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MOONGIRL

Name: MOONGIRL
Author: Henry Selick
ISBN: 0-7636-3068-3

by Henry Selick & illustrated by Peter Chan & Courtney Booker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2006

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In this paper version of an award-winning short film, directed by the author and included on an enclosed DVD, young Leon and his pet squirrel are transported to the darkened Moon where they meet a mysterious lass and her huge cat. Then, after a dustup with the malicious Gargaloon, they help to get the elaborately carved carousel that powers the Moon re-lit and going again. The atmospheric illustrations, which are all new but done in the style of the CGI original, pit human and animal figures with riveting, outsized eyes against a shadowy, jagged, two-headed adversary within deep, grainy backgrounds rendered in indistinct grays and blues. Unfortunately, Selick is a better director than writer; along with exposing the plot’s sketchiness and lack of internal logic, his bland text comes nowhere near to measuring up to the glow of wonder and mystery that suffuses the visuals. Children will find the tale far more engrossing on the screen. (DVD) (Picture book. 6-9)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-7636-3068-3

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

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PINOCCHIO

by Carlo Collodi & adapted by Elastico srl & illustrated by Lucia Conversi translated by Lemmy Caution developed by Elastico srl ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2011

Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly...

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Unusually brisk special effects animate this relatively less satiric but equally amusing adaptation of the classic tale.

Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly delivers a Bronx cheer and then whirls away on a long series of misadventures. These culminate in a final change into a flesh-and-blood boy with help from a fingertip “paintbrush.” Quick and responsive touch- or tilt-activated features range from controllable marionettes, Pinocchio’s tattletale nose and Fire-Eater’s explosive sneeze to a movable candle that illuminates both Geppetto in the fish’s dark belly and the accompanying block of text. Even the thumbnail page images of the index (which opens any time with a shake of the tablet) tumble about, somehow without falling out of order. Though transitions are almost nonexistent in the episodic plot, the text is both substantial enough to have a definite presence and artfully placed in and around Conversi’s brightly colored settings and toylike figures. Text is available in English or Italian with a clear, understated optional audio narration backed by unobtrusive music. A link on the credits page leads to downloadable coloring sheets on the producer’s website.

Pub Date: March 17, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Elastico srl

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PATUA PINOCCHIO
by Carlo Collodi ; adapted by Carol Della Chiesa ; illustrated by Swarna Chitrakar

- BOOK REVIEW
PINOCCHIO
by Carlo Collodi illustrated by Fulvio Testa translated by Geoffrey Brock

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ZATHURA

by Chris Van Allsburg & illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 2002

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A trite, knock-off sequel to Jumanji (1981). The “Jumanji” box distracts Walter Budwing away from beating up on his little brother Danny, but it’s Danny who discovers the Zathura board inside—and in no time, Earth is far behind, a meteor has smashed through the roof, and a reptilian Zyborg pirate is crawling through the hole. Each throw of the dice brings an ominous new development, portrayed in grainy, penciled freeze frames featuring sculptured-looking figures in constricted, almost claustrophobic settings. The angles of view are, as always, wonderfully dramatic, but not only is much of the finer detail that contributed to Jumanji’s astonishing realism missing, the spectacular damage being done to the Budwings’ house as the game progresses is, by and large, only glimpsed around the picture edges. Naturally, having had his bacon repeatedly saved by his younger sibling’s quick thinking, once Walter falls through a black hole to a time preceding the game’s start, his attitude toward Danny undergoes a sudden, radical transformation. Van Allsburg’s imagination usually soars right along with his accomplished art—but here, both are just running in place. (Picture book. 6-8)