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LITTLE RIDING HOOD'S HOODS

Name: LITTLE RIDING HOOD'S HOODS
Author: Esperança Ros

by Esperança Ros & illustrated by Emi Martínez & developed by La Tortuga Casiopea ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2011

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In this iteration of the classic fairy tale, Little Riding Hood (no Red) accumulates hoods from various family members—in a variety of colors.

The “educational” value of the app is that it helps youngsters learn colors, numbers, the days of the week and pronouns for assorted family members. On Monday, her grandmother gives her a red hood; now she has one hood (and—according to the story—“is very happy”). On Tuesday, her grandfather gives her a yellow hood, but this time she is only quite happy. By the end of the week she has six different hoods and—here’s the perplexing thing—she’s fuming about it. (The beautiful artwork shows her progressive transformation from smiling to scowling. Perhaps an illogical lesson about emotions?) Later she goes to visit cousins, gives each of them a hood, and—voilà—she’s happy again. Another befuddling feature of this app is the menu, which is a puzzle in and of itself. Rather than aiding in navigation, the menu simply allows the reader to skip to a certain page, or find all of the pages that correspond to certain colors. Interactive features are plentiful and function well, but there is no audio—only a choice to read the story in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Catalán.

Pub Date: May 27, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: La Tortuga Casiopea

Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT I LIKE MOST IN THE WORLD
by Noemí Pes & illustrated by Luciano Lozano & developed by La Tortuga Casiopea

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CHICKA CHICKA HO HO HO

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by William Boniface ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.

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A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.

The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781665954761

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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Awards & Accolades

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New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS

From the Dragons Love Tacos series

by Adam Rubin & illustrated by Daniel Salmieri ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2012

A wandering effort, happy but pointless.

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Awards & Accolades

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13

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

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)