“B” forewarned—there’s nothing special enough to warrant buying this app, even at the modest price of $1.99.
A mediocre concept book featuring Bud the Brown Bunny and the letter B.
The text “This is a bunny” and a plain, black bunny silhouette introduce this book. A descriptor such as “black-tailed” and “bent eared” or an activity such as “bee watching” and “blossom eating” is added on each page, building to a long mouthful of a sentence at the end: "This is Bud, the blue-eyed, black-tailed, bent eared, ball balancing, bee watching, boulder sitting, blossom eating, bandana wearing, bubble blowing, beach dreaming, brown birthday bunny with the beige belly." The concept has potential, but unfortunately, the execution is undistinguished. The sound effects are unimaginative, and the cartoon-style illustrations are flat and mundane, with little charm or energy. Bud himself is actually a little creepy, as the illustrator chose to draw him with blue eyes and no whites or pupils. Each page features a standard animation, such as a bouncing ball, a color-changing bandana or a bubble wand that blows bubbles. Clare Kramer’s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) narration is actually the best part of the app, injecting some vitality that partially compensates for the lackluster illustrations. There is a navigation grid on each page that allows quick access to any page. Bud has his own website, and a portion of the proceeds goes to Kids Need to Read, a nonprofit dedicated to improving children’s literacy.
“B” forewarned—there’s nothing special enough to warrant buying this app, even at the modest price of $1.99. (iPad storybook app. 2-5)Pub Date: May 9, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bengal Studio
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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