Combining an industry and educational standard in the field of aerospace with a recognized leader in the world of science and arts, the Air & Space and Smithsonian Magazine Archive Database is seamless in action and an excellent source for both papers and projects.

If your school year ends in May or early June, you may have missed Nosy Crow’s latest foray into the world of fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood. “Seamless interactivity, nonlinear storytelling, immersive game play,” and more than a touch of humor, characterize this production featuring vibrant illustrations and a lively narrative. Children will find themselves lost (in a good way) in this delightful version as they get their protagonist through the woods to grandma’s house, and the woman out of a pickle (or cupboard, in this case). Screen time options for new readers are built into the production.

Two apps both elementary children and their teachers and parents will appreciate are Julie Hedlund’s A Troop of Monkeys and A Shiver of Sharks (Little Bahalia Publishing). In addition to introducing collective nouns, these interactive titles offer gentle environmental messages and stunning collage artwork. In each app, reading strategies and discussion questions for the animal groups can be found behind the “Parents & Teachers” tabs, and lists of the Common Core standards and Bloom’s Taxonomy objectives addressed are provided. From a surfeit of skunks with their “stinky, foul fumes” to a “cast of crabs” scuttling sideways, these are titles that are sure to find favor with kids.

Recommend our column titled “A Starter Collection of Apps for the Preschool Set” to teachers who have just purchased their first classroom iPad. It’s a list of our favorite apps reviewed over the past two years and it features both classic (Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit/Loud Crow Interactive) and contemporary stories (Tad Hill’s How Rocket Learned to Read/Random House Digital). The age range for most of these quality productions extends to first grade.

Mo Willems hardly needs to be introduced to children; once one kindergarten or first grade student discovers his “Elephant and Piggy” books, it’s impossible to keep them on the shelf. The author’s signature silliness extends to his apps, which offer storytelling, drawing, and game options. His latest production is Pigeon Presents: Mo…on the Go! (Disney Publishing Worldwide Applications). In the “Pigeon’s Dream Drive” activity children must steer a bus through a maze of streets;  “Dance-o-Rama,” featuring Gerald and Piggie, asks users to choose three dances for each character to perform on a stage to the tune of disco music. Willems is the host of “Mo’s Squillems,” a drawing game, and appears in other activities as well—activities that our reviewer noted, encourage both “imaginative play and problem solving.”

The memorization of poetry has witnessed a resurgence with several recently published collections of poems to “learn by heart.“ Two apps, Orel Protopopescu’s The Word’s a Bird (Syntonie) and “Poetry by Heart,” (Inkle/Penguin Group USA) may inspire your students to do a little memorizing of their own. The first app, which includes four poems, lovely watercolor artwork, and amusing animation, is a tribute to spring for young listeners and readers. Poetry by Heart presents a fill-in-the blank format for secondary students. Readers add missing words to the poems, line by line. Attempts are scored (and mistakes are corrected) and endless opportunities to try again are provided as users learn the verses. Selections, which range from Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat”  to “Walt Whitman’s “O Captain!,” are labeled for level of difficulty. The free app comes with two poems and additional thematic four-poem “bundles” are available for purchase. Don’t miss the trailer for this one; it’s loads of fun and can be used to introduce the app to students.

Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse (Touch Press) is the story of a young man reunited with his beloved horse on the battlefields of World War I. The book was first published in 1982 and since then has seen many incarnations—novel, play, film, and now app. The app includes the full text, illustrated with watercolor art. As School Library Journal’s reviewer noted, “Touch Press developers are in tune with the  Common Core State Standards; the timeline connects readers to short, intriguing interviews, reproductions and maps, well-captioned archival photographs, and short informational text, much of which can be read aloud at the touch of an icon. ”Insight” videos showcase the author discussing different aspects of his book and the war, and experts offering details about soldiers’ uniforms, tanks, battlefields, German trenches, war songs, and more—all accompanied by visuals. From the home screen viewers can tap” Performance” to see the author stage an 80-minute, abridged version of the book with live music before an audience.”

