
Maid Marian Muffins was the first book in a while to make my son laugh out loud. It quickly became a favorite ebook and regular feature at bedtime in our house.
The book stars a quirky Brooklynite with a hankering for an old-fashioned blueberry muffin done right. She and her faithful canine, Marvin, search far and wide for the perfect baked goods in Brooklyn. Finding no muffin tasty enough to satisfy her craving, Marian embarks on a hilarious adventure to make her very own culinary masterpieces.
The final recipe that results is so sublime that Marian & Marvin decide to make a business out of delivering her muffins all over town. She even builds a 'muffin-mobile' - a bike with attached muffin crate. And the best part of this story is that it's based on the real escapades of Jessica Vander Salm. An 'about the authors' page at the end of the book has a great snapshot of her on the real muffin-mobile!
As a digital offering, it is a simple picture book - well-narrated with a catchy musical score. It has easy page turning and well thought-out settings, including the ability to record your own narration. The illustrations, by Ana Benaroya, are both cartoonish and funny.
There is so much detail in every scene that I am still discovering new amusing touches on every re-read. And the story is delightful - especially the many 'failed' attempts at muffin making. My son especially likes the scene where Marian and her dog Marvin play tennis with the muffins that turned out like rubber.
And unless laughter gets in the way of your bedtime routine, this book is a great one for pajama story-time. Now if I could only find a way to Brooklyn for one of those famous muffins!
All reviews are of the app, not the platform/device. Based originally on iPad versions. Minor technical details may vary.
Author/Illustrator:
Jamie and Jessica Vander Salm/Ana Benaroya
Developer:
Maid Marian Muffins LLC
Length (time):
8 - 10 Minutes
Based on non-digital book: No
Allows Own Narration:
Yes
Uses Motion: No
Age: 3 - 10
Languages:
English •
Length (pages):
36 Pages
Maid Marian & her dog Marvin live in Brooklyn, New York and are on a quest. Despite the usual variety a big city can offer, Maid Marian simply cannot find a 'good, old-fashioned blueberry muffin', so she and Marvin search all over the city for baked goods. But to no avail; no muffins they sampled were good enough.
So Maid Marian decides to try to make her own muffins. They bake a lot of failures - muffins like bricks, stew, rubber, charcoal, and goo. Some muffins slouch, others shrink, or even sweat, smolder & stink.
Finally they discover the best recipe and create the perfect blueberry muffin. Marian's muffins become a big hit with her friends. And then word spreads to others. Soon, to keep up with the demand, Marian decides to build a Muffin Mobile with a box on her bike to sell her muffins all over Brooklyn. Everyone rejoiced - now they could have the perfect muffin anywhere Marian rode her bike!
An iPhone version is available under the title "Maid Marian Muffins To Go" - Click HERE to download the small screen version.
Orientation: Landscape
Format: iPad
Options:
Read Myself, Read to Me, Record it Myself
App Release Date:
2010-12-20
Size: 28.2 MB
Version: 1.1
Lite Version Available: No