Truly a fairy tale to warm cockles on both sides of the pond, with a few dashes of sauce to flavor the sugar.
Oozing charm, a sweet bonbon to celebrate the royal wedding of (probably) the decade.
“Once upon a time in a delightful country called England, there lived a young prince….” Illustrated with cartoons done in spot-on Quentin Blake style and (optionally) narrated in a cheery British lilt, this brief tale brings young William, who “knew that one day he would grow up to be king” but “wondered whether he might be lonely in the palace,” and Catherine, who “[l]ike many little girls, … dreamt of meeting a prince” together. They meet at an old library table and proceed to go on a balloon ride that stands in for “all kinds of adventures.” Then it's on to the wedding, mutual “I do”s, the dancing, the honeymoon and, at last, an optimistic (considering recent family history) “happily ever after.” (This, in a large castle described as a “pretty little cottage in the middle of the Welsh countryside.”) Sounds, animations and other special effects there are aplenty. Sheep open their mouths to bleat or snatch a bouquet, and a glittering royal engagement ring pops out of a padded box with a hearty “ka-ching!”; There are touch-activated fireworks and approving murmurs from formal portraits of Queen Victoria and Henry VIII.
Truly a fairy tale to warm cockles on both sides of the pond, with a few dashes of sauce to flavor the sugar. (iPad storybook app. 6-9, adult)Pub Date: April 8, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Ink Robin
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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