A well-narrated, interesting tale, but the one-note graphics and limited navigation keep it from the top.
This Kipling Just So tale features great narration, but the viewer-controlled animation doesn’t hold interest for long.
Kangaroo wasn’t always able to stand on his hind legs, hop and use his strong tale to balance himself. In this origin tale, Proud Kangaroo approaches three gods and demands that they make him special, popular and sought after. They refuse until Big God Nqong sends Dingo racing after Kangaroo, and Kangaroo is forced to change into a superior animal if he wants to survive. Bob Knowles’ narration is top-notch, enhancing the rich language, metaphors and description of the Kipling story. Viewers are able to control the Dingo as he chases Kangaroo across the plains of Australia by tilting the iPad side-to-side. This is fun for the first few minutes, but it grows old, distracting from the storytelling. There are some missed opportunities here for enhancements that would have been welcome, such as a map and further exploration of the many places mentioned in the story, as well as graphics and information about the interesting Australian ecology Kipling alludes to, like "spinifex," "ti-trees," "salt-pan" and more. Navigation is limited to play, pause and stop, and there is no way to turn off narration other than by muting the iPad.
A well-narrated, interesting tale, but the one-note graphics and limited navigation keep it from the top. (iPad storybook app. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Pan Piccolo
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
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
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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