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THE HEART AND THE BOTTLE

Name: THE HEART AND THE BOTTLE
Author: Oliver Jeffers

AN INTERACTIVE BOOK

by Oliver Jeffers & illustrated by Oliver Jeffers developed by Bold Creative ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 28, 2011

Jeffers received a heap of critical acclaim for the print version of this memorable storybook. The narrative chronicles a...

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After an elderly loved one departs, a young girl puts her heart in a bottle to try to weather the grief.

Jeffers received a heap of critical acclaim for the print version of this memorable storybook. The narrative chronicles a little girl’s attempt to protect herself from the pain of losing a loved one and abstractly confronts the complexities of grief. Jeffers’ clean, visceral artwork translates beautifully to the tablet screen and is brought to life by numerous interactive options. Each page offers a hint that leads to hidden elements that can be triggered by tapping, swiping, tilting or shaking the device. A scrolling storyboard makes it easy to locate and skip to various pages, but there are a couple of technological oversights and glitches that make this adaptation a little rough. Helena Bonham Carter narrates, but there’s no autoplay or read-to-me option; voiced narration must be prompted on each individual page, which gets old. And while the interactive components are interesting and organic to the story, it sometimes takes several tries to activate them. Still, the magical interactivity, the aesthetic presentation and the poignant story itself outweigh the app’s few technological hiccups.

Pub Date: June 28, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Penguin

Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011

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GOODNIGHT, CRAYONS
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

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I'M VERY BUSY
by Oliver Jeffers ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

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THE DAY THE CRAYONS MADE FRIENDS
by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

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BLACK MAGIC

by Dinah Johnson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2010

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“My hundred black braids make a spiderweb around my head, / and Mama’s voice is black and sweet as I fall asleep.” This emotionally rich sentence is representative of this winning celebration of blackness. Johnson successfully uses figurative language to describe basic concepts and more complex connections, such as using color to describe emotions. She effortlessly zigzags from the immensity of the sky to the comfortable warmth of a puppy. The illustrations are bright and vibrant and provide an excellent contrast to the actual color black, which appears throughout the book. Christie is most successful at depicting the many shades of black. He portrays the chocolatey black of the main character’s skin, the black notes on sheet music and everything in between. In portraying concepts, he expertly uses shades of black and accent colors to depict the mood or feeling. Adults will find this book a great conversation starter with little ones. (Picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-8050-7833-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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IDA B. WELLS MARCHES FOR THE VOTE
by Dinah Johnson ; illustrated by Jerry Jordan

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INDIGO DREAMING
by Dinah Johnson ; illustrated by Anna Cunha

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H IS FOR HARLEM
by Dinah Johnson ; illustrated by April Harrison

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BIG CHICKENS

by Leslie Helakoski & illustrated by Henry Cole ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2006

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With wordplay reminiscent of Margie Palatini at her best, Helakoski takes four timorous chickens into, then out of, the literal and figurative woods. Fleeing the henhouse after catching sight of a wolf, the pusillanimous pullets come to a deep ditch: “ ‘What if we can’t jump that far?’ ‘What if we fall in the ditch?’ ‘What if we get sucked into the mud?’ The chickens tutted, putted, and flutted. They butted into themselves and each other, until one by one . . . ” they do fall in. But then they pick themselves up and struggle out. Ensuing encounters with cows and a lake furnish similar responses and outcomes; ultimately they tumble into the wolf’s very cave, where they “picked, pecked, and pocked. They ruffled, puffled, and shuffled. They shrieked, squeaked, and freaked, until . . . ” their nemesis scampers away in panic. Fluttering about in pop-eyed terror, the portly, partly clothed hens make comical figures in Cole’s sunny cartoons (as does the flummoxed wolf)—but the genuine triumph in their final strut—“ ‘I am a big, brave chicken,’ said one chicken. ‘Ohh . . . ’ said the others. ‘Me too.’ ‘Me three.’ ‘Me four’ ”—brings this tribute to chicken power to a rousing close. (Picture book. 6-8)