Gertrude McFuzz - Dr. Seuss
March 2, 2012
By: Carisa Kluver
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Gertrude McFuzz - Dr. Seuss
March 2, 2012
By: Carisa Kluver
The Digital Media Diet
Be careful what you wish for ... Gertrude learns this lesson the hard way.
A little bird named Gertrude longs for a more glorious tail in this digital edition of a classic Dr. Seuss book, from Oceanhouse Media. The original print title, Yertle the Turtle and other stories contained three tales and was published in 1958. This tale is essentially about jealousy, overindulgence and how we should be happy with what we have because it is "enough".
Unhappy with her single feather, Gertrude seeks assistance in the form of a 'pill-berry' vine. But she isn't satisfied with just a few pretty tail-feathers ... she now wants to be better than the other bird she envies. She goes on a binge, eating so many 'pill berries' that she grows a tail so large she cannot fly or even move. She is carried home and has to pull out all the feathers. But like any good moral story, Gertrude gets something for all her troubles; she learns a great lesson. "That one little feather she had as a starter ... now that's enough, because now she is smarter."
As a digital offering, this book has simple settings, easy page turn and great narration with each word highlighted as it is read. You can also tap on any word to hear it spoken, even in the 'read-it-myself' mode. There are also lots of things in every picture to tap to hear and see words for illustrated elements, like scenery and characters in the story. This book is not as colorful as some Seuss books, but the illustrations are otherwise delightful and filled with the same whimsy that makes Dr. Seuss so popular.
Although each page is essentially a still image, many pages begin by panning over Seuss' classic original artwork, zooming in and out to show off each segment of text, a nice semi-animated style. The book has no real animation, but most of the items pictured in the story react to a light tap with a visual image of the word with accompanying audio (for example, tap on a tree and the word "tree" appears with audio saying “tree”).
This book was a favorite of mine as a child and it's a wonderful chance to share it in modern form with my own child. Since it's just one of a group of three tales from the original edition, this title is shorter than some of the other digital Seuss books currently available in the app store, making it a good length for bedtime. It's also a good cautionary tale, showing young readers the downside of getting what you wish for. Recommended.
All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.
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Author/Illustrator:
Dr. Seuss
Developer:
Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Length (time):
7 - 9 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: Yes
Allows Own Narration:
No
Uses Motion: No
Age: 3 - 8
Languages:
English •
Length (pages):
24 Pages
Story Synopsis - Gertrude McFuzz - Dr. Seuss
Yertle the Turtle and other storiesis a 1958 children's book by Dr. Seuss. The original title contained 3 stories. In this, the 2nd story, the "girl-bird" Gertrude McFuzz, who has a small, plain tail feather and envies Lolla Lee Lou, who has two feathers.
Gertrude goes to her uncle, Doctor Dake and he tells her where she can find berries that will make her tail grow, and she eats the entire vine, causing her tail to grow to an enormous size. However, the added weight prevents her from flying, running or even walking!
Her uncle and many other birds are forced to carry her home and pluck out her tail feathers, which takes a few weeks, causing her to be sore. Though she has only one feather left—as before—she now has "enough, because now she is smarter." [Source: Wikipedia]
Orientation: Landscape
Format: iPhone
Options:
Autoplay, Read-it-myself, Read-to-me, News on/off, Sound Effects on/off, Links to: Web, Email, FB, Twitter, AppStore, Privacy Policy
App Release Date:
2010-07-14
Size: 9.61 MB
Version: 1.0.7
Lite Version Available: No
Gertrude McFuzz - Dr. Seuss
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