Also from Touch Press is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, an in-depth look at what many consider to be the  composer’s greatest work. The title includes four versions of the symphony (by four conductors) and each one can be listened to while reading the score, or watching an electric pin-light version that lights up the corresponding parts of the orchestral chart as various instruments come in and out. During all the performances, an informal, phrase-by-phrase analysis explains the music. In addition there are notes on  Beethoven’s life, the genesis of the Ninth Symphony, and “Insights” into the work “by some of the world’s finest musicians and scholars.” A trailer of the app is available.

Screen from ‘National Geographic Birds’

The perfect companion to a unit on birds or a field trip to the nature preserve? National Geographic Birds: Field Guide to North America (National Geographic/IXONOS). The app allows nature lovers to identify winged creatures, learn about their habits, and record sightings, all before they can say Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Like the print version of the guide (2006; Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer, eds.), this production offers an overview of species on our continent, their appearance and behavior, as well as labeled color images and habitat and range maps. Users have the option to add notes and/or a photo and share the event. Viewers will be able to hear the caterwauling of a pair of Barred Owls, and the laugh of a Marbled Godwit, among hundreds of other sounds and songs. This last feature is one students are sure to sing about.

For the college bound, “Fiske Guides” have always been go-to resources. Two years ago they launched an interactive app with information on more than 300 colleges with options to add notes, email admissions offices, and more. The latest addition to their list is the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 Best Buys in higher education. While the sampler is limited—only 14 of the 41 “Best Buy” school are included— they represent a range of school locations, sizes, and majors. Included are photos, and data on enrollment, average test scores, and more.  Direct links to school websites are sure to become a favorite feature. The publisher plans to release additional college samplers this fall.

If ever there was an ideal product for the 21st-century student, this is it. Rosen’s new database, Digital Literacy, is the Ellis Island for today’s middle and high school students and their teachers. It is a gateway to understanding and using the vast, potentially overwhelming nation of the Internet. Digital Literacy provides users with know-how that will allow them to maximize the usefulness of a variety of online resources and be smart and responsible when doing so.

Digital Literacy

Grade Level 7 & Up

Cost Subscription pricing for Digital Literacy is tiered based on student enrollment or cardholder numbers and begins at $595 per year.

High Relevancy, Wide Breadth The most significant strength of this database comes from the high relevancy of the articles to today’s students’ needs and the wide breadth of information covered in them. Articles are presented under the headings “Cyberbullying and Safety,” “Communication Basics,” “Social Networking,” “Privacy and Digital Ethics,” “Search and Research Skills,” “Tools for the Digital Age,” “Careers and Entrepreneurship,” “Internet Biographies,” and “Gaming.” Each of these is subdivided into smaller, more specific categories. For instance, “Communication Basics” is divided into sections on online predators, blogs, digital journalism, slander and libel, texting and sexting, and Twitter and other microblogs. In all categories, the information is well-organized and the writing is clear and engaging. The use of real-life cautionary tales (the Tyler Clementi story in material on cyberbullying and the Kaavya Viswanathan story in the plagiarism section, etc.) adds a modicum of necessary tension in an otherwise upbeat presentation.

Special features are built in to each article. The strong presence of audiovisual accompaniments will be of particular use to students who are studying English as a second language or to those who struggle with reading comprehension. With a single click, students can have the article read to them. A complementary function highlights the word being read in one color and the relevant sentence in another color. Other special features include Google Translate and share buttons. Students who use information from the database for research projects will find citing the information a breeze, as citations for each article are included in MLA and APA formats.

Video Component Links to dozens of videos are embedded throughout the database content. Each video highlights some aspect of the article at hand. For the most part, the videos are substantive and highly complementary. For instance, in the article “Twitter: What Is It Good For?” a 41-second video features a news clip that shows a Congressional forum where politicians keep up with their constituents’ questions and concerns in real time using Twitter. A few of the videos act more as colorful fillers. For instance, a video in the “Fan Fiction Writing” section is a 17-second look at a teenage girl typing. Many of the pieces come from Learning Zone Xpress, a vendor of educational products. These videos feature teen actors talking about various online issues and are not only visually arresting, but also add a humanizing, personal touch to technology-heavy content. In addition to the visual lure of the videos, the database includes scores of well-curated, high-resolution stock images.

