A good, entry-level app, gratifyingly easy if also easy to move beyond.
An elemental story of a forgetful witch.
Heckerty is a frightful witch. Not in terms of behavior but...let us be honest, it’s her face. All those spots and warts, and her Brillo-pad hair doesn’t help. Today, however, she has to have a photo taken for her passport, and she is in close consultation with her cat, Zanzibar, about a spell to make her presentable. Her spell book has gone missing, so she has to wing it, which is a big mistake. But really, what’s wrong with a green face full of spots and warts when Heckerty is such a sympathetic creature? Not to mention that readers can paint her face blue, purple or a dozen other colors, along with her hands, coat, shoes or socks. Kids can read along or alone or use the book simply for coloring purposes. The vocabulary sometimes outruns the target group—“Zanzibar,” for one, and “lizard” and “cauldron”—but those are good words for children to look forward to. The joy here is in the interaction. The colors are saturated, and there are many little creatures to let loose and run about, plus wiggling ears, rolling eyes and floppy heads. There is enough variety here to give the story some lasting power, but not great quantities of it.
A good, entry-level app, gratifyingly easy if also easy to move beyond. (iPad storybook app. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Broomstick Productions Inc.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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