It’s snot hard to deduce the true audience for this.
Aimed (not too well) at young sleuths, this is a double mystery covered in gallons of bright green goo.
Readers, along with a trio of young Booger Town detectives, have two cases to investigate: the trashing of Mrs. Lara Loogy’s candy store and the disappearance of favorite teacher Mr. Dimples. The kids identify the three suspects: homeless, furtive Old Man Waffles; va-va-voom new math teacher Ms. Foxy (“That’s no math teacher. She ain’t right”); and corpulent Loogy herself, who is observed creeping away to, as one detective ungrammatically puts it, “sneak candy, tons of them.” With the help of readers, they gather supposed “clues” by dragging a magnifying glass around slimed, dripping cartoon scenes, but their sleuthing leads only to an abrupt, open-ended conclusion. The animations are slow and stiff. The narrative, which appears piecemeal with multiple swipes on each screen, is read in a monotone, though dialogue is a smidge more animated. Neither the clues nor a final view of Mr. Dimples floating down a giant esophagus actually suggests any culprits or solutions. The app rewards (if that’s the word) anyone who reaches the end with a swipe-activated close-up of a lad eating a booger.
It’s snot hard to deduce the true audience for this. (iPad storybook app. 5-7)Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Lazy Bird, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-216304-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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