This launch of the Wilsons’ Tiny Tourists app series is an excellent first step to the world.
Here is a little slice of the Netherlands, with enough to give a taste of what more lies ahead of any traveler who cares to make the trip, presented in either English or Dutch. There is a page of history that touches on the ruling family and Dutch colonialism and little “fun facts” in a pop-up strip at the bottom—about canals, tulips, windmills and so on. These do not intrude uninvited upon the storyline of Little Lamb’s bike ride from her van Gogh–esque farm to Amsterdam. The interaction with the application is kept to a minimum; what’s there is sweet and unpredictable (touch a cloud, and it may scud; touch another cloud, and it may vaporize). The artwork of the 25 panels has sophisticated, childlike line and color that avoid busyness. The emphasis is on the windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, Dutch tiles (used as a jigsaw puzzle), houseboats and an atmospheric canal at night fronted by old gabled houses. And Little Lamb’s bicycle squeaks most adorably.
Worth its weight in florins, guilders or even Euros. (iPad storybook app. 3-7)Pub Date: May 14, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Joshua Wilson
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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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 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES
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