EVERYTHING'S ROSIE BEDTIME APP

Name: EVERYTHING'S ROSIE BEDTIME APP
Author: Egmont UK

developed by Egmont UK ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 25, 2012

For fans, this could be a must-download, but for the uninitiated, there's not much in Rosie's bedtime adventure to make them...

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A none-too-interesting detour before bedtime, this app based on a British children's show exhibits frustrating navigation quirks and not nearly enough personality.

One of two apps simultaneously released featuring a ribbon-and-button–tressed little girl and her friends (some of whom happen to be animals), this one involves a disturbance at a slumber party. The coed/cospecies sleepover is interrupted by a loud moaning sound that Rosie and her friends investigate. Not to spoil the mystery, but the app could have been called, We Heard a Noise; It Was an Anthropomorphic Oak Tree That Was Drying Out. Complicating things is a fussy design that expects readers to remember what different kinds of icons do (a star versus a star with a circle around it, for instance) and to follow the dialogue by tapping on word balloons that appear as the next character is ready to speak. Some pages have big, gaudy borders around them, others don't. Some pages are fully animated, others are text-heavy. Sometimes there's a delay when a button is pressed, and sometimes virtual objects take too long to respond to touch, like a watering can that can take a few tries to pick up and use. Rosie's nighttime app is a rote story done no favors by very inconsistent design.

For fans, this could be a must-download, but for the uninitiated, there's not much in Rosie's bedtime adventure to make them curious for more. (optimized for iPad 2 and above) (iPad storybook app. 3-7)

Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2012

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Egmont UK

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013

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ADDIE ANT GOES ON AN ADVENTURE

by Maren Morris & Karina Argow ; illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2024

Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.

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An ant explores her world.

Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.

Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 9, 2024

ISBN: 9781797228914

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)