BUD THE BUNNY

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.