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THE NIGHT NIGHT BOOK

Name: THE NIGHT NIGHT BOOK
Author: Marianne Richmond

From the Put Me in the Story series

by Marianne Richmond & illustrated by Marianne Richmond & developed by Sourcebooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 2012

Don’t be fooled by the hype: For a much better treatment of “personalization,” check out Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon...

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A superficial, lackluster adaptation of Richmond’s 2010 traditional book.

The defining feature (and marketing push) of this app is personalization. Alongside the requisite reading options, there’s a button that says, “Put me in the story.” Readers can insert a photo into a Polaroid-like frame and enter a child’s name, which supposedly makes them part of the story. But really, it doesn’t: The photo is never to be seen again after the initial screens, and the use of the child’s name to label items (“[child’s name]’s bed”) is lost on little “readers,” as this book is clearly aimed at pre-readers. Do parents really need a teleprompter to mention their child’s name in the narrative? In personalized mode, most of the book’s pages are silent, though a few have sound effects like crickets chirping, a cat purring or bubbles forming in the bathtub. There is a “Read to me” option, though the personalization disappears when it is chosen. Throughout the story, glimmering stars indicate interactive hotspots, alerting readers to profoundly primitive interactions—twirling buttons and stars, to name a few. This book is one installment in a series designed to personalize “bestsellers, award winners and classics,” but the gimmick doesn’t even come close to justifying the adaptation (at least in this case).

Don’t be fooled by the hype: For a much better treatment of “personalization,” check out Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App! (2011). (iPad storybook app. 1-4)

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2012

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2012

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD IS AWAITING YOU
by Marianne Richmond ; illustrated by Sally Garland

- BOOK REVIEW
THANK YOU GOD, GOOD NIGHT
by Marianne Richmond ; illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic

- BOOK REVIEW
I PROMISE YOU
by Marianne Richmond ; illustrated by Marianne Richmond

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MOO, BAA, FA LA LA LA LA!

by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2022

Cute and sprightly but not a standout.

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Deck the stalls?

A bevy of barnyard animals, a cat, and some dogs get fully into the Christmas spirit by sprucing up the farm with colorful decorations, including holly berries and sparkling baubles. They have a great time and sing while going about their merry chores in a manner somewhat in keeping with the rhythm of the classic tune “Deck the Halls.” (In fact, a flock of sheep are shown holding song sheets for it.) As might be expected with these particular celebrants, some of the familiar lyrics are altered just a bit; for instance, “boughs of holly” is “translated” as “cows and holly.” Adult readers expecting the rhythm here to work exactly as it does in the original will be disappointed, because it doesn’t—it’s clunky. This is merely a brief, lightweight spoof of the familiar ditty, so it’s recommended that grown-ups read rather than sing this—except for that final line!—to very young targeted audiences, who may be unfamiliar with the actual song anyway. Some fun is still to be had in the illustrations, however. The spirited, wittily expressive animal characters are depicted having a fine time romping about and producing a variety of onomatopoeic sounds throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Cute and sprightly but not a standout. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-66591-435-2

Page Count: 16

Publisher: Boynton Bookworks

Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
HIPPOS REMAIN CALM
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

- BOOK REVIEW
WOO HOO! YOU'RE DOING GREAT!
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

- BOOK REVIEW
HAPPY EASTER, LITTLE POOKIE
by Sandra Boynton ; illustrated by Sandra Boynton

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S SPRINGTIME

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.

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Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.

This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.

Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)