EXTRAORDINARY JENNY JONES

Name: EXTRAORDINARY JENNY JONES
Author: PaperPlaneCo

developed by PaperPlaneCo ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2013

Jenny may not be that unusual as a young lady, but the way the app brings readers into her point of view and shows other...

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The shapes of the world are seen very differently by an unusual girl with a common name.

Jenny Jones, who has a name shared by “possibly millions,” is like any girl except for one big difference: Wherever there are circles, she sees squares. Whether it’s a pizza, a bowl of fruit or even a Ferris wheel, Jenny sees corners and blocks where others see round shapes. She takes time picking out these shapes in panoramic pages; readers can scroll horizontally and find them in puzzle pages that reward sharp eyes. The art imagines Jenny’s world as a heightened reality in which houses look like giant slices of bread and everyone wears bright, warm colors. The narration of the story is nicely paced and distinct, page navigation is easily managed with a pull-down curtain rope, and the ending, in which her family simply accepts Jenny’s skewed view, supports the kind notion that we all see things in different ways. The story gets repetitive as it closes, but the pages themselves are lively, featuring a feline named Chairman Miao who’s there to help advance the story when readers gets stuck on puzzles.

Jenny may not be that unusual as a young lady, but the way the app brings readers into her point of view and shows other ways to see objects otherwise taken for granted certainly makes her stand out. (requires iPad 2+) (iPad storybook app. 5-12)

Pub Date: May 15, 2013

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: PaperPlaneCo

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013

- BOOK REVIEW
MONKEYS IN MY HEAD
by Chrissy Lim & illustrated by Dara Toe & developed by PaperPlaneCo

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THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the Wild Robot series , Vol. 3

by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.

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Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.

When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023

ISBN: 9780316669412

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

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CREEPY CRAYON!
by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown

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FRED GETS DRESSED
by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown

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THE WILD ROBOT ESCAPES
by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011

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Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)