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LITTLE RIDING HOOD'S HOODS

Name: LITTLE RIDING HOOD'S HOODS
Author: Esperança Ros

by Esperança Ros & illustrated by Emi Martínez & developed by La Tortuga Casiopea ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2011

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In this iteration of the classic fairy tale, Little Riding Hood (no Red) accumulates hoods from various family members—in a variety of colors.

The “educational” value of the app is that it helps youngsters learn colors, numbers, the days of the week and pronouns for assorted family members. On Monday, her grandmother gives her a red hood; now she has one hood (and—according to the story—“is very happy”). On Tuesday, her grandfather gives her a yellow hood, but this time she is only quite happy. By the end of the week she has six different hoods and—here’s the perplexing thing—she’s fuming about it. (The beautiful artwork shows her progressive transformation from smiling to scowling. Perhaps an illogical lesson about emotions?) Later she goes to visit cousins, gives each of them a hood, and—voilà—she’s happy again. Another befuddling feature of this app is the menu, which is a puzzle in and of itself. Rather than aiding in navigation, the menu simply allows the reader to skip to a certain page, or find all of the pages that correspond to certain colors. Interactive features are plentiful and function well, but there is no audio—only a choice to read the story in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Catalán.

Pub Date: May 27, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: La Tortuga Casiopea

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT I LIKE MOST IN THE WORLD
by Noemí Pes & illustrated by Luciano Lozano & developed by La Tortuga Casiopea

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Awards & Accolades

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14

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS

From the Dragons Love Tacos series

by Adam Rubin & illustrated by Daniel Salmieri ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2012

A wandering effort, happy but pointless.

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Awards & Accolades

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14

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.

Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.

A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: June 14, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES

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THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COUCH
by Adam Rubin ; illustrated by Liniers

- BOOK REVIEW
THE HUMAN KABOOM
by Adam Rubin

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ICE CREAM MACHINE
by Adam Rubin ; illustrated by Daniel Salmieri , Charles Santoso , Liniers , Emily Hughes , Nicole Miles & Seaerra Miller

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CHICKA CHICKA PEEP PEEP

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by Julien Chung ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 20, 2026

A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.

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The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.

The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.

A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)