September 19, 2013

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Shakespeare on the iPad

othello2

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

Ryan Woodward/©2012 Ryan Woodward Art and Amimation.

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

Washington Post Politics app screenshot

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!

Bottom of the Ninth (Ryan Woodard Art & Animation)

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!

Touch and Go logo

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.

Video: Playing with the Augmented Reality App IMAG-N-O-TRON

Video: Playing with the Augmented Reality App IMAG-N-O-TRON

Seeing is believing. Pages of a picture book literally come to life in this demo of the augmented reality app “Imag.N.O.Tron,” a companion to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, the Oscar-winning film, app, and book by William Joyce.

The post Video: Playing with the Augmented Reality App IMAG-N-O-TRON appeared first on The Digital Shift.

September 2012 Reviews: Best of Apps & Enhanced Books

Cover: Where Do Balloons Go (Curtis)

The following reviews first appeared in SLJ’s column Touch and Go. After each review, you’ll find the date it appeared. 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 for additional reviews, commentary, and interviews with people in the field.–Daryl Grabarek

The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My. Tove [...]

SLJ’s Best of Apps & Enhanced Books August 2012

Leonardo_icon-rounded300

Apps involving monsters, both real and imagined, are among the digital publications examined in School Library Journal’s app review column Touch and Go.

Bill Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg Bend Reality

Author William Joyce and his creative partner, Brandon Oldenburg, aren’t exactly the kind of guys who play it by the book. Their wildly successful,  Oscar-winning The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore was first a film (“We wanted a calling card to prove we could animate at Moonbot Studios”), then an app, next a [...]

Lunching on Sea Urchin, Abalone, and Clams

In ‘Otter on His Own,’ Doe Boyle’s lyrical text (Soundprints, 2002), Robert Lawson’s expressive illustrations, plus a few enhancements (Oceeanhouse Media, Inc.) deliver an informative, visually appealing app.

Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: August 2012

App science photo

Photo by Eye of Science/Science Photo Library; 3D4Medical/Science Photo Library.

Reviews in this column first appeared in SLJ ’s 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, [...]

‘Where Do Balloons Go?’ Ask Jamie Lee Curtis.

Jamie Lee Curtis’s charming picture book ‘Where Do Balloons Go?’ (HarperCollins, 2000), gets the royal app treatment from Auryn, Inc.

Review: ‘Hush, Little Beachcomber’

Heading to the beach with your iPad? Don’t forget to download Dianne Moritz’s ‘Hush, Little Beachcomber’ and Stephen Huneck’s “Sally Goes to the Beach” for the kids.

Review: ‘A Garden for Pig.’ Kane Miller Enters the Digital Storytelling World

Kane Miller publishers has released a series of apps based on their international children’s titles.

Kane Miller Makes Some Noise with ‘Boom Bah!’

Kane Miller publishers have been bringing outstanding international children’s titles to the attention of American readers for more than thirty years. Their list includes such favorites as Mem Fox’s Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, Taro Gomi’s Everyone Poops, Jae Soo Liu’s Yellow Umbrella, and more recently, Atinuke’s “Anna Hibiscus” series.
Boom Bah!, first published in Australia, represents [...]

Review: Tove Jansson’s ‘Moomin, Mymble and Little My’

This app takes advantage of the iPad’s capabilities, incorporating sound, motion, and interactivity, while letting the story remain the focus. As our reviewer Cathy Potter points out, Jansson’s die-cut illustrations translate well to the digital format, and add to the story’s appeal.

Title: The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My
Author: Tove Jansson
Illustrator: Tove Jansson
English Translation [...]

Review: ‘Hello to the Moon’ Matchbook Digital Releases a Storybook App

Matchbook Digital, known for it’s stunning photographic presentations of animal life, has released its first storybook app. Audrey Sumser reviews it below.

Title: Hello to the Moon!
Narrated by: Steve Goulding
Developed by: Matchbook Digital LLC
Platform: iOS, requires 4.0 or later
Version: 1.0
Price: $1.99
PreS-Lush artwork in a variety of media provides the background for this gentle bedtime story. Employing [...]

Review: ‘American Presidents and First Ladies’

While embedded videos and plentiful images offer a look at presidents in action, factual errors and typos mar this app.

Title: American Presidents and First Ladies
Author: Marc Schulman
Developed by: Multieducator, Inc.
Platform: iOS, requires 5.0 or later
Version: 1.0
Price: $.99
Gr 5 Up-Every [...]

‘The Brooklyn Bridge,’ ‘The Parthenon,’ and The ‘Taj Mahal’: Mikaya Goes Digital

In her “Wonders of the World” series (Mikaya Press), author Elizabeth Mann has been exploring humankind’s greatest architectural and engineering feats. Now those titles, known for their superb visuals and accessible texts, are available for the iPad.

Best of Apps & Enhanced Books: May 2012

world-atlas

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