The worthy theme needs a better vehicle than this to carry it to its audience.
An undistinguished animal story teaches the importance of kids accepting themselves and others for who they are.
Pointy the hedgehog and Pokey the porcupine can’t make friends with the other forest animals because of their sharp quills, so their friend Spinner (a weaver bird) stitches shirts out of hay and grass to help them hide their quills. When some wolves threaten the animals at a birthday party for a little rabbit, Pointy and Pokey use their quills to protect the revelers and are hailed as heroes. Grandpa Rabbit concludes, “You should not hide your precious quills. You are good, as you are!” The message is fine, but the characterization and plot are unexceptional. Pokey is supposedly naughty, and Pointy is likewise shy, but there is never any evidence of this. Moreover, the plot depends on the myth that porcupines "throw" their quills, giving this ability to hedgehogs as well. Swipe navigation works well enough for getting forward and back, with a pop-up menu that will bring viewers back to the homepage. Rudimentary effects are mostly limited to animal sounds or a stream of colored confetti that is released when the screen is touched. Some pages are designed with split panels, offering some interest, but the cartoon-style artwork is uninspired. Words are underlined as the narrator voices the text.
The worthy theme needs a better vehicle than this to carry it to its audience. (iPad storybook app. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: PixelMat
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.
The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.
Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780593621110
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The familiar singsong repetitiveness is catchy in all settings, holiday or otherwise.
A hoppy, snappy Easter version of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
Three young tots, with varied skin tones and baskets ready in their hands, eagerly scamper on a spring day to find some eggs. But of course, they meet hindrances along the way. “Ooh, look … // Chickens! / Flapping, pecking chickens.” Thus starts the rolling refrain: “Can’t go over them. / Can’t go under them. / Can’t go around them. // Got to go through them!” The waddling chickens don’t pose much of an obstacle, but they do “Cluck-cluck!” loudly as they scatter in the sun. The three youngsters then must face “fluffy, hungry bunnies” (adorable long-eared puffballs with carrot fronds in their mouths) and “happy, hopping frogs” as they balance on stones to cross a pond. All of this leads to a garden bursting with colorful flowers (“Rustle-swish! / Rustle-swish!”) and finally…10 eggs in pastel patterns. Each egg has a number on it to encourage readers to count along and strengthen their numeracy skills. Rozelaar’s plump and rounded world, with roly-poly trees, flowers, and hills, wraps the tale in coziness.
The familiar singsong repetitiveness is catchy in all settings, holiday or otherwise. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9798887771304
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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