by John Himmelman ; illustrated by John Himmelman ; developed by Dawn Publications ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2013
Though not exactly a traditional singalong, readers will nevertheless find themselves ch-ch-ch-ing like a katydid and...
Tree crickets ring like telephones high in the trees, and mole crickets call “dirt, dirt” from their tunnels in the ground, taking animal sounds far from the familiar moo and meow.
Accurately recorded insect sounds accompany the detailed illustrations and reveal the critters behind many familiar noises of summer. Where the 2013 printed book of the same name that this was taken from simply provided onomatopoeic spellings of each sound—“chirp,” “reeeeeeeeeee,” “squeaka”—this app gives kids the sonic specifics they hunger for, providing a value-added experience. Readers will enjoy identifying these bug songs in their own backyards. Kid-friendly, additional information about each species appears in a section called “Bug Sounds.” What budding lepidopterist won’t be excited to learn that tiger moths make ultrasonic squeaks to scare bats away or that insects use their bodies rather than vocal cords to make sounds? There’s one screen per bug, and on each one, there is a very cool, interactive sound wave graph and an explanation of each sound’s purpose. Given the high quality of the insect recordings, though, it’s too bad the narrator sounds like he recorded his track in a cave.
Though not exactly a traditional singalong, readers will nevertheless find themselves ch-ch-ch-ing like a katydid and perhaps even joining in with the “Concert of Sound” when all the bugs sing together. (iPad informational app. 3-8)Pub Date: June 4, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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by Kimberly Dean ; illustrated by James Dean
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by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo
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by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
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by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Juliana Perdomo
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