A sweet story that won’t rock the app world, but will still appeal to many readers (especially twins).
A familial story of similarity and difference, as seen through the lens of twin boys.
Sam and Ben may have been in their mama’s belly at the same time, but they’re distinct individuals in many ways. Sam is blond, Ben’s hair is brown; Sam loves building things, while Ben prefers playing soccer; they even laugh differently. But they also have a lot in common: Both of them love music, cars, bugs and—interestingly enough—fashion. Most importantly they have the same siblings and parents that encourage their individuality. This story does a lovely job addressing the identity challenges inherent in being a twin, embracing the similarities between the boys while simultaneously celebrating their differences. The watercolor-like illustrations are whimsical and bright, yielding basic movement or sound effects when touched. Narration can be switched off, but turning the volume down entirely is the only way to kill the music (a shame since it also silences the sound effects). The activities screens offer basic, toddler-friendly games like coloring and matching. If readers want to revisit earlier pages or go back to the beginning from somewhere in the story, it must be done manually (and sluggishly), as there’s no “home” button or page-selection option, except on the opening screens.
A sweet story that won’t rock the app world, but will still appeal to many readers (especially twins). (iPad storybook app. 2-5)Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Pinwheel Books
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes.
A lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes.
Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. / ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. / ‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.
Beloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery—and fear—out of Halloween costumes. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-77253-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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