GEORGE THE FARMER'S AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES

Name: GEORGE THE FARMER'S AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES
Author: Simone Kain

by Simone Kain & illustrated by Ben Hood & developed by Hello Friday Pty. Ltd. ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2014

Although his Aussie slang is amusing, George is actually something of a jerk, and the app doesn’t offer enough by way of...

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With a cheerful “G’day, mate,” a narrator invites readers to glimpse a slice of life on an Australian wheat farm.

“Today we’re using the tractor and seeder to plant a wheat crop,” George tells his dog, Jessie. “We’re going to be flat out as a lizard drinking!” Wheat planting is busy work, but soon George starts thinking about his football practice that “arvo” (afternoon). Leaving his job half-finished, George asks Ruby (presumably his spouse, though she’s never really introduced) for help. While Ruby does indeed finish the job, George never acknowledges her help—and young readers are unlikely to understand her knowing smile at the end of the story. Teamwork? It comes across much more as falling back on gender stereotypes. Narration by Australian radio presenter Peter Goers adds to the authentic feel of the story. Bright cartoon digital illustrations are attractive, and young children will enjoy the farm sounds of the rumbling tractor, chirping magpie and barking dog. Two simple games and a song supplement the story but aren’t likely to hold young readers’ attention for very long. The app provides the option for another story about George to be included soon. Perhaps he will be less of a boor in it.

Although his Aussie slang is amusing, George is actually something of a jerk, and the app doesn’t offer enough by way of features or narrative to compensate for his total absence of character growth. (iPad storybook app. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 10, 2014

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Hello Friday

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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BECAUSE YOUR DADDY LOVES YOU

by Andrew Clements & illustrated by R.W. Alley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2005

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Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)