The hardworking, lantern-jawed gent introduced in Man on the Moon (2002) finds doggy (more or less) companionship in this cheerfully oddball sequel. Searching for “a pal who’ll always be by my side,” Bob mopes through an ordinary Earth day of solitary meals and errands (spaceship batteries and Moon-patterned underwear) before rocketing off to work as a guide and performer for lunar tourists. The ordinary events described in Bartram’s text find hilarious counterpoint in the seemingly staid illustrations. As Bob obliviously goes about his business, sharp-eyed viewers will pick out small alien hands snatching every cupcake in sight, pigeons and other city residents transformed with bright colors and eyes on stalks and, in nearly every scene, a small tail-wagger who looks just like a puppy save for the single eye atop its head. Of course, Bob and this last do ultimately hook up, and go off blissfully together. Fans of Chris Gall’s There’s Nothing To Do On Mars (2008) and William Joyce’s classic Day With Wilbur Robinson (1990, 2006) will be richly entertained. Value added: a glow-in-the-dark poster inside the jacket. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4425-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2009
Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly...
Unusually brisk special effects animate this relatively less satiric but equally amusing adaptation of the classic tale.
Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly delivers a Bronx cheer and then whirls away on a long series of misadventures. These culminate in a final change into a flesh-and-blood boy with help from a fingertip “paintbrush.” Quick and responsive touch- or tilt-activated features range from controllable marionettes, Pinocchio’s tattletale nose and Fire-Eater’s explosive sneeze to a movable candle that illuminates both Geppetto in the fish’s dark belly and the accompanying block of text. Even the thumbnail page images of the index (which opens any time with a shake of the tablet) tumble about, somehow without falling out of order. Though transitions are almost nonexistent in the episodic plot, the text is both substantial enough to have a definite presence and artfully placed in and around Conversi’s brightly colored settings and toylike figures. Text is available in English or Italian with a clear, understated optional audio narration backed by unobtrusive music. A link on the credits page leads to downloadable coloring sheets on the producer’s website.Pub Date: March 17, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Elastico srl
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A trite, knock-off sequel to Jumanji (1981). The “Jumanji” box distracts Walter Budwing away from beating up on his little brother Danny, but it’s Danny who discovers the Zathura board inside—and in no time, Earth is far behind, a meteor has smashed through the roof, and a reptilian Zyborg pirate is crawling through the hole. Each throw of the dice brings an ominous new development, portrayed in grainy, penciled freeze frames featuring sculptured-looking figures in constricted, almost claustrophobic settings. The angles of view are, as always, wonderfully dramatic, but not only is much of the finer detail that contributed to Jumanji’s astonishing realism missing, the spectacular damage being done to the Budwings’ house as the game progresses is, by and large, only glimpsed around the picture edges. Naturally, having had his bacon repeatedly saved by his younger sibling’s quick thinking, once Walter falls through a black hole to a time preceding the game’s start, his attitude toward Danny undergoes a sudden, radical transformation. Van Allsburg’s imagination usually soars right along with his accomplished art—but here, both are just running in place. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-25396-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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