THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD—THE AUTHORIZED VERSION

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THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD—THE AUTHORIZED VERSION

Name: THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD—THE AUTHORIZED VERSION
Author: Watty Piper

by Watty Piper developed by Penguin Group USA ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

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Stranded toys on the tracks and the little blue train engine who saves them are presented in a solid mix of old and new in Penguin Group's "Official" app based on the classic story. Animating the version of the story credited to Watty Piper (a pseudonym of Platt & Munk publisher Arnold Munk), the app begins with the illustrations that date back to the 1950s and does an admirable job making the digital version seamless. It retains the style and intent of the original version, but it doesn't skimp on multimedia features like read-along narration, objects that can be moved around the screen or tapped for sound effects and animation that dazzles without overwhelming the story or feeling too tacked-on. The blue engine, who famously chants, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," as she travels up a daunting mountain, leads a large assortment of large stuffed bears, dolls, a clown and other colorful characters. On some pages, the contents of the train can be rearranged, and individual characters can be manipulated; a giraffe's neck can be flicked to make the toy animal's head bob, for instance. More-subtle effects—puffs of engine smoke, leaves moving atop water—and visual cues that show young readers where to press the screen to interact show admirable attention to detail. In just about every way, it is far superior to the other, "unofficial" Little Engine That Could app currently available. Even the page index, allowing readers to skip to a specific page, is presented as a series of connected, scrolling boxcars; it's a rolling train within the story of one determined little engine. (iPad storybook app. 3-8)

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD
by Watty Piper ; illustrated by Dan Santat

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD
by Watty Piper & illustrated by Loren Long

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)