Interactive Tutorials Rosen’s interactive tutorials help with becoming a citizen journalist, creating a digital business plan or a multimedia presentation, recording a podcast, and filming a public service announcement. These tutorials invite users to create a plan for a digital product rather than help them to finish it. For each activity, users are prompted to enter their name, topic of interest, the websites they’ve used in their research, and the tools they plan to use to create a finished product. Links called “Tips” take users to relevant Digital Literacy content. For instance, when students are prompted to list websites used in their research, the “Tip” leads to articles on finding credible information online and on researching people, places, and events.

Curriculum Compatibility The articles and activities in Digital Literacy are designed to correlate with Common Core, the learning standards in the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), and the learning standards in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). The database is compatible with iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and netbooks.

Resources for Teachers A section for teachers, librarians, and administrators offers detailed information on curriculum correlations. In addition, there are tips on creating lesson plans, signing up for the Digital Literacy newsletter, tracking usage statistics, and more.

Conclusion Digital Literacy is packed with timely, up-to-date information for 21st-century students. Dynamic and attractive, this database will help users to navigate the complex world of the Internet. A first-rate product.

For the college bound, the “Fiske College Guides” have always been go-to resources. Along with information on hundreds of academic institutions, the books offer to-do lists for a successful college search and tips on writing admission essays and taking the SAT. Two years ago they launched an interactive guide with entries on 300-plus colleges with options to add notes, email admissions offices, and more. The latest addition to their list is an ebook sampler to some of the “best buys” in higher education. Four more similar enhanced guides will follow.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2014 Best Buys enhanced ebook (iBook, $4.99, available on a variety of devices; Gr 9 Up) occupies an awkward place in between the Guide’s 2014 print version (released July 2, 2013) and its interactive app.

While the ebook provides the same clear, helpful reviews and ratings of schools that all Fiske products do, only 14 of the 41 “Best Buy” schools are included in this sneak peek of the print book, which is only hinted at in the ebook’s description. The schools are chosen to represent a variety of locations, majors, and sizes, but such a small list is limited in its usefulness.

The text descriptions of schools are accompanied by color photos of campuses and infographics relating data such as gender balance, average test scores, academic and social ratings, and enrollment, and strongest programs. Unfortunately, the graphics are not optimized for retina display, making them difficult to read. The ebook offers keyword search and links to school websites (a benefit over the print book), but not the more full-fledged search across multiple criteria or the ability to add schools to lists available in the app.

Students and parents who are unsure if they want to purchase the book or the app may find this enhanced ebook a way to sample Fiske’s style of description and ranking, but those on a dedicated college search aren’t likely to  be satisfied with this small sampling. Overall, those preparing for college would be better served by either the print book or the full-featured app.—Gretchen Kolderup, New York Public Library

For additional app reviews, visit our Touch and Go webpage.

When considering Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Touch Press / Deutsche Grammopon), you’ll be tempted to go for the free app, but don’t do it; it’s the best kind of worst tease. Instead, purchase the full version, but you’ll need to decide: phone app ($7.99) or iPad app ($13.99)? Don’t skimp. The phone app has all the music of the iPad app, but lacks the commentaries of the experts. Your last consideration will be the listening options; the app states, “BEST WITH HEADPHONES.” Trust me, it is.

The home page of Beethoven’s 9th streams the Ode to Joy, and although you sense you will be humming it all night, you can’t resist. You have to experience it, much like the Small World ride at Disney. Once you begin to explore the symphony, you won’t want to stop. There are four versions and four conductors: Ferenc Fricsay, Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Each one can be listened to while reading either the full synchronized score or a replica of Beethoven’s handwritten score (amazing), or watching an electric pin-light version that lights up the corresponding parts of the orchestral chart as various instruments come in and out. Bernstein’s version also includes a video of him conducting the symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker in 1979.

During all the performances, a phrase-by-phrase analysis by David Owen Norris explains the music, in an endearing, informal manner. For example, midway through the first movement he writes, “Those opening sparks of rhythm have caught fire, and in their light we can see we’re back at the beginning….” Norris also wrote the historical analysis that examines Beethoven’s life, including his descent into deafness and the genesis of the Ninth Symphony.

