Eminently amusing, it also offers not a little bit of history for the taking.
An abecedary with an international cast of creatures who go bump in the night.
From Nepal comes the abominable snowman and from Norway, the ettin (a “foul-smelling two-headed giant” in a perpetual bad mood). From Iceland comes the kraken, and from Arabia comes the roc. There are 26 in all, fittingly, one for each letter in the alphabet. The beasts each get a full screen on which to cavort, and frequently there’s an additional screen for some added action. The screens come with varying amounts of engagement—cued by a pulsing light—but there is always enough to keep interest strong. The creatures are drawn with originality and enough comic flair to make this app more of a scream than a terror. The artwork is also fresh as paint, and the animation is smooth. Certainly one of the highlights is the activation of a toolbar that lets users dig a little deeper behind the beasts for background information, such as traditional characteristics, body composition, what they do for mischievous fun and where, if you are lucky and patient enough, you will find them. The verse is uniformly on the light side: “A Vampire known as Dr. Voss / Politely taught me how to floss.”
Eminently amusing, it also offers not a little bit of history for the taking. (iPad alphabet/informational app. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Duncan Studio
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2013
What if the market was closed when you wanted to bake a pie? You could embark for Europe, learn Italian en route, and pick up some semolina wheat in Italy, an egg in France, kurundu bark for cinnamon in Sri Lanka, and an entire cow in England (butter) before coming home via Jamaica (sugar) and Vermont (apples). The expertly designed illustrations in which a dark-haired lass journeys by various means to these interesting places to get her groceries are lovely and lively, and the narrative, too, travels at a spritely pace. The journey is neither quite logical enough to be truly informative nor quite bizarre enough to be satisfyingly silly, while the rich, sweet recipe that's appended will take some adult assistance. Still, fun. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 2, 1994
ISBN: 0-679-83705-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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