Given how much money and sweat goes into app development, it’s absolutely astounding that these folks didn’t bring on a...
This grammatical nightmare has a scrawny storyline, ho-hum graphics and rudimentary interaction. But the music’s kind of catchy.
If there were an award for worst language translation, this app might win the grand prize. The creators hail from Colombia, and apparently, they aren’t fluent in English. The text on the first screen reads, “Milky and Cocoa bark excited. / They want to see the puppy hide inside the box.” Unless the two dogs are actually barking the word “excited” (they aren’t) and want to watch a puppy climb into a box (it’s already hidden there, but—surprise—it’s really a cat), the sentences are ambiguous. And things get progressively worse. The rest of the story is about dogs trying to ascertain some indistinct “cat wisdom,” but it never goes anywhere meaningful (or even vaguely logical). Readers must master the “games” between chapters to move on, finding differences between cats and dogs and/or otherwise searching for hidden elements. Spanish speakers might find the app a completely different experience, but English speakers—particularly those hoping to inculcate emergent literacy in English in young children—should give it a pass.
Given how much money and sweat goes into app development, it’s absolutely astounding that these folks didn’t bring on a qualified English translator before launching. Now that would be some wisdom. (requires iOS 6+) (iPad storybook app. 2-5).Pub Date: April 27, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Churukogames
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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