It’s a bit mannered, but high production values and a realistic mix of behavioral ups and downs keep it from turning twee or...
In this pretty if occasionally precious app, a mercurial child’s moods and whims find allegorical counterparts in the flower garden she plants.
Being initially dismissive of the 16 seeds she is given, her first careless toss grows up Spoiled (Primula putris) with a “ring of slimy petals / that smelled of black bananas.” Soon, though, a lighter mood sows Cheerfulness (Helianthus hilaris), followed by positives from Hope (Asclepias spes) to Diligence (Viticula industria). Her progress is not without incidents of backsliding, like Tattle Tale (Proditio pusilla), with its “smell of rats,” and Fibs (Mendacium delicatum). Ultimately she plants Gratitude (Iris memoris), then gathers up all the seeds from “the cottage gardens of our hearts” to pass on to others. Herz and Scott’s measured free verse is cast into italics with decorated initials, and Stokes’ illustrations, which appear opposite, begin, mostly, with delicate seeds placed on elegantly plain backdrops. Tapping an icon under each page of narrative causes the seeds to open, grow twining stems and burst into recognizable but fancifully altered flowers as bees, butterflies and the tiny girl look on or drift playfully past. There is no audio track. The final lush garden scene, accessible from any screen, functions as an interactive index and also features instructions for sharing sample illustrations via email.
It’s a bit mannered, but high production values and a realistic mix of behavioral ups and downs keep it from turning twee or labored. (Requires iOS 6 and above.) (iPad poetry app. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Coliloquy, LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fiber artists beware! Unnerving artistry and reality TV mix and meld in this fantastic cautionary tale.
Obsession claims an unlikely victim when a young mole gives absolutely everything for a chance at glitz and glory.
Nine-year-old Winona Mole is passionate about crocheting. Her favorite television program is an Is It Cake?–like show called Yarn Is Everything!, in which contestants create realistic replicas of objects through stitch alone. After a trip to a woolen arts museum, Winona sees the mysterious Spirit Hook, rumored to bestow powers “upon those willing to pay the price.” Later, Winona finds a seeming replica of that same crochet hook in her bag. Suddenly, her skills accelerate fantastically. Yet when she gets a chance to compete on Yarn Is Everything!, what starts as a passion turns into something darker. Reynolds walks that thin line between kid-appropriate and chilling with an aplomb worthy of his Twilight Zone influences. Winona’s descent into unhealthy fixation is matched by Brown’s telltale yarn fragments, trailing eerily from objects that should not be yarn-based. Crafters may find it odd that Reynolds opted for crocheting, not the more common knitting, as Winona’s métier. Even so, this lends the usual homey arts an effective creepiness, even as the increasing ridiculousness of the crocheted objects makes it sublimely silly as well.
Fiber artists beware! Unnerving artistry and reality TV mix and meld in this fantastic cautionary tale. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781665961141
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
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