The 10th-century Japanese folk tale about the shining moon princess will enchant young readers, even though technical problems mar this adaptation.
Long ago in ancient Japan, a bamboo cutter discovers a baby girl hidden inside a glowing stalk of bamboo. Taketori and his wife name the girl Kaguya, and she quickly grows to become as “lovely and pure as the morning.” Noble suitors soon arrive, drawn by Kaguya’s radiant beauty, and the young woman sets them arduous tasks to complete, as she cannot reject them outright. The emperor even arrives to ask for her hand in marriage, but Kaguya sadly reveals that she must return to her father, the King of the Moon, as her exile on Earth has now passed. This adaptation follows the traditional tale, although no source notes are provided, and it is available in Spanish, Japanese and English, narrated with word highlighting in each language. The richly colored illustrations are a mix of Western cartoon and Japanese anime styles; interactive features, such as coloring the princess’s kimono, likewise feel ambivalent at times, often doing little to advance the story. Navigation is hampered by the lack of a menu button; at the end of the app, readers must manually flip pages back to the beginning. Nevertheless, the enduring appeal of this ancient folk tale shines through from beginning to end. (iPad storybook app. 3-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Oniric
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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