YUMMY FLY PIE

After baking “fly pie,” Mr. Frog sets out to find someone to share it with.  

Mr. Frog is on a quest to find taste-testers for his new culinary creation. He approaches a bee, a rooster, a pig and several other animals and insects, but the answer is always the same: “No thank you,” followed by an explanation of what they like to eat. Apparently the intent of the author was to rhyme some of the verses. Pollen is pronounced "pole-in" so that it rhymes with swollen, but from that point on the couplets are even more forced and only vaguely similar (crowing/squirming; eating/doing; sleepy/scurry). The writing is weak, though it’s possible that translation had something to do with it (the author is Filipino, but the story is offered only in English or Mandarin). Either way, it leaves the impression that literary substance took a back seat to meter, pseudo-rhyme and the artwork. This isn’t surprising, given that Tejido is a practicing architect and artist. Illustrations are reminiscent of lovely tissue-paper collage art, but navigation is sluggish, and animation is basic (things move, though not fluidly). The app is bundled with Baker Frog Lite, a fun little game whereby readers help Mr. Frog catch flies with his tongue.

A few nibbles of entertainment, but this app is no hearty meal.