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THE BLUE JACKAL

Name: THE BLUE JACKAL
Author: Patrick Carlson

AN INTERACTIVE TALE FROM PANCHATANTRA

illustrated by Patrick Carlson & developed by Symplifyd ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 3, 2011

In the end, this clumsy story offers too little entertainment to hold up to repeated readings. (iPad storybook app. 4-7)

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Adapted from the Indian Panchatantra, a collection of animal fables, this app features crisp illustrations, but it is marred by a disjointed pace and an abrupt, unsatisfying ending.

In the story, a lazy, brown jackal, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Wile E. Coyote, is hunting for food when he accidentally falls into a pot of blue dye. His new hue makes him stand out in the jungle, and before long he's used his unusual color to convince the other animals he's God's messenger. The cartoon characters are soon worshipping their new leader, until the Jackal loses his cool and howls, blowing his cover. Cut immediately to a page spelling out the story's moral: "A coat of paint cannot hide one's true colors," and, "Do not lie to other people. People will discover your lies and would not trust you." (It turns out there were two morals.) Some of the writing in the story itself is just as clunky: "The Blue Jackal's wicked plan has worked and he was rich." (The voiced narration occasionally compensates for some of the grammatical blunders.) A small icon at the top right of each page tells readers how many interactions there are on each page. Pressing the icon also makes those objects shake, alerting young readers to their presence. There's also the option of having a male or female narrator.

In the end, this clumsy story offers too little entertainment to hold up to repeated readings. (iPad storybook app. 4-7)

Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Symplifyd

Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012

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HOW TO CATCH THE EASTER BUNNY

From the How To Catch… series

by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2017

This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.

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The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.

The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.

This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017

Categories:

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)