A very pleasant and graceful new version packaged in a small trim size that suits the heroine and young readers/listeners as...
The oft-adapted tale of the tiny girl who has big adventures.
Here is a smoothly paced, lyrical retelling of Andersen’s classic that works equally well as a read-aloud, with its onomatopoeia and jaunty jingles, as it does an independent-reading title for early to middle graders. Those familiar with the story as well as newcomers will be delighted by the small protagonist who conquers fears, overcomes harrowing encounters, stands up for herself, devises clever ideas to extricate herself from trouble, and emerges triumphant. Of course, since this is a fairy tale, Thumbelina, who demonstrates refreshing feistiness here, doesn’t accomplish all this on her own. Depicted with very white skin and vaguely Asian features, Thumbelina receives much help from animals and a fairy king (who, in this version, wants to learn to sew!). Youngsters will appreciate the familiar tropes, including ancillary animal characters with distinct, sometimes-humorous, sometimes-sinister personalities. The retelling is much enhanced by beautiful paintings in a charming, dreamy folkloric style that emphasize Thumbelina’s diminutiveness. A timeless feel is maintained by the repetition of certain decorative motifs, and illustrations rendered in fluorescent pinks add a quirky sprightliness befitting the story and protagonist; lush endpapers add to the charm.
A very pleasant and graceful new version packaged in a small trim size that suits the heroine and young readers/listeners as well. (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-78285-276-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly...
Unusually brisk special effects animate this relatively less satiric but equally amusing adaptation of the classic tale.
Multiple taps transform a giggling block of wood in Geppetto’s workshop into a skinny, loose jointed puppet that suddenly delivers a Bronx cheer and then whirls away on a long series of misadventures. These culminate in a final change into a flesh-and-blood boy with help from a fingertip “paintbrush.” Quick and responsive touch- or tilt-activated features range from controllable marionettes, Pinocchio’s tattletale nose and Fire-Eater’s explosive sneeze to a movable candle that illuminates both Geppetto in the fish’s dark belly and the accompanying block of text. Even the thumbnail page images of the index (which opens any time with a shake of the tablet) tumble about, somehow without falling out of order. Though transitions are almost nonexistent in the episodic plot, the text is both substantial enough to have a definite presence and artfully placed in and around Conversi’s brightly colored settings and toylike figures. Text is available in English or Italian with a clear, understated optional audio narration backed by unobtrusive music. A link on the credits page leads to downloadable coloring sheets on the producer’s website.Pub Date: March 17, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Elastico srl
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Transitioning readers will feel accomplished and will surely look for future volumes to see what happens in Mia’s new life.
In this first volume of a new chapter-book series, a little girl named Mia discovers she’s a superhero.
Mia Macarooney is “a total disaster machine.” Everywhere she goes, chaos and mayhem follow (literally, in the case of Chaos—that’s the name of her cat). Except now she’s received an unusual letter, inviting her to the Program for In Training Superheroes, and she is totally bowled over. It turns out her accidents are often results of her superpowers, which she will learn to hone in her after-school hours at the PITS. As if that weren’t enough of a shock, Mia’s parents deliver the thrilling news that they are superheroes too! Her father is fluent in animal speech, and her mother can fly. Everything moves quickly at the PITS. Mia embarrasses herself in front of everyone during the entrance exam but ends up feeling supported and ready to learn…in the next volume. Freckled, brown-skinned, curly-fro–sporting Mia is an adorable protagonist. An overuse of exclamation points keeps the adrenaline running without a steady stream of exciting events—or even a climax and resolution—but with the large, bold type and the cute illustrations full of personality, emerging readers will be happy to read this book independently. What’s more exciting than that?
Transitioning readers will feel accomplished and will surely look for future volumes to see what happens in Mia’s new life. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3270-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
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