KIRKUS REVIEW
A perplexing take on a Belgian legend takes too long to introduce itself then ends abruptly, as if by a magical trick of the forest.
Nutons, the app explains, are the cousins of gnomes (though the title would beg to differ), and though each is very old, "...he's about the size of a 3 year old kid, from the top of his hat to the top of his toes." Through a series of pages featuring geometric, Bauhaus-like artwork—all triangles, circles and askew squares—the nutons are shown to be night-dwelling creatures who like to live in the comfort of the woods. But the text and narration wander badly, likely the result of a bad translation, creating a confusing narrative with endless sentences that go nowhere. One example: "Mere babysteps away, alongside the rapids of the Lesse river, sits a great stone covered with small circular recesses: les Scûles, the bowls, which, according to tradition, are the nutons' dinner plates." The page meant to give parents discussion points to use with their kids isn't much better. The story shifts from a five-page introduction to a five-page story of a village woman who loses a bunch of oats given to her by a nuton that she thought might turn into gold. The village woman learns not to trust nutons, and readers learn not to trust badly translated offerings in the App Store.
Readers will want to stay away from these gnomes—or whatever they are: They're full of tricks and broken promises. (iPad storybook app. 3-7)
