The Horn Book » Reviews

Little Red Riding Hood app review

Shara Hardeson — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:00:11 +0000

All signs point to happily-ever-after in this interactive picture book app of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood (Nosy Crow, April 2013). Vibrant, cheery colors set a lighthearted tone for wide-eyed and well-freckled Red’s familiar adventure through the woods to Grandma’s house. Unlike other, more gruesome renditions which often include an ax-wielding woodsman, there is zero bloodshed in this toddler-friendly retelling, though thankfully the canonical exchange between Red and the Big Bad Wolf (“My, what big eyes you have…”) is preserved.

Developer Nosy Crow utilizes a choose-your-own-adventure narrative structure, which has recently become a trend in children’s digital applications, to encourage interactivity and nonlinear story exploration. As Red sets out to deliver a basket of goodies to Grandma, she encounters a hungry wolf and several forks in the road along the way. A combination of three paths (out of eight total) leads to the final destination, each path featuring a mini activity that Red must complete in order to obtain items that she will ultimately use to battle the Big Bad Wolf in the denouement at Grandma’s house. Each time you play, you can try a different combination of paths and activities, thus changing the final outcome. An easily navigable map in the upper right corner allows you to backtrack and try different paths if you don’t like the way things are going.

Mini activities include simple tasks such as picking flowers, collecting jars of water, and pouring honey, to name a few. Each activity employs an interactive element: tilting the device from side to side, blowing into the microphone, and dragging items here and there using the touch screen technology.

No matter which paths you take, the story concludes with a no-holds-barred, girl vs. canine showdown that ends with the inevitable butt-kicking of the maniacal Big Bad Wolf, wherein he gets his just deserts through a variety of humorously humiliating defeat sequences, while the victors, Red and Grandma, just get desserts — the only things devoured in this version of Little Red are the treats from the picnic basket.

Available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad; $4.99. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.

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Review of Water in the Park

Elissa Gershowitz — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:20:48 +0000

Water in the Park: A Book About Water &  the Times of the Day
by Emily Jenkins;  illus. by Stephanie Graegin
Primary    Schwartz & Wade/Random    40 pp.
5/13    978-0-375-87002-6    $16.99
Library ed. 978-0-375-97002-3    $19.99
On a warm day, just before six a.m., a city park starts to stir: turtles laze on rocks by the pond, and dogs arrive, owners in tow, for an early-morning swim. Next, a few kids and their caretakers show up; at eight, the sprinklers are turned on, and by mid-morning the playground is mobbed. And so the day goes: small children come and go per naptime schedule, grownups take their lunch breaks on park benches, and the ice-cream truck arrives, along with another surge of delighted kids. By five o’clock, people start to trickle home. Six o’clock sees the sprinklers turned off, and by seven, the dogs have returned for an evening swim — until a much-welcomed rainstorm at eight causes the heat to break and sends everyone inside for the night. Jenkins’s introductory author’s note (on the copyright page) sets her story in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, where she was inspired, because of “many ninety-eight-degree days,” to think about the various ways the park’s water was used. It’s a very narrow jumping-off point, but one that nearly every city kid will appreciate. (The author’s note also acknowledges Jenkins’s debt of gratitude to Charlotte Zolotow and H. A. Rey’s The Park Book and Alvin Tresselt and Roger Duvoisin’s White Snow, Bright Snow.) Graegin’s pencil-and-ink-wash illustrations (digitally colored and assembled) beautifully reflect the changing light, the shifting population, and the various activities throughout the day; some of the pictures play up the quiet expanse of nature, while others are jam-packed with people enjoying the outdoors. The constant, in both text and illustrations, is water — pond, drinking, sprinkler, puddle — and a subtle message about urban community.

For more on Water in the Park, read “Five questions for Emily Jenkins.”

