The best part is the animals and their weird new calls. It’s a good thing those are not given short shrift in favor of 3-D...
A brother and sister investigate a case of barnyard animals making nonsensical sounds in a lively if needlessly active app.
Lizzie and Cal figure something’s amiss at the farm when the cat says “Iggy-Howl” instead of “meow.” A dog, cow, horse and pig are also missing their barks, moos, neighs and oinks, but when a vet comes for a visit, he determines that the clever animals are just having fun rather than suffering some sort of linguistic virus. The story is told in forced, rhyming couplets (“They ran to the barn / To listen for oink / But the big, pink pig squealed / “Bipsy-Kerbloink!!”). At 17 pages, adapted from about twice that many in its original book form, the story moves briskly and doesn’t overstay its welcome. But its soft, cartoon-curvy illustrations are enhanced with a 3-D feature that moves the characters and expands the backgrounds when the iPad is tilted or the scenes nudged with a finger. The effect adds movement to a story that doesn’t need it, and it creates a jarring effect on page turns as the objects on screen emerge. Though it’s little more than an unnecessary gimmick, some readers may appreciate having an activity on each page beyond tapping people and animals to trigger animations.
The best part is the animals and their weird new calls. It’s a good thing those are not given short shrift in favor of 3-D or any other feature. (iPad storybook app. 3-8)Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Mobad Games
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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