From witches and monsters to haunted houses and headless horsemen, there’s something for everyone this Halloween season.
Ghouls, Ghosts, and ‘Frankenweenie:’ A Collection of Holiday Apps
By on October 25, 2012 Leave a Comment
Fiske Interactive College Guide 2012: A Review
By on October 23, 2012 Leave a Comment
Students hitting the college-tour circuit may want to take along “The Fiske Interactive College Guide 2012.” Features allow students to browse college websites, to email admissions offices directly, to create and save lists of schools, to add notes, and more.
Shakespeare on the iPad
By on October 11, 2012 1 Comment
It’s a boon year for students of Shakespeare and thespians: from Sourcebooks, Inc. and Touch Press come interactive resources that will change the way readers experience the Bard’s works. Sourcebooks has just released three titles in its “Shakesperience” series that promise to “transport readers from the page to the stage”: “Othello,” “‘Romeo and Juliet,” and “Hamlet.” Each iBook provides the text of the play along with insight from actors on their roles, audio and visuals of celebrated performances, and much more. Extensive commentary and notes, and video recordings of famed actors performing each of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, are among the highlights of the stunning “Sonnets by William Shakespeare” from Touch Press.
Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: October 2012
By on October 1, 2012 Leave a Comment
Ryan Woodward/©2012 Ryan Woodward Art and Amimation.
Reviews in this column first appeared in SLJ’s column Touch and Go. After each review, you’ll find the date it appeared online. Online, there are links to related resources, a trailer (if one exists), and a link to purchase information. Please note that later versions of some of these titles may now be available. Visit Touch and Go for additional reviews, commentary, and interviews with people in the field.
Bottom of the [...]
Touch and Go: Countdown to an Election
By on September 27, 2012 Leave a Comment
Given that this is the first U.S. presidential election since apps have made their way onto most electronic devices, you might think there would be dozens of worthwhile products available on the topic designed for students. Think again.
Sure, there are plenty of apps devoted to November’s election, there just aren’t that many that explain the process to those too young to cast a ballot. Those listed here should get the conversation rolling about how we elect a President and the men who have held that the office.
Touch and Go: Play Ball!
By on September 13, 2012 1 Comment
Baseball season may be coming to an end, but a true fan’s enthusiasm for the sport never wanes. Reason enough to consider two new digital products for your iPad: Ryan Woodward’s Bottom of the Ninth and The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The first is an animated graphic novel, the second, a reference guide. Here’s what our reviewers had to say about these releases.
Touch and Go Lives!
By on September 13, 2012 Leave a Comment
After a brief hiatus during the transition to our new website, our app reviews are back—with a few changes. First, you’ll notice they have moved from School Library Journal’s blog roll into a column, pushing out in our Extra Helping enewsletter. Archived reviews can be found on the SLJ website under “Blogs and Columns.” However, to ensure you receive all of our postings, be sure to add “Touch and Go” to your RSS feed.
Steve Sheinkin Writes a Thriller
By on September 4, 2012 3 Comments
On the eve of WWII, a German chemist, Otto Hahn, discovered fission. The scientific and political ramifications of this discovery were not lost on the world’s top physicists, but it took time—and a letter from Albert Einstein—for U. S. political leaders and military to understand its significance. Once they did, the Manhattan Project was established, bringing scientists—including many recent arrivals from Europe—to Los Alamos, NM, to design a weapon capable of unleashing a force greater than the world had ever witnessed. Despite being shrouded in secrecy, news of the Manhattan Project spread. In ‘Bomb,’ Steve Sheinkin’s exciting new title, the author chronicles ‘The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon.’
Afghan Days, Afghan Dreams
By on August 7, 2012 Leave a Comment
The following materials on Afghanistan focus on a variety of topics: the effect of U.S. military presence, the treatment of women, refugee camps, and daily life for Afghan citizens. The resources are ideal for teachers looking to educate students about Afghanistan while also embracing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Tao Nyeu | Making the Best Art Possible
By on June 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
Tao Nyeu was unhappy in her job as a web and graphic designer for an advertising firm. Then, as she was browsing in a bookstore in the picture-book section, she realized what she wanted to do. Nyeu put together a portfolio and applied to the School of Visual Arts’s MFA program, and was on her way to becoming a children’s book author and illustrator. Nyeu talks about her lucky break and her most recent book: Squid and Octopus (Dial, June, 2012). The story stars two quirky friends whose characters and personalities are revealed over four vignettes.
“Will Puberty Last My Whole Life?” | Questions Preteens Ask
By on June 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
For more than 20 years, Julie Metzger and Robert Lehman have been meeting with children, teens, and their parents. Their goal? “To promote positive communication about pubery, sexuality, in topics around adolescence and growing up.” In Will Puberty Last My Whole Life?(Sasquatch Books, 2012), they share some of the questions preteens have asked them on these topics and offer readers honest answers.
On the Trail of the Plains Indians | Curriculum Connections
By on May 1, 2012 1 Comment
Related TeachingBooks.net resources »»»
Several recent and forthcoming titles focus on the American West and offer students an entrée into a place and a pivotal time in our nation’s history. In exploring the relationship between The Horse and the Plains Indians (Clarion, July, 2012; Gr 4-9; photos by William Muñoz), Dorothy Hinshaw Patent offers a glimpse into Native American tribes that had for centuries wintered in North America’s wooded river valleys and its forests and summered on its grasslands. When the [...]
Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: May 2012
By on May 1, 2012 Leave a Comment
Reviews in this column first appeared in SLJ’s blog Touch and Go. After each review, you’ll find the date it appeared online. Online, there are links to related resources, a trailer (if one exists), and a “purchase” button. Please note that later versions of some of these titles may now be available. Visit Touch and Go at slj.com for additional reviews, commentary, and interviews with people in the field.—Daryl Grabarek
Citizen Scientists | Focus on Discovery
By on April 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
“Citizen Scientist” might be a newly coined term, but people have long assumed the role, jotting down crocus sightings in early spring, the number of loon pairs on the lake in the summer, and the first sign of frost in the fall or winter.
