The unspotted Lucy Ladybird doesn’t fit in with the rest of the ladybugs, so she sets off on a journey of self-discovery.
Lucy feels sad and lonely when all of the other ladybugs tell her, “You can’t be one of us.…You have no spots!” As she meets new friends—a frog, a caterpillar, a fish and a bird—she notices how they each have their own beautiful spots in different colors. At first Lucy tells them how much she wishes she could be like them, but in each case, her new companions insist she is beautiful as she is and then offer to give her one of their own spots. The story builds with a gentle repetitive pattern, weaving in counting and color practice for preschoolers. Bright illustrations exude a warm, cheerful feeling that’s reinforced by the story’s lesson of friendship and sharing. Young readers will enjoy the clear message, especially as all the animals decide at the end that multicolored spots are delightfully fun. Layered textures and smooth animations add interest and details to the illustrations. Clear navigation features help guide young users, and simple interactions keep their interest but never overwhelm the story. Like David McKee’s classic Elmer (1968), Lucy discovers a timeless lesson that variety is the spice of life.
A cheerful, charming story that works well as a storybook app. (iPad storybook app. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Sharon Chai
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES
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A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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SEEN & HEARD
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