An endearing tale for tiny tots.
A wee Irish lass contemplates what to wear to a birthday party.
This storybook app hails from Northern Ireland and is an adaption of Deery’s traditional book that was released in the UK earlier this year. Miss Rosie Red, an adorable preschooler with a ginger complexion, receives a birthday invitation that leaves her wondering what she should “be” when she goes to the party. She sets out with her kitty, Cooper, to try things on for size. Rosie contemplates going as an astronaut, a fairy, a dinosaur and nearly a dozen other things before deciding to simply go as herself. In read-to-me mode, the text is voiced by an Irish 3-year-old with a slight lisp; while her accent may make it difficult for some children to understand her, the sound of it is so precious it’s almost addicting. Deery’s illustrations are warm and cheery, creating a vibe that seems to strike at the very heart of childhood innocence. Befitting the very young audience, interactions are kept to a minimum. Readers can tap individual pages to summon multiple images and the next phrase of text, and Cooper the cat reliably purrs when touched. But it is a shame that Rosie does not move when she “is so excited she can barely sit still.”
An endearing tale for tiny tots. (iPad storybook app. 1-5)Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dog Ears Ltd.
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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