Finally (and really, this shouldn’t come last) are the “Insights” by some of the world’s finest musicians and scholars. Don’t skip this section. Start with Suzy Klein, who makes the Ninth Symphony accessible and drops some humor along the way. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel helps explain Beethoven as a universal symbol of music, and pianist Alice Sara Ott shares why the Ode to Joy is the basis of hope, optimism, and human rights, and how music is a unique language that can unite people with idealism. Without hesitation, an app for all collections.−Pamela Schembri, Newburgh Enlarged City Schools, Newburgh, NY

For additional app reviews, visit our Touch and Go webpage.

Created in conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY, NY) exhibit of the same name, Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop  (Metropolitan Museum of Art; Gr 8 Up) is a free iPad app. Noting that “photographs have been manipulated since the invention of the medium,” the curator introduces viewers to photo “doctoring” from negative retouching to photomontage, with a bit of art history along the way.

The easy-to-navigate app is divided into three parts. A short introductory video with a lively instrumental soundtrack poses questions to viewers as it spotlights images they’ll examine closely later on. Next comes a quiz (hints included), challenging users to consider which photos have been manipulated, and how or why they were changed. If stumped, viewers have the option of zooming in for a closer look.

The doctored “Sherman and His Generals, 1865″ by George N. Barnard

The gallery of 16 before-and-after photos with explanatory information and citations is the centerpiece of the app. The text is well written and the black-and-white pictures cover a range of subjects from portraits to landscapes. In the first of the two photos of Sherman and His Generals, 1865, General Francis Preston Blair, Jr. isn’t present, but there he is, seated to the right in the second.

Blair missed the photo session scheduled at Matthew Brady’s Washington, D.C., studio. The well-known Civil War photographer is quoted as saying, “Later in the day, however, he [Blair] came in, was photographed and I set his portrait in on the group negative.” The photo was later retouched by another photographer, who added background curtains and other details. Also included in the gallery is The Other Series (After Brassaï), 1993, by Kathy Grove, a contemporary artist who takes images by male modernist artists and changes them, often by removing the female figure, a commentary on the fact that “women were largely absent from the canon of Western art history.”

Faking It would be particularly appropriate for history, photography, and art classes. It would be a natural tie-in to using an app such as Adobe Photoshop Express, before students try their hand at editing images. A lavish companion book to the exhibit by Mia Fineman is also available.

Map from “Life and Death: Pompeii and Herculaneum” (The British Museum)

Life and Death: Pompeii and Herculaneum (The British Museum; Gr 9 Up) is a companion piece to the British Museum’s exhibit by the same name, on view in London from March 28th-September 29th, 2013. The app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices, splendidly incorporates sound effects, animation, video, and interactivity.

A short, but dramatic, film sequence on the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, narrated by Paul Roberts, the exhibition curator, opens the production and leads to a map that serves as a table of contents. Pins mark Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other sites on the Bay of Naples. Tapping on one of these locations will bring viewers to a street map of the chosen area and a list, including such topics as “Urban context,” “Commerce,” “Wealth and status,” “Entertaining,” and “Religion and beliefs.” Each list leads to narrated images; video commentary by Roberts and other scholars; photographs; and informative text. Listeners will hear Pliny the Younger’s eyewitness recollections of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 (narrated by Royce Cronin), learn that a significant number of Herculaneum’s residents were prosperous freedmen, and view more than 250 colorful photos of artwork and artifacts.

The images are clear and sharp. The ability to zoom in on the pictures is a valuable feature, as it allows for close-up views of jewelry, frescoes, mosaics, graffiti, carbonized furniture, marble statues, and more. Also provided is a further reading list with some live links. Be aware that Life and Death is a large app and takes time to load.

This is a rich and rewarding production for students of history and art, and anyone interested in archeology. For teachers looking for multimodal resources to support the Common Core State Standards, this app fits the bill.—Daniel Greene U32 Middle/High School, Montpelier, VT

For additional app reviews, visit our Touch and Go webpage.

Rourke eRead and Report

www.rourkeeducationalmedia.com

Rourke’s “eRead and Report” database provides one-stop shopping for schools and libraries seeking informational ebooks. Each title is not only Common Core compliant, but comes with student assessment functions as well, with test results immediately available to teachers. Purchase includes unlimited access for an entire building, with the material being accessible using PCs, Macs, tablets, and smartphones. Students can search the entire ebook collection to which their library subscribes, or teachers can assign particular books and observe student progress within the system.

