The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens
A new app for the iPad and Android devices uses a highly visual format to provide a different search experience for the tablet user. More than just a pretty interface, Izik—which debuted last month as the top reference app in iTunes—is based on Blekko, the search engine that boasts higher quality results based on human curation.
BiblioBoard and Pyramids 3D, check out these App reviews.
Touch Press’s extraordinary new app, ‘The Orchestra” brings readers and listeners on stage with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra.
With the free BiblioBoard iPad app readers can dip into curated collections of “licensed, open source and public domain materials” on topics ranging from Punk Rock to The Brothers Grimm.
A new app takes viewers on a virtual tour deep inside the tombs and pyramids of Egypt’s Giza Plateau.
RRKidz has announced that its flagship brand Reading Rainbow is partnering with publisher National Geographic Kids to expand its interactive reading subscription app, available exclusively on the iPad. The company is also expanding its library with a new branded island featuring dozens of books as well as videos hosted and narrated by RRKidz co-founder LeVar Burton.
Selecting our 10 top apps of the year is always an impossible task. Read our expanded list of favorites from 2011 and 2012.
Reviews in this column first appeared in SLJ’s column Touch and Go. Please note that later versions of some of these titles may now be available. Visit Touch and Go at slj.com under “Blogs & Columns” for additional reviews, commentary, and interviews with people in the field.
With snow blanketing the country there’s not much else to do but pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa, grab your iPad, and get ready for a wintery adventure featuring two boys, a whale, and a polar bear or two.
In a shift occurring nationwide, libraries are conducting “digital storytime,” using apps in kids’ programs for education, entertainment, and involving parents in the learning process. But not everyone’s sold on the use of iPads, especially with very young children.
Population growth, extreme weather, global warming—are all topics of interest to students and digital producers. Here’s a round-up of some recent apps that address these issues.
App production has skyrocketed. But curiously, a number of children’s book publishers and app developers are now thinking twice about the format. But that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a slew of exceptional products this year, and you’ll find a number of them on our list.
A friend of mine recently forwarded me one of those emails. I’m sure you’re familiar with them: lots of cute photos, and when you scroll to the bottom, you typically see some kind of humorous statement. This particular email had several pictures, all of teenagers—at the park, in a restaurant or car, at a baseball game. And in every image, the teens wereahunched over, totally engrossed in their cell phones. The very last photo is of Albert Einstein, and it’s accompanied by a quote from him: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”
Adapting any children’s classic to a new format is tricky. Purists will scream it’s not the original, others will be delighted to discover a new way to enjoy an old favorite. The good news is, we aren’t being asked to choose between formats.
It’s no secret children love learning about animals, and picture books about them are some of the most popular titles in libraries. Three apps combining story and facts about animal life have recently been made available. “Touch and Go’s” reviewers took at look at them.
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.
From witches and monsters to haunted houses and headless horsemen, there’s something for everyone this Halloween season.
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.
