by Maya Sarfati & illustrated by Maya Sarfati & developed by Touchoo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2012
This DIY book isn’t half bad, but the price tag is sure to snatch a few smiles.
A sweet but bland story about the imaginings of a boy and his koala bear.
Touchoo Creator is a book-app–authoring tool for anyone who aspires to publish a digital book for kids. Much like building a Wordpress blog, authors can upload graphics and sounds, place text, and choose from various audio and interactive options. This particular book is a good example of the interface’s limited scope. The story is about a bear who’s lost his smile, so the little boy who narrates starts prompting his fluffy pal to imagine things that will turn his frown upside down. The story is told against a backdrop of minimalist illustrations and languid interactive elements: Drums beat, trains move and say “choo-choo!,” but no one’s going to write home about any of them. Perhaps the best interactive (and teachable) moments are found on a screen that allows little fingers to change the scenery according to season. Many do-it-yourself book apps have substandard audio, and this one is no exception. The levels are great, but the young narrator sounds like he’s at the bottom of a well. The last couple of pages find the bear sporting a tiny koala smile and having a cuddlefest with the boy who made it possible.
This DIY book isn’t half bad, but the price tag is sure to snatch a few smiles. (iPad storybook app. 18 mos.-5)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Touchoo
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
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by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 23, 2014
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
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by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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