Though the book itself is fragile (the tabs are on the flimsy side), the original take on some of the pairings breathes new...
This new opposite concept book is a clever feat of paper engineering.
Combining elements of a pop-up book with pull tabs, this offering displays evidence of thinking outside the box. Reinforcing familiar antonym pairs while introducing new ones, the 18 opposites include beginning/end, ancient/modern, shallow/deep, empty/full, heavy/light, together/apart and near/far. On each page, pulling or sliding a labeled tab reveals the word’s opposite and changes the picture to match. Big/small is one of the standouts—the Earth is big, but a pull of the tab brings fingers closing down on it, suddenly small enough to fit in a hand. Another is tame/wild—the bush behind an orange cat conceals a ferocious tiger. Not all are as successful, however. Fast/slow utilizes the famous race between the tortoise and hare, but it is not clear which attribute belongs to which animal through the engineering. Past/present as represented by an arrow shot from a bow and a space shuttle may not effectively convey the meanings of these concepts to young readers. Bright colors and humorous details keep readers’ interest, as on the quiet/loud page, when a mouse causes an elephant to rear and trumpet loudly.
Though the book itself is fragile (the tabs are on the flimsy side), the original take on some of the pairings breathes new life into some often-clichéd opposites. (Pop-up. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7534-6624-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kingfisher
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will be charmed as Harold draws himself in and out of trouble and finally home to bed in this subtle blend of...
Harold takes a walk in the moonlight down the path of imagination and although this time the bunnies hop and the winds blow, nothing of the dreamy simplicity of the journey is lost.
Elegantly adapted by Trilogy Studios to the iPad and featuring the same minimalist lines of Johnson's 1955 original, this app allows children to join in as Harold wields his purple crayon to create his gently perilous adventure. Along the way, the many hidden interactions allow readers to animate the scenes, shaking apples from the tree and making the guard dragon catch them in his mouth. Kids can fill the moonlit sky with stars and zoom in on hatchling birds in the mountains; they can cause a swirling wind to fill the sails of Harold's boat and help him sample all nine flavors of pie. All the while, it maintains the flavor of a simple line-drawn story. When touched, most objects and characters are identified both verbally and in text to add an extra level of learning for early readers. Options include Read to Me, in which each word appears as it is spoken by the narrator; Touch Tale, a fully interactive version prefaced with a clear tutorial; and Read to Myself. All modes are accompanied by tinkly music.
Readers will be charmed as Harold draws himself in and out of trouble and finally home to bed in this subtle blend of animation and story. (iPad storybook app. 2-5)Pub Date: July 30, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Trill Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011
Though slight, this story has compensatory interactive components and characters that are time-tested kid-pleasers.
Poor Mark the shark can’t make any friends because all the other fish are frightened of his teeth.
When a crab pinches Mark’s tail, Mark gets angry and yells for all the fish to come out: “If you won’t be my friends, then you’ll be my dinner!” At this, a concerned octopus reaches out to Mark, accidentally tickling him and making him laugh. When the other fish hear the shark laugh, they realize he’s not actually scary after all, and suddenly, Mark has lots of fishy friends. Each double-page spread has a slider, allowing readers to move the shark’s teeth up and down by pulling a tab, making him cry, chomp, and laugh. Companion volume Dino Chomp, also featuring big biting teeth operated by sliders, tells the story of a T. Rex tricked out of his dinner. Both titles suffer from flimsy plots and generic art, depending on the interactivity of the moving mouths to draw kids in. Considering how satisfying it is to make those teeth go chomp, chomp, chomp, though, it may be enough.
Though slight, this story has compensatory interactive components and characters that are time-tested kid-pleasers. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0107-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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