Great premise but, overall, a disappointing experience.
This story about the spawn of Bigfoot and Nessie (aka the Loch Ness Monster) suffers from a dry storyline and a significant lack of interaction and ingenuity.
The basic concept is clever: Two legendary, elusive creatures have made a family together. They have a son named Lochfoot, who is apparently still trying to come to terms with his obligation to make himself scarce in the world. He befriends Zach and Madi, kids who’ve wandered away from their family’s campsite, and that premise alone is rife with creative storytelling possibilities. Instead, this treatment deteriorates into a dull narrative that ends up at odds with the mysterious vibe the developer seemed to have been shooting for. For example, the app is accompanied by eerie electronic music throughout, but the female narrator sounds like she could be telling a story about a stuffed teddy bear, which kind of kills the spooky groove. The dialogue also detracts from the mystical mood, as the characters sound more like stereotypical American teenagers than daring kids or an enigmatic creature. There’s no interaction to speak of beyond turning pages; the animation is all automatic. When their worried parents ask where they’ve been after the kids return to the campsite, they lie about it in order to protect Lochfoot and his family. Understandable on one level; troubling on another.
Great premise but, overall, a disappointing experience. (iPad storybook app. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: William Matthews
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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