This straightforward app will appeal to young readers fascinated by the prehistoric period.
A prehistoric saber-toothed cat roams in search of his next meal in this introduction for preschoolers.
Based on a 2005 book-and-CD kit, this app provides basic information in a solid, if not particularly exciting, package. “Saber-Tooth Tiger opens his mighty jaws and lets out a powerful roar. His two long saber teeth are an awesome sight.” The saber-toothed tiger encounters dire wolves, a mastodon and a massive Harlan ground sloth. The gory details of the hunt are kept off-screen, making this story well-suited for preschoolers. The Oceanhouse Media platform delivers clean navigation, high-quality text support for developing readers, and good narration and sound effects. Readers can listen to the story read aloud or try to read it by themselves, tapping on individual words if they need assistance. Although there is no animation, the app effectively uses the original illustrations, supplementing the narration with dramatic sound effects. Adults will appreciate that they can easily turn off the sound effects in the easy-to-use options feature. Readers can also record their own narration. The backmatter is narrated, providing young readers with access to further information about Smilodon, the species of saber-toothed cat in this story—a nice touch.
This straightforward app will appeal to young readers fascinated by the prehistoric period. (iPad informational app. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Oceanhouse Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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