WHERE IS YOUR NOSE, NIBBLY?

Name: WHERE IS YOUR NOSE, NIBBLY?
Author: Barney Saltzberg

by Barney Saltzberg & illustrated by Barney Saltzberg & developed by Mochi Development, Inc. ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2011

Navigation issue aside, Nibbly is a cute and well-designed app that the littlest iPad users will likely enjoy.

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Charming mice ask Nibbly the bunny to point out his various body parts.

This app is clearly designed for the diaper/toddler set, so it’s no surprise that the design is basic. There’s no animation, no touch-activated features except page flips and scrolls (the pages “turn” downward rather than left to right) and a doorbell that rings when touched. Dialogue is conveyed in comic-style bubbles, and the story is framed entirely in a question-and-answer format. Each page is a split screen, with a mouse on one side asking a question, such as “Where is your mouth, Nibbly?” Nibbly is seen on the right, holding a beach ball in front of his mouth. When touched, Nibbly’s half of the screen flips over, and he responds, “Right here,” pointing to his now-visible mouth. The illustrations are cute and colorful, and the narrator’s voice is endearing. There is, however, a glaring navigation problem. Transitioning from page to page is smooth and fast, but once the story is over there’s no way to get back to the beginning. Even if readers close the app and switch off the iPad, when they return to the story once again they will land in the exact same place: the end. To start over, one must manually scroll the pages backward until they reach the beginning.

Navigation issue aside, Nibbly is a cute and well-designed app that the littlest iPad users will likely enjoy. (iPad storybook app. 1-4)

Pub Date: April 28, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Mochi Development, Inc.

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SMELL OF WET DOG
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

- BOOK REVIEW
ARLO NEEDS GLASSES
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

- BOOK REVIEW
A DELICIOUS STORY
by Barney Saltzberg ; illustrated by Barney Saltzberg

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 8, 2020

Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.

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Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.

His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.

Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)

Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1

Page Count: 20

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)