In 2007, author/educator Derrick launched the Animalations book series, which uses rhyming verse and songs to help preschool...
A day in the lives of animal friends who are on a very tight schedule.
In 2007, author/educator Derrick launched the Animalations book series, which uses rhyming verse and songs to help preschool children prepare to read. This iPad app is an extension of those efforts (there are no plans to print more books; Derrick is moving toward an all-digital format). Mr. Walrus and his animal friends are cruising around town in a big yellow school bus, and it’s a very full day. They visit the zoo, the county fair and grandma’s house—and it’s not even noon yet! A major hook in the story/song finds passengers pleading with Mr. Walrus to keep driving so they won’t be late to anything. At one point, Walrus’ friends tell him not to drive so slowly because they’re in a hurry to get to the next destination, begging the question, is this really a positive message for kids? Illustrations are taken from the book, the verse suffers from forced scansion and the only real interactive feature is touching animals and objects to elicit audio cues. A frenzied clock makes frequent appearances (though often it doesn’t reflect the correct time), and in a delicious twist of irony the audio got two pages ahead of the story when the app was closed and reopened in “play-for-me” mode.Pub Date: June 14, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Animalations
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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