There are many apps with more options, extras and dazzling art and sound, but despite its similarity to "Heads, Shoulders,...
A simple, easy-to-navigate app featuring an assortment of animals and the titular body parts they have in common is no-frills enough to please toddlers, though parents may wish it offered a little more.
In a unique approach, each of the app's pages shows an animal’s tail, toes, eyes, ears and nose, but with the main body missing. Though the shapes of birds, elephants, cats and people aren't too difficult for even small children to figure out, the illustrations then fill in the blank once the body parts have been explored. The app includes optional narration and an "autoplay" option, but it's short and simple enough to warrant taking some time to play with each page. Once the animal is revealed, the child narrator makes a noise approximating that animal’s, a winning choice when canned sound effects would have been easier and more obvious. On the last pages, a person joins the fun and the animals (and their human friend) all walk off together. Altogether, it's a more harmonious wedding of interaction to source material than some of Auracle’s others.
There are many apps with more options, extras and dazzling art and sound, but despite its similarity to "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, And Toes," it feels just homespun and direct enough to charm. (iPad storybook app. 1-4)Pub Date: July 8, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Auryn
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet but not essential book.
A whole host of children presents a whole host of balls in this new installment in the Baby Unplugged series.
There are so many kinds of balls in this little board book. Big ball, shiny ball, game ball, plain ball, spot ball. And not all are necessarily balls. Some are round objects, like the snowball and the clay ball or the blueberry that is a “tiny ball.” Some balls are verb balls, like the “throw ball, / catch ball, / go ball, / fetch ball!” There is even a gotcha! ball that’s “not ball”—it’s a cube! And all these balls are being played with by an equally eclectic group of children. African-American, Asian, brown-skinned, and blond and brunette white children are all represented here in illustrations that are charming and clear but not particularly artful. It feels as though both author and illustrator are trying so hard to include so much that they’ve almost forgotten to have fun. It’s reminiscent of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish but without the spark that turns an OK book into a timeless classic. Best suited for young children who are already quite verbal.
A sweet but not essential book. (Board book. 2-3)Pub Date: April 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-936669-42-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: blue manatee press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
A fishy tale that doesn't quite swim in the crowded sea of concept books
A mix of marine-life fact and fiction introduces opposites.
With its iconic shape, the eye-catching cover cutout of a bright-orange fish is instantly appealing. Layered die cuts of decreasing size provide texture and handholds for little fingers and form the bodies of varying species of fish. Information about fish habits and habitats is crammed into wordy rhymes with the opposing terms in boldface, but the accuracy of those facts is debatable. Though it’s fair to call the eel “long and very wiggly,” contrasting it with a generic, short yellow fish that’s a rhyme-forced “giggly” introduces a jarring anthropomorphism. In fact, stereotypical human emotions or motivations are attributed to the fish on almost every page. On another page, the slow fish (the only fish not painted with a smile) says, “Even with a big head start, I knew I'd finish last”—a distressingly defeatist message in an otherwise cheery board book. Inexplicably, the final spread depicts all the fish in party hats—turning it into a birthday book. While this may extend its use in day cares, it doesn't help young children learn opposites.
A fishy tale that doesn't quite swim in the crowded sea of concept books . (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58925-215-8
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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