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BLACK BEAR, LOON & WALLEYE

Name: BLACK BEAR, LOON & WALLEYE
Author: Sara Button

A FABLE FROM THE NORTHWOODS

by Sara Button & illustrated by P.A. Lewis & developed by Flying Word, Inc. ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 19, 2011

Attractive illustrations and the accompanying song help this app to rise above the ordinary.

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This two-for-one app includes an evocative Northwoods animal fable plus a companion song.

When three animal friends each wish to take on some aspect of the others, their wish is granted—“just the thought alone made their wish come true.” Black Bear finds himself in a coat of Walleye’s shiny scales, Walleye sprouts Loon’s wings and Loon sports Black Bear’s luxurious coat. As you might expect, things don’t turn out as they had hoped. Bear looks very flashy in his coat of scales, but it doesn’t keep him warm; Loon’s black fur coat feels makes her feel queenly, but it weighs her down; and Walleye loves flying, but he keeps bumping into things. When the animals wish themselves back to their original states at the end of the day, they agree “to always appreciate each other’s gifts, but most of all to value their own.” The illustrations are quite lovely, and the panels can be manipulated for an interesting 3-D effect. The full-cast narration and the background sound effects are solid. The experience ends with the melodious “Waltz of the Northwoods,” which retells the story in song form. Navigation could be improved: There is no easy way to get to a specific page, and there is no pause option in the read-aloud mode to allow viewers time to play with the graphics.

Attractive illustrations and the accompanying song help this app to rise above the ordinary. (iPad storybook and song app. 4-8)

Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2011

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Flying Word

Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | 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

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OTIS

From the Otis series

by Loren Long & illustrated by Loren Long ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009

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Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)