An enjoyable, low-stimulation interactive story that should be great for bedtime.
A week of whimsical fun with a little girl and her three entertaining friends.
As the title suggests, the protagonist in this story has an odd bunch of pals. However, the unlikely quartet is never at a loss for something fun to do. Sundays are hide-and-seek days; Mondays are musical. Tuesday is art day, while Wednesdays are reserved for make-believe—and so on. This rhyming story is in keeping with Ink Robin’s other offerings (Leonard and Piccadilly’s Circus, both 2012), which is to say that it’s well-written and engaging. There are plenty of interactive opportunities throughout the story, though they’re pretty conventional and straightforward (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). On coloring day, swiping the screen produces little sketches and drawings; when the four play dress-up and make-believe, a flip of a switch finds the girl roaring across the screen in a monster costume. Tapping each character on music day produces makeshift instruments that can be strummed and pots that act as a drum kit. Illustrations are both cheerful and fittingly sparse, and the pleasant narration can be turned on or off. Near the end of the story, Mom reminds the foursome that playing can be messy. So they dutifully clean up their messes and take a bath, and then it’s off to bed.
An enjoyable, low-stimulation interactive story that should be great for bedtime. (requires iOS 6) (iPad storybook app. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Ink Robin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
Cookie-cutter predictability.
After all the daring escapes in the How To Catch… series, will the kids be able to catch Santa?
Oddly, previous installments saw the children trying (and failing) to catch an elf and a reindeer, but both are easily captured in this story. Santa, however, is slippery. Tempted but not fooled by poinsettias, a good book (attached to a slingshot armed with a teddy bear projectile), and, of course, milk and cookies, Santa foils every plan. The hero in a red suit has a job to do. Presents must be placed, and lists must be checked. He has no time for traps and foolery (except if you’re the elf, who falls for every one of them). Luckily, Santa helps the little rascal escape each time. Little is new here—the kids resort to similar snares found in previous works: netting, lures, and technological wonders such as the Santa Catcher 5000. Although the rhythm falters quite a bit (“How did we get out you ask? / It looked like we were done for. / Santa’s magic is very real, / and I cannot reveal more”), fans of the series may not mind. Santa and Christmas just might be enough to overcome the flaws. Santa and the elf are light-skinned, one of the children is brown-skinned, and the other presents as Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Cookie-cutter predictability. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781728274270
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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