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AT THE BEACH

Name: AT THE BEACH
Author: Wouter Simons

by Wouter Simons & illustrated by Mieke de Haan & developed by Aprendi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2013

Although the artwork is appealing, this trip to the beach isn’t worth the drive.

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Mick and his family enjoy a day at the beach in this simple book app for young readers.

It’s the summer holidays, and Mick’s family is enjoying a camping trip near the seaside. He and his father head to the beach to swim in the ocean and play in the sand. The clear, simple language will appeal to beginning readers: “The sea is far away but Mick can hear the waves. He wants to play in the water.” Unfortunately, this app does not include word highlighting, tapping on words or appropriate font size—common features that are very useful for children learning to read independently. When readers tap the words in this app, they simply hear the text for the entire page repeated. The appealing digital cartoon art conveys the happy, relaxed feeling of the family’s leisurely day at the beach. In a particularly nice touch, the beachgoers are depicted with a variety of skin tones. Even though the app is produced by a Dutch company and translated into English, it is only available in English in this version. Interactive features are also simple, so much so that readers may wonder when they should tap and when the images are static.

Although the artwork is appealing, this trip to the beach isn’t worth the drive. (iPad storybook app. 4-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2013

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: W Simons

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013

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HOW TO CATCH A WITCH

by Alice Walstead ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2022

Not enough tricks to make this a treat.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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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)