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KUNG FU PANDA 2 STORYBOOK

This branded tie in for the iPad arrived in the App Store just in time for the release of the new film with the same name....

Po the Panda is back to master Kung Fu, fight villains and, ultimately, discover the truth about his own identity.

This branded tie in for the iPad arrived in the App Store just in time for the release of the new film with the same name. Po is working on finding inner peace, a necessary part of his Kung Fu training. Along the way (as is often the case in silver-screen blockbusters) conflicts ensue, action commences and resolution is ultimately found. An articulate narrator tells the story, with help from the film’s cast, including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman (audio clips from the movie provide all dialogue). The visuals are taken straight from the computer graphics of the film, which means that images are vibrant, laser-sharp and as close to 3D as they can be without actually being 3D. There are three ways to read the story: read-to-me, read-it-myself, or fully automated (in which page turns are mechanized). Beyond page-turning and highlighted text, the only interactive element is the “Create-A-Scene” feature, which functions much like a glorified sticker book. However, the beautiful graphics and the creative fusion of narration with actual audio from the film will quite likely put fans of the Dreamworks movie over the moon.

Pub Date: May 17, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Frog Dog Media

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011

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ADA TWIST AND THE PERILOUS PANTS

From the Questioneers series , Vol. 2

Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.

Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.

Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.

Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)

Pub Date: April 16, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019

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