red squirrel who pushes an owl too far with his persistent pestering and riddles, is nearly identical in its design to its Pop Out! predecessor. It features spring-loaded takes on the original illustrations that can be wiggled, prodded and, in some cases, moved by paper-like tabs. Fastidious narration and an effort to make the pages resemble as closely as possible a beloved old book (there's even a grain to the off-white pages and an ever-present small bookmark) work nicely. At just over 50 pages, plus animated endpapers, it feels substantial without overstaying its welcome. The chittering squirrels and the harumphing owl, Old Brown, are enlivened by well-crafted audio cues. Objects like falling leaves or eggs can be touched, making them pop out of the page's scene. While the story of Nutkin, a troublemaker who loses a chunk of his tail due to his mischief, is fresh as ever, the multiple riddles may be tricky to solve for younger readers. Luckily, Potter helpfully hid the solution for each riddle as a word on the same page as each puzzle.Pub Date: May 12, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Loud Crow Interactive
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
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Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
The book is available in just about every format--but this is the perfect one.
It's hard to believe that a pop-up wasn't the creators' original intention, so seamlessly do moveable parts dovetail into this modern classic's storyline.
In contrast to the tale's 1998 pop -up version, the figures here move on every page, and with an unusually graceful naturalism to boot. From pulling down Big Nutbrown Hare's ears on the opening spread to make sure he's listening to drowsily turning his head to accept a final good-night kiss in a multi-leveled pull-down tableau at the close, all of Little Nutbrown Hare's hops, stretches and small gestures serve the poetically spare text—as do Big Nutbrown's wider, higher responses to his charge's challenges. As readers turn a flap to read Big Nutbrown's "But I love you this much," his arms extend to demonstrate. The emotional connection between the two hares is clearer than ever in Jeram's peaceful, restrained outdoor scenes, which are slightly larger than those in the trade edition, and the closing scene is made even more intimate by hiding the closing line ("I love you right up to the moon—and back") until an inconspicuous flap is opened up.
The book is available in just about every format--but this is the perfect one. (Pop-up picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5378-1
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
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