The second installment in Nosy Crow’s educational Rounds series.
Every illustration in this series is made out of circles or parts of circles. Additionally, much like a rousing chorus of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” these stories follow the life cycles of living beings—so far, a frog (Franklin Frog, 2012) and a penguin. This adventure begins with Parker, an adult penguin who waddles and slides through his icy world. He spouts facts—in the first person—about penguins along the way. Tapping him prompts declarations like, “I rock from side to side as I walk.” Readers can help him do things like skid over snow and avoid predators while swimming. Parker finds a mate in Penelope. They do their awesome mating dance, and eventually, Percy is born, which starts the cycle all over again. Percy meets Pippa, and their mating results in Peter, who mates with Pearl. And so it goes. Navigation is super smooth, and the penguins’ charming discourse is likely to teach the adults a thing or two. All the interactions are both interesting and satisfying. The only oversight is that both stories in this series are told entirely from a male perspective. Could the tale not be told from Penelope’s, Pippa’s or Pearl’s point of view? It’s unfortunate that the females don’t exist until found by a mate.
Gender issues aside, this app is definitely worth the price of admission. (iPad informational app. 2-6)