Grade Level Grades K–12

Cost
The database offers 1,000 original ebooks that are sold outright with no management fees. The books are sold in bundles, with titles costing an average of $25 each. The bundles break down as follows: Science K-6: 264 titles, $6,600; Fiction K-6: 114 titles, $2,850; High Interest K-6: 112 titles, $2,800; Social Studies K-6: 137 titles, $3,425; and Grades 7-12: 327 titles, $10,585. To purchase all of the titles, the cost is $25,375. All prices are per building. Clients can also build their own collections, with a minimum of 100 books.

With the purchase of 100 or more “e-Read and Report” titles comes the option to upgrade by purchasing additional Rourke ebooks (not the “e-Read and Report” ones) for $11 each. There are over 1,800 titles to choose from; 93 Rourke interactive ebooks are also available for $29 each.

Overview There are three user functions: student, teacher, and administrator. Users at all levels have access to the ebook library. Material is searchable by title, subject, Dewey number, guided reading level, Accelerated Reader level, and by fiction or nonfiction. There are some young adult titles, but the majority of the books are for children in the K-6 range. Student, teachers, and administrators can use e-read and report on PCs, tablets, or smartphones. All functions are operated by clearly labeled, colorful tabs, or by using clearly labeled drop-down menus.

Book Content Content covers a wide range of reading levels and interests. The science collection includes books on animals, geography, hygiene, biology, and earth science. The social studies collection covers community, economy, history, and biographies. The High Interest section has material on sports and hobbies. Fiction titles include books that feature traditional fairy tales and modern-day stories about school and family life. The math collection offers titles on addition, subtraction, fractions, graphs, and measuring.

Some of the books for very young children are written so that they can be sung to the tune of a children’s song. Other titles for the very young are rebus stories.

There are a few quirks here, but nothing that should turn away prospective purchasers. In A Book of Animal Sounds, in a couple of places the text is split over two pages (the software is set up so that pages are viewed one at a time, except on mobile devices). This means that the wolves on page 4 say “hoooooww” while one on page 5 says ‘wl.’ Arms Are for Hugging reads in part, “Our brains are made for thinking. Our lungs are made for breathing. Stomachs are for eating. Hearts are for loving.” Is the book about organs or emotions?

All of the collections feature terrific illustrations. Some of the titles have full-color photographs, while others have bright, cartoony drawings. All text is in large, plain font.

For Students The student application is designed for individual use. After logging in, students read an ebook and take the “Report Placement Test” for it, which includes comprehension and vocabulary questions. The text of the ebook is available as needed. The results are available immediately for the teacher to see.

For Teachers and Administrators Statistics are formulated automatically and cover individual and group score averages on both vocabulary and comprehension portions of the test. For vocabulary, progress can be tracked on a month-by-month basis according to how well the student body tests on Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 vocabulary words. Comprehension progress can also be tracked monthly according to how well students test on asking questions, determining the importance of central ideas, making connections and inferences, summarizing complex concepts, interpreting text features, and visualizing. The results are defined pictorially through graphs and charts, making them easy to share with parents. In addition, test scores can be stored and tracked from year to year.

Teachers can assign specific titles to specific students or to small groups or classrooms. This allows students to work at their own pace. It’s also possible for educators to create placement tests for groups and individuals, and to keep track of what portion of each ebook is read, how many tests are taken for each title, and to monitor the popularity of each title.

Some of the teacher’s functions are designed to facilitate use of “e-Read and Report.” Included is a template for a letter to send to parents explaining the benefits of using the resource as well as how it works. Also, there are a few read-only spreadsheets. One breaks down the titles’ ATOS readability formula level, number of AR points, grade level interest, Guided Reading Level, Comparative Measure Level, and Dewey number. Another spreadsheet correlates title information to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Other spreadsheets provide title-specific information of tiered vocabulary words and Common Core correlation.

Verdict All in all, “e-Read and Report” is an attractive, useful, user-friendly product with great potential in schools and libraries.

Jennifer Prince (jennifer.prince@buncombe county.org) is a librarian at the Fairview branch of Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC, and an SLJ reviewer.

