SOMEONE STOLE MY BELLY BUTTON

Name: SOMEONE STOLE MY BELLY BUTTON
Author: Derek Yu

by Derek Yu & illustrated by Derek Yu & developed by Derek Yu ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 23, 2013

A bit rough around the edges, but any mention of “belly button” will reliably elicit gales of giggles from younger readers...

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Considerably more polished of software design than art, story or orthography, this bilingual episode features a thoroughly cute ninja panda who discovers the peril of napping outdoors without covering up.

The story first sends the little blue-and-white panda out “to play with his friends today!!! yippee!!!” After lunch, little ninja panda ignores a warning from a pink ninja playmate and “kept his tummy out while taking a nap”—whereupon bored “thunder boy,” floating by on a cloud, zaps the outie off with a thunderbolt. A fruitless search and a tearful night ensue. Happily, not only does the nabbed navel arrive in the next morning’s mail with an apologetic note from thunder boy’s dad, Mr. Thunder, but a vague final scene reveals that the whole thing was either a bedtime story or perhaps a dream. Along with tilt-responsive loose apples, tap-activated sparkles, and a large number of other interactive animations and sound effects, the very simple silkscreen-style illustrations feature a stubby-limbed, all-panda cast depicted in various sugary colors. Simple navigation features shuriken-shaped icons to tap for page turns and a ubiquitous panda button to return to the home screen. The tale is related in English over Japanese narrative blocks that change in point size from screen to screen. The instantly monotonous clip of tinkling background music can, thankfully, be switched off; otherwise, there is no audio track.

A bit rough around the edges, but any mention of “belly button” will reliably elicit gales of giggles from younger readers and listeners. (iPad storybook app. 4-6.)

Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2013

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Derek Yu

Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013

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VALENTINE'S DAY, HERE I COME!

From the Here I Come! series

by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Laurie Stansfield ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 27, 2022

Effectively captures the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day.

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A collection of poems follows a group of elementary school students as they prepare for and celebrate Valentine’s Day.

One student starts the day by carefully choosing clothing in pink, purple, or red, while a family kicks off the morning with a breakfast of red, heart-shaped pancakes. At school, children create valentines until party time finally arrives with lots of yummy treats. The students give valentines to their school friends, of course, but we also see one child making a “special delivery” to a pet, a stuffed animal, family members, and even the crossing guard. The poems also extend the Valentine’s celebration to the community park, where other couples—some older, one that appears to be same-sex—are struck by cupid’s “magical love arrows.” Note the child running away: “Blech!” Not everyone wants to “end up in love!!!” But the spread devoted to Valentine’s jokes will please readers more interested in humor than in romance and inspire children to create their own jokes. To make the celebration complete, the last pages of the book contain stickers and a double-sided “BEE MINE!” valentine that readers can, with adult help, cut out. Cheery and kid-friendly, the poems can be read independently or from cover to cover as a full story. The cartoonish illustrations include lots of hearts and emphasize the growing Valentine’s Day excitement, depicting a diverse classroom that includes students who use wheelchairs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Effectively captures the excitement surrounding Valentine’s Day. (Picture-book poetry. 4-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-38717-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO BE CONFIDENT IN KINDERGARTEN
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Ruth Hammond

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SUMMER VACATION, HERE I COME!
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by John Joven

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ST. PATRICK'S DAY, HERE I COME!
by D.J. Steinberg ; illustrated by Emanuel Wiemans

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PIRATES DON'T TAKE BATHS

by John Segal and illustrated by John Segal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)