WHAT I LIKE MOST IN THE WORLD

Name: WHAT I LIKE MOST IN THE WORLD
Author: Noemí Pes

by Noemí Pes & illustrated by Luciano Lozano & developed by La Tortuga Casiopea ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2013

There’s a lot to recommend about the app, including that database. That could have been the star attraction instead of a...

bookshelf

A feature-rich app for kids around the world about other kids from around the world in which the main story is outshone by abundant extras.

In a series of simple pencil-and-crayon drawings, scenes of children from all over the Earth serve to illustrate how they are all alike in fundamental ways. “All us kids like to dance,” one page reads, while another showing kids watching a 3-D movie says, “And we all like to observe.” The main story features narration read by children, and it fits the app’s homemade vibe. The narrative part of the app has no menus beyond a home button—only an ongoing swiping method of navigation. This would be fine, in a less-is-more app. But when readers scope the app’s other features, like a set of five games, a painting tool, and a remarkably robust and simple-to-use database of different world cultures as they relate to children, they may feel as if the main story was an afterthought. For instance, when a child in China is shown banging a gong, no gong sounds. That sound effect is used in one of the extra-feature games but not in the story itself, an odd, self-defeating choice.

There’s a lot to recommend about the app, including that database. That could have been the star attraction instead of a narrative that feels incomplete. (iPad storybook app. 2-7)

Pub Date: May 16, 2013

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: La Tortuga Casiopea

Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S CHRISTMAS

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 23, 2014

Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...

bookshelf

The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.

The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.

Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3

Page Count: 24

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH LOST CHRISTMAS!

bookshelf

DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH LOST CHRISTMAS!

by Alastair Heim ; illustrated by Aristides Ruiz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2023

It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.

bookshelf

Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.

Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)