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Hansel & Gretel app review

Katie Bircher — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:30:14 +0000

Epic Tales’s Hansel & Gretel (2012) revisits the well-known fairy tale with tongue firmly in cheek. An affable bookseller/storyteller named Silvertongue narrates the story of an impoverished woodcutter, his shrewish wife, and their two children. The plot contains several differences from more traditional versions of the story:

Tiny, bad-tempered gnomes are ubiquitous in the illustrations and animations, but never mentioned in the text until they eat Hansel’s breadcrumb trail.
After the children’s wicked stepmother takes them deep into the forest, she gets lost there herself and is never seen again — although her complaining can still be heard.
Hansel shoots the witch with his slingshot, pitching her forward into her own cauldron, which propels her up the chimney and out of the house.
A garden full of modern-day sweets (e.g., fizzy lemonade, gummies, and cotton candy) surrounds the witch’s house. The enchanted gummy animals are returned to their true forms after the witch’s defeat. A formerly-gummy swan offers to fly the children home.
Hansel, much heavier after his ordeal, is magically restored to his previous skinny state.

The richly colored illustrations are pleasantly reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons and well suited to the story’s light tone. An impressive amount of animation is seamlessly integrated into the illustrations, humorously extending the story.

The main menu offers three options for experiencing the app. “Read to me” mode plays the narration without displaying the text. Interactivities on each screen are disabled while the narration plays; tapping a “sparkle” icon in the upper right-hand corner interrupts the narrator and skips straight to allowing users to access the interactive elements. In “read by myself” mode, the narration is off, and the text displays on a scrolling pane across the bottom of the screen. “Play around” mode forgoes the story entirely so that users may explore Hansel and Gretel’s world.

The navigation is well-designed and simple, with self-explanatory icons and a thumbnail chapter that’s accessible from any screen. The cheerful music and sound effects have separate on/off controls. English and Dutch language options are provided.

A caveat: as the Kirkus review points out, the characters of Gretel and the children’s father are “largely relegate[d] . . . to passive roles.” In the father’s case this passivity minimizes his complicity in the wicked stepmother’s machinations, rendering him innocent. In Gretel’s case, however, it makes her a mere tag-along to the story’s star, “clever” Hansel. (And another thing — we’re repeatedly told Hansel is clever, but his behavior isn’t consistent with this characterization.) Most of the app’s changes to the plot are innocuous, if unnecessary, but one change I find troubling is the revised denouement. Instead of Gretel saving the day by pushing the witch into her own oven, here Hansel defeats the witch alone. This version is more Hansel’s story than that of Hansel and Gretel.

More Epic Tales fairy tales narrated by Silvertongue are on the way.

Available for iPad and iPhone (requires iOS 5.1 or later); $3.99. Rated age 9 and up.

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Review of Ask the Passengers

Jennifer M. Brabander — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:17 +0000

Ask the Passengers
by A. S. King
High School Little, Brown 295 pp.
10/12 978-0-316-19468-6 $17.99
Astrid would be the quintessential Q-for-Questioning girl in her high school’s LGBTQ support group if her small-town, small-minded school had such a thing — and the gay question is only one of many weighing her down. When her humanities teacher explains that learning the Socratic method “will be a time of asking questions and not rushing to answer them…a time of thinking and not knowing,” Astrid muses, “Perfect for me…I am the not knowing queen.” Socrates himself starts making periodic appearances, visible only to Astrid (who calls him Frank). Frequently driven outside by her nuthouse of a family, Astrid reclines on a picnic table and watches airplanes. She sends her questions and her love (because “it feels good to love a thing and not expect anything back”) to the passengers; each time, readers get a glimpse of a passenger’s own struggle with the question Astrid has asked — plus his or her satisfying epiphany, reached after experiencing a sudden sensation of love. As in Printz Honor recipient King’s previous novels, including Everybody Sees the Ants (rev. 1/12), these moments not only add humor to the book’s societal critique but also provide vivid images that heighten the story’s emotion. Astrid ultimately decides not to live a lie, as her closeted best friend Kristina has done for years, but wonders whether she can handle people’s reactions; she can (evident when she introduces girlfriend Dee to her family), and the book ends with Astrid’s skyward message to a young lesbian being flown to “gay conversion camp”: “Stay strong.” It’s a fine conclusion to a furiously smart and funny coming-out-and-of-age novel.