Hand-painted watercolor illustrations pair perfectly with the sound of the classic children’s tune in Cat Doorman’s Little Red Wagon (Night & Day Studios, Inc.; $2.99; PreS-K), a single from Cat Doorman’s Songbook, available for the iPad. The app opens instructing users to choose musical accompaniment—a guitar, a piano, or a “full band” of sounds. Once a choice is made, a young girl dressed in a bright orange dress starts on a walk through the countryside pulling the eponymous wagon.

As the child strolls along, sheet music scrolls across the bottom of the screen, and viewers can tap on images of woodland animals, trees, the sun, and other natural elements to trigger slight animations and a few sound effects. The first stop is a bakery where cakes and breads are loaded onto the wagon until the child cheerfully croons, “that’s enough,” and continues on her journey. After visits to the dairy to collect cheese and milk, the garden for an assortment of colorful vegetables, and an orchard for apples, the little girl is joined by her animal friends and together they set off to find a picnic spot.

Children (and adults) are likely to consider the next scene a misstep; instead of eating all the food, the picnic-goers are seen tossing it into the air. Despite that curious scene, children will want to return to the app for its pleasing music, easy navigation, and interactivity.—Cindy Wall, Southington Public Library & Museum, Southington, CT

Do your students and know the difference between a fire truck and a fire engine? In Fire Station (JumpSeeWow, $2.99; PreS-Gr 2) Clover the Rabbit takes kids through a cheery animated town where 10 documentary videos on the firehouse and firefighters’ equipment are embedded. Intuitive picture cues are tapped to launch the short films, which range in length from one to five minutes.

The narrated video clips include tours of the two aforementioned vehicles and the station. They star actual firefighters who describe their daily tasks, point out and name the different parts and functions of their vehicles, and demonstrate how they operate. (Two of the videos are available for preview at the JumpSeeWow site.) Children can easily navigate the app independently, swiping across screens to move through scenes. A few of the images around town are also interactive, but there are no cues to find the interactions. One video is of the baguette making at the bakery, which may not interest children invested in the firefighter theme.

The app would work well in a preschool or early elementary setting as part of a unit on community workers, and is sure to appeal to those children who can’t get enough information on the subject of firefighters. Firefighter Dress-Up (Jump See Wow, $.99; PreS) is a related app with the same cartoon characters available to color and dress. There’s no text and the interface is clumsy. The clothing doesn’t snap into place easily and users must exit the app to clear the picture. Stick with Fire Station; young enthusiasts will find much to revisit in that production.—Shelley Harris, Oak Park Public Library, IL

Interior image from ‘Recycling Truck’ (GoodGlue)

GoodGlue is a developer that’s created a number of apps around transport vehicles including Recycling Truck; Garbage Truck! Phoenix, AZ; Dump Truck!; and Railroad Boom Truck (all $.99; PreS-K), among others. On the surface these are games, but children are bound to learn a bit about the different functions of these machines while operating the apps. For example, in Recycling, the truck travels through a neighborhood stopping at trash cans; with a tap to the screen an automatic arm lifts the container and dumps its content into the truck, where the refuse is compacted. On goes the vehicle until viewers decide to head to the Recycling Sorting Center.

At the center, viewers are instructed on how to get the recyclables out of the truck and onto a shoot (“Touch the orange handle…”), and rewarded with praise when the job is completed. Next, children can sort the trash into colorful labeled bins (paper, plastic, glass, and metal) as it passes along a conveyor belt. When that’s done, it’s back to the street to collect more recycling. In Dump Truck! viewers help load the vehicle with gravel, stones, or dirt using a backhoe or another piece of equipment, and deliver it to construction sites. After visiting a few of these locations, the loop around town begins again. In both apps, sound effects add to the fun. Consider these for heavy-equipment aficionados. Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Dump trucks, delivery trucks, bucket trucks, and cement mixers—all sorts of oversize vehicles doing their jobs—rumble by cities and towns and through tunnels and over bridges in Byron Barton’s Trucks (Oceanhouse Media, Inc. $1.99; PreS-K), based on the book of the same title (Crowell, 1986). The vibrant colors and bold images outlined in black that generations of Barton’s fans have enthusiastically responded to will also be appreciated in the app.

In the digital version, kids can slide some of the trucks about and hear a range of background sounds from horns beeping to workers’ conversations. Users can tap different items on the screen to have labels appear, such as “tree” or “road”—a useful feature for emergent readers. With the sound option “on” the story is also narrated and words highlighted as they are read. Large, directional arrows turn the pages and there is a home button on each page to return to the main menu. A surefire hit with the young truck-loving set.—Kari Allen, National Writing Project in New Hampshire,  Plymouth State University

In Barry and Emma Tranter’s engaging Rounds: Parker Penguin (Nosy Crow, $4.99; PreS-Gr 2), a gregarious emperor penguin cheerily relates salient facts about his species and Antarctica. Readers first encounter Parker as a young fledgling standing expectantly against the frigid backdrop of the South Pole, with snowflakes falling gently around him. Soft, lullaby-like music by award-winning composer Robin Beanland plays in the background and complements the crisp, wintery illustrations.

Viewers track the bird through various stages of his development as he glides and swims in his icy habitat, hunts food, avoids predators, meets his mate, Penelope, and helps hatch their chick, Percy. Per the “Rounds” series title, the life cycle story begins again with Percy, followed by his son, Peter.

The jocund narration is charmingly voiced by British child actors. In the “Read and Play” mode, words are highlighted as they are spoken; with the independent reading option, children can manage the length of time the text appears. In both modes, users tap light blue dots that appear on the penguins and their surroundings to glean additional information about the animal’s habits and habitat.

Sweeping fingers across the screen will cause snowflakes to swirl; tilting the device propels Parker across the ice and into the water with a splash. Animation standouts include the lively penguin mating dance, and Parker’s age progression cleverly juxtaposed against the rising and setting of the sun.  The app has excellent sound design with realistic penguin vocalizations interspersed throughout the story.

Parker Penguin’s seamless presentation of nonfiction content in a captivating and informative manner makes it an essential purchase for burgeoning digital collections. A trailer is available.—Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, Escondido, CA

Children learning about the continents are sure to appreciate Linda Scher’s Antarctica ($2.99; Gr 2-5) by Kids Discover. Jam packed with facts, figures, and stunning images (archival and contemporary), it’s both visually arresting and informative. Separate sections delve into Antarctica’s geography, climate, and “cold critters,” expeditions to the frozen land (current and historical), and its importance to research scientists. There’s even an interview with a support staff member on her first trip to the McMurdo Station. The app’s maps, quizzes, animations, and short video clips make it a valuable resource for a range of learners.

The app is user-friendly and navigation is easy—from the visual table of contents to the discretely placed tabs and arrows. One of the interactive highlights is the penguin egg that users can hatch by tapping the screen. Images are crisp and bright. A  five-question quiz culminates the storyline. Children who choose incorrect answers are encouraged to try again and rewarded with applause when they respond correctly.

Other in-app activities include a penguin word scramble and a cartoon figure to dress for the frigid environment (layers being key). A suggested extension activity involves making a glacier (with snow or shaved ice) in three quick steps. A short resource list of Web and print resources are appended. All in all, an app that is sure to please parents and educators as well as youngsters.—Morgan Doane, Kent District Library, East Grand Rapids, MI

National Geographic: People, Animals, and the World

“National Geographic: People, Animals, and the World” is part of the National Geographic Virtual Library. The database allows access to full-text books on travel, science and technology, history, the environment, animals, photography, and peoples and cultures. Also included are full-text articles from National Geographic Traveler magazine from 2010 to the present, 325 videos, 655 full color maps and atlases, and 600 downloadable images.

Cost National Geographic Virtual Library (which includes National Geographic Magazine Archive 1888-1994; 1995-Current; and People, Animals, and the World) is based on the FTE of the academic institution or the size of the population a public library serves. Annual pricing starts at $1,264 for public libraries and $1,584 for academic libraries (a 20 per cent discount for both).

Overview The full-text books and articles and the media mentioned above are divided here into six umbrella topics: Animals, Environment, History, People and Cultures, Science and Technology, and Travel.

How it Works Selecting one of the umbrella topics directs the user to a new page displaying the following content types: images, books, feature articles, videos, and maps. A search box is on the left of the screen, and entering a search term creates a shorter list of content types, with the number of hits in each type displayed. The default selection for sorting the results is by relevance, but a drop-down menu on the right of the screen allows users to list results by date (newest or oldest first) and by document title.

Beneath the list of content types is another search box for narrowing the original search. There is also a list of recommended subjects for cross reference and for further focusing the work on a specific content type. For example, a search in the animals category for “rats” produces one featured image, seven books, 141 feature articles, and two videos.

Electing to search through the hits for books creates a list of over two dozen overlapping subjects. Choosing to look at the videos results in a list of only seven additional subjects that are relevant. The search does not allow for variations, so a search for “rat” creates its own set of hits, including some new ones.

A drop-down menu to the top right of the screen allows switching between topics, but does not save the search; so users who move from “Animals” to “People and Culture,” for example, would need to re-enter their query. Again, there is some overlap of results.

Upon choosing a featured article, the full text appears as the main feature of the page, with a sidebar to the right displaying a search box, a citation for the article in view, and related subjects. Running along the bottom of the screen are thumbnails representing some of the other feature articles that were part of the search. The article as it appears on the screen defaults to 14 per cent, but it can be expanded to full screen, which improves readability. While in full-screen mode, researchers can only scroll through the article a page at a time, using arrows at the top of the screen. There is more flexibility when using the reduced-size screen, however, which allows navigation within the article by entering page numbers.

It should be noted that the search box is designed to search the entire issue in which the article appeared, not just the article itself. Searching a book is similar, but with a key distinction: use of the search box finds the actual references within the text of the book. The page numbers are clickable and lead to the correct page with the search term highlighted.

Special Features Setting up a personal account allows users to create tags and save documents. Citation tools include print and email commands, a citation generator, and bookmarks.

Videos include closed captioning; it is also possible to listen to an audio version of the information that is printed beneath the video. The text is highlighted as the audio plays. Users can control the speed of the highlighting, so that it features individual words or complete sentences, or to turn this extra off altogether. The audio files can also be downloaded.

Unfortunately, backtracking is not easy in this resource. A “Back to Search Results” feature is available when a document is first selected, but as soon as the researcher begins to move within or away from the document—following a link to a suggested, relevant topic, for example—the feature disappears and the only way to return to the original list of results is to use the browser’s back arrows or to simply return to the homepage and re-enter the search. When users select an article from the feature articles results list, they must reenter their search term in the search box (unless they plan to read the article from start to finish). Because this creates a search through the entire issue, it generates a new set of results (including the original article), which creates an extra step to work through. Finally, the results can be slow to load in the sidebars.

Verdict The name “National Geographic” is a respected and trusted brand for armchair travelers and professional researchers alike, and this database should prove popular with patrons. Because it draws from the parent magazine and from publications for an adult readership, it is best for high school and public libraries, though features such as the videos, images, and maps could prove attractive to younger users.

Kara Schaff Dean is the youth services librarian at Walpole Public Library, MA

In Dean Morrissey’s Ship of Dreams (readImagine, Inc., $4.99; PreS-Gr 4) readers take off on a fantastical nighttime adventure with a young boy named Joey as he accompanies the legendary Sandman on his rounds in this bedtime story. Based on the book of the same title (Abrams,1994), the app features the same oil paintings that illustrate the award-winning book. However, here the art is brightened for tablet screens and animated.

Some of the interactive animations are fairly subtle, such as the crescent moon that can be pulled across the sky; others are more elaborate, such as the ship that glides off into the distance trailing twinkling stars. Navigation is always easy and intuitive, with clear visual cues indicating the spots that children must tap to trigger movements, to engage in a particular activity, or to advance the plot. There are also a few embedded games within the story, including one that challenges readers to count the squirrels that the cheeky author has hidden throughout his illustrations.

Users can navigate between the “Read to Me” and “Read it Myself” modes, and enable background music that enhances the story’s magical feel. As an aid to vocabulary building, some of the more difficult words are highlighted, inviting readers to touch for definitions and pronunciations. Taking further advantage of the interactive platform, users can select one of three reading levels: second-, third-, or fourth-grade. The language of the story and sentence structure are adjusted accordingly.

By tailoring the content to appeal to children of different ages and abilities, this production allows a broad audience to share in Joey’s wondrous journey, while enjoying Morrissey’s imaginative storytelling and striking