JON FOX AND THE MONSTER OF THE POND

Name: JON FOX AND THE MONSTER OF THE POND
Author: Carson Steil

by Carson Steil & illustrated by Carson Steil ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2011

The author and software designer show glimmers of creativity, but their learning curves are clearly still on the upswing.

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Another app not ready for prime time, featuring a perfunctory story tricked out in a sparse assortment of crudely designed animations and touch-activated effects.

Depicted in the bland cartoon illustrations as a fox wearing Harry Potter–style eyeglasses, Jon stops at a pond on the way to school with thoughts of taking a dip. Spotting a green “monster” (plainly modeled on the Creature from the Black Lagoon) asleep on the bottom, he chucks a rock at it. When the monster rises, weeping, Jon expresses remorse, whereupon it utters a platitude—“When you see someone new you should always think twice! / Looks alone can’t tell you who’s mean or nice”—then pulls off its head to reveal that it was his (apparently amphibious) mother all along in a full body costume. Though the auto page-turn option works so quickly that some readers may miss the interactive effects entirely, tapping a tiny berry or shell in each tableau causes one or more small animals to pop into view briefly, then vanish either behind something or, with a notably unrealistic splash, into the pond. Similarly, tears drip and fish swim by, but one slight arm movement is the monster’s only animation, and Jon Fox manages to walk, run, talk and throw that rock without moving any body part.

The author and software designer show glimmers of creativity, but their learning curves are clearly still on the upswing. (iPad storybook app. 5-7)

Pub Date: July 9, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Taylor Steil

Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011

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IndieBound Bestseller

THE WONKY DONKEY

by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010

Hee haw.

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IndieBound Bestseller

The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.

In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.

Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DINKY DONKEY
by Craig Smith ; illustrated by Katz Cowley

- BOOK REVIEW
HEATHER FELL IN THE WATER
by Doug MacLeod ; illustrated by Craig Smith

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BASEBALL CARD KID
by Adam Osterweil and illustrated by Craig Smith

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THE COOL BEAN MAKES A SPLASH

From the I Can Read! series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2024

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.

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The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.

Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.

Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)