Potter's story of an abusive relationship between Miss Moppet the cat and Mouse is given short shrift in this shoddy,...
There's homage and then there's pure imitation, and in this adaptation of Beatrix Potter's cat-and-mouse tale, the developer has clearly studied the template created by Loud Crow Interactive and created a cheap, off-putting knockoff.
Loud Crow developed superb apps out of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. In this app, everything, from the title screen to its drop-down-bookmark menu to the way Potter's illustrations wiggle and squeak when touched, is similar, but the execution falls short. With generic music, annoying sound effects ("Boing!" goes one, making it sound like it was recycled from a Saturday-morning TV show) and narration that feels out of rhythm, the original text and pictures survive intact, but just barely. The title screen, showing a copy of the original book, a fountain pen, ink and what appears to be a blank yellow Post-It Note (seriously!?) tells you all you need to know. Worst, the narration must be activated by touching the first letter of the first word of each page, but there's no hint or instruction that this is the case.
Potter's story of an abusive relationship between Miss Moppet the cat and Mouse is given short shrift in this shoddy, derivative app. Readers will be left feeling teased and unsatisfied, even if they're unaware far better Potter apps exist. (iPad storybook app. 3-8)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Squeaky Oak
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
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