Review - Llama Llama Zippity-Zoom

Llama Llama Zippity-Zoom (Llama Llama)
by Anna Dewdney
Date: 2012
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 14
Format: e-book
Source: library

Llama Llama ZIP!
Llama Llama ZOOM!
Llama Llama Red Pajama
VROOM, VROOM, VROOM!

On the playground, Llama goes fast! Llama zips by on his scooter and swishes down the slide--whoosh! These board books are more than great read-alouds--they're great act-alongs, too! Younger audiences will love doing as Llama does in these supremely adorable, incredibly engaging new board books.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is another of the Llama Llama board books for very young readers. I was taken aback when I opened up the e-book because Llama's ears were waving in the breeze on the cover! The motion continues on the pages, with ears and tails wagging. I'm not sure I really like this e-book feature; it was kind of distracting for me.

The other problem is that this particular e-book is missing nearly 1/4 of the text. The rhyme is supposed to go:

Llama Llama ZIP!
Llama Llama ZOOM!
Llama Llama Red Pajama
VROOM, VROOM, VROOM!

Unfortunately, in my copy, the last line was cut (in the first two out of the three stanzas), so it read:

Llama Llama ZIP!
Llama Llama ZOOM!
Llama Llama Red Pajama

I thought maybe Dewdney had really dropped the ball with her writing! But it's just the stupid e-book conversion. (I still have no idea what the last line of the second stanza is. Something that rhymes with "swoosh", I'm guessing...)

The illustrations don't impress me, either. Again, I think it's something to do with the animated e-book format, but Llama and Nelly often have pure white eyes (creepy!) or they look half asleep. I'm guessing there's supposed to be some blinking or something going on there, but it's not working as planned.

I might've rated this higher had it just been a regular e-book (or board book), but since this is the version I read, this is the version I'm going to rate. I just wish those missing lines had been included. I'm guessing they rhyme, but... I really don't know!

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.57 out of 5