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Review of The Dark

Cynthia K. Ritter — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:10 +0000

The Dark
by Lemony Snicket;  illus. by Jon Klassen
Preschool, Primary Little, Brown 40 pp.
4/13 978-0-316-18748-0 $16.99
Leave it to Lemony Snicket to craft a story personifying “the dark” — an idea all too real and frightening for children afraid of what lurks in the shadows. But they will find a kindred spirit in Laszlo, a scared boy living with the dark in a big house. Though the dark occasionally resides in the house’s hidden places and outside every night, “mostly it spent its time in the basement.” When the comforting glow of Laszlo’s bedroom nightlight goes out one night, the dark comes to visit and speaks to Laszlo: “I want to show you something.” So Laszlo, with his trusty flashlight in hand, follows the dark’s voice downstairs. Though the mood is ominous as the dark lures Laszlo into its basement room, a page of narration about the dark’s function serves to break the tension before the bright, satisfying, and funny resolution. With his command of language, tone, and pacing, Snicket creates the perfect antidote to a universal fear. Klassen’s spare gouache and digital illustrations in a quiet black, brown, and white palette (contrasted with Laszlo’s light blue footy pajamas and the yellow light bulb) are well suited for a book about the unseen. Using simple black lines and color contrasts to provide atmosphere and depth, Klassen captures the essence of Snicket’s story. If you’re reading this one at night, be sure to have your trusty flashlight handy — just in case.

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From the Guide: Novels in Verse

Katrina Hedeen — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

To honor National Poetry Month in April, we’re spotlighting notable novels in verse from the past year. From illustrated lighthearted verse to historical fiction to contemporary realism, this eclectic potpourri of Horn Book Guide–recommended novels showcases the form and gives readers — from primary-age kids to older teens — good reasons to celebrate poetry.

—Katrina Hedeen
Assistant Editor, The Horn Book Guide

Calhoun, Dia Eva of the Farm
235 pp. Atheneum 2012 ISBN 978-1-4424-1700-7
Gr. 4–6 When life on the family farm as twelve-year-old Eva knows it is threatened by a recession, fire blight, and sudden medical expenses, she turns to her great passion — poetry — for comfort, self-expression, and a possible means of making money. Eva’s beautifully constructed, imagistic poems within this novel shine, allaying the minor lyrical inconsistencies of the main verse narration.

Engle, Margarita The Wild Book
133 pp. Harcourt 2012 ISBN 978-0-547-58131-6
Gr. 4–6 Engle relates, with some fictionalization, her grandmother Fefa’s childhood in dangerous early-twentieth-century Cuba. Fefa suffers from “word-blindness” (dyslexia), but she slowly learns to read and write as a blank book from Mamá becomes her “garden” in which “words sprout / like seedlings.” Spare, dreamlike verse pairs perfectly with a first-person narrator whose understanding of written language is unique.

Hemphill, Stephanie Sisters of Glass
154 pp. Knopf 2012 ISBN 978-0-375-86109-3 LE ISBN 978-0-375-96109-0
YA Before his death, their father, a respected glassblower, declared that younger daughter Maria must marry Venetian nobility, leaving elder Giovanna to stay on Murano with the family. The sisters each long for the other’s future (and suitor); creative ingenuity allows for a satisfying resolution. A vivid fifteenth-century Venetian setting, true-to-life family tensions, and fairy-tale romance complete this novel told in elegant verse. Glos.

Hopkins, Ellen Tilt
604 pp. McElderry 2012 ISBN 978-1-4169-8330-9
YA Mikayla, Shane, and Harley alternate narration as they struggle to find balance amidst poor choices, family issues, and personal crises; snippets from secondary characters add perspective. The issues-laden plot and labyrinthine web of characters is the stuff of soap operas, which older teens may relish. Hopkins’s free verse, with thoughtful line breaks and word choices, is by turns poised and visceral.

Rosen, Michael Running with Trains: A Novel in Poetry and Two Voices
102 pp. Boyds/Wordsong 2012 ISBN 978-1-59078-863-9
Gr. 4–6 With Dad MIA in Vietnam and Mom back in school, thirteen-year-old Perry takes the train back and forth between Gran’s and Mom’s every week; Steve is a lonely nine-year-old on an Ohio farm, enamored with the train that passes through his family’s property. Both boys’ alternating voices are unique and poignant in this verse novel about self-discovery and the nature of home.

Rosenthal, Betsy R. Looking for Me
172 pp. Houghton 2012 ISBN 978-0-547-61084-9
Gr. 4–6 In some free verse and some loosely rhymed poems, Rosenthal tells the story of her mother Edith’s Depression-era childhood in a Jewish family with twelve children. The novel is episodic but gives individual personalities to the many siblings. Edith’s voice is touching and genuine; readers will maintain hope that she someday realize she’s more than “just plain Edith / who’s number four.” Glos.

Tregay, Sarah Love & Leftovers
435 pp. HarperCollins/Tegen 2012 ISBN 978-0-06-202358-2
YA Marcie’s dad comes out as gay, and she moves from Idaho to New Hampshire with her depressed mother. Missing her boyfriend and crew of friends nicknamed “the Leftovers,” she struggles to acclimate (and remain faithful). She returns to Boise midyear, but everything is different—including her. The first-person verse narration wrought with satisfying angst makes Marcie’s woes and joys palpable.

Wissinger, Tamera Will Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse
128 pp. Houghton 2013 ISBN 978-0-547-82011-8
Gr. 1–3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Sam is excited for his fishing trip with Dad — until little sister Lucy tags along. Poems of varied forms describe the fishing trio’s day: preparations, techniques (“Heeere, fishy, fishy, fishy…”), frustrations (“Lucy’s winning eight to… / none”), and eventual triumphs. Cordell’s buoyant illustrations are a natural fit for the upbeat verse. A “Poet’s Tackle Box” section outlines poetic devices and forms. Bib.

From the March/April 2013 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. These reviews are from The Horn Book Guide and The Horn Book Guide Online. For information about subscribing to the Guide and the Guide Online, click here.

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Review of Eleanor & Park

Cynthia K. Ritter — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:39 +0000

Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
High School    St. Martin’s Griffin    328 pp.
2/13    978-1-250-01257-9    $18.99
e-book ed. 978-1-250-03121-1    $9.99
It’s the start of a new school year in 1986 Omaha when sophomores Eleanor and Park meet for the first time on the bus. They are an unusual pair: she’s the new girl in town, an ostracized, bullied “big girl” with bright red curly hair, freckles, and an odd wardrobe; he’s a skinny half-Korean townie who mostly wears black and tries to stay out of the spotlight. But as they sit together on the school bus every day, an intimacy gradually develops between them. At first they don’t talk; then she reads his comics with him; he makes her mixtapes of his favorite rock bands; they hold hands; and eventually they are looking for ways to spend every waking hour together. Their slowly evolving but intense relationship is chaste first love, authentic in its awkwardness — full of insecurities, miscommunications, and sexual awakenings — and life-changing for them both. When Eleanor’s unstable home life (replete with abusive stepfather) ultimately tears the young lovers apart, the novel ends realistically: uncertain, yet still hopeful. Rowell presents her teen protagonists’ intelligent observations, extreme inner desires, and irrational feelings through compelling alternating narrations. She imbues the novel with rich character development, a spot-on depiction of the 1980s, and powerful descriptive passages (“Holding Eleanor’s hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive”). It’s an honest, heart-wrenching portrayal of imperfect but unforgettable love.

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Mitzi’s World app review

Shara Hardeson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:07:54 +0000

Auryn Inc.’s seek-and-find interactive storybook app Mitzi’s World: Seek and Discover More Than 150 Details in 15 Works of Folk Art (2012), based on Deborah Raffin’s book of the same name, features a selection of “neo-naive” oil paintings by prominent folk-artist Jane Wooster Scott. Spanning the four seasons, each painting depicts a scene inspired by turn of the century and early twentieth century American life. Among the quaint little towns and country sides are tiny people and objects such as cupcakes, tools, bells, kites, boots, and of course, “itsy bitsy Mitzi,” the spotted dog. Search for, find, and touch each item to initiate animation and sound effects.

One of the most practical elements of this app is that it automatically tracks and saves which items you’ve found by displaying them in bold text, even if you navigate away from the application and come back later. If you ever wish to clear your progress, you’ll find a reset button on the homepage. Another great feature is the zoom capability, which allows users to zoom in with incredible clarity on certain sections of the painting to find some of the trickier items.

And if you’re anything like me in the doctor’s waiting room and can’t put the Highlights magazine down until you find the blasted ice cream cone hidden somewhere among the leaves of a palm tree, rest assured: this app comes fully equipped with a hint feature that automatically zooms in on the area of the painting that contains the specific object you’re looking for.

Bright colors, a soothing score, and charming bits of Americana make this app a joy to examine with a fine-toothed comb. The pleasure is in the detail. Available for iPad (requires iOS 4.3 or later); $2.99.

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Review of Deadly!: The Truth About the Most  Dangerous Creatures on Earth

Danielle J. Ford — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:00:07 +0000

Deadly!:
The Truth About the Most  Dangerous Creatures on Earth
by Nicola Davies; illus. by Neal Layton
Primary, Intermediate Candlewick 64 pp.
3/13 978-0-7636-6231-8 $14.99
Readers with a taste for the grisly realism of nature will revel in the latest Davies and Layton collaboration, featuring the ways in which animals cause lasting harm or death to other animals, including humans. No punches are pulled here — this is gory-but-fascinating information about predators and defenders and the adaptations that assist in their survival. Davies commendably balances spectacle and science, providing accounts that are rich with factual detail (how big cats kill their prey with teeth, muscles, speed, and sight; why some ants explode themselves for the sake of their colonies) and admiration for the diversity and realities of life. Davies also alerts readers to the ways in which animals such as spiders, snakes, and tigers inadvertently (and sometimes even deliberately) hurt humans. The book ends with an upbeat perspective on how all these seemingly bad ends have positive outcomes for both humans and the environment. Layton’s cartoon illustrations skillfully lighten the tone, as animals in the throes of death or dismemberment often provide humorous asides and jokes.

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Review of Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems

Roger Sutton — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:00:04 +0000

Follow Follow:
A Book of Reverso Poems
by Marilyn Singer;  illus. by Josée Masse
Primary Dial 32 pp.
2/13 978-0-8037-3769-3 $16.99 g
“It’s not easy,” warns Singer in a note about the “reverso,” a verse form she created and first used in Mirror Mirror (rev. 3/10); and the first poem (“Fairy Tales”) in this companion collection gently alludes to the craft involved, “how hard it was to write.” The poems here again subvert traditional tales by offering two points of view on the story: what goes down on the left-hand of the page goes up on the right, with line breaks and punctuation revised for strategic effect. Thus the dilemma of the Little Mermaid: “For love, / give up your voice. / Don’t / think twice” advises the first verse, while the second ends with a warning, “Think twice! / Don’t / give up your voice / for love.” The poems require (and reward) close attention; the twelve referenced tales also include “Puss in Boots,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” with notes on each appended. Once again, the acrylic illustrations mirror the poems’ structure. On the left, a princess sleeps on a gentle cloud-leafed bed; on the right, a sensible girl massages her back wrought achy by that pesky pea tucked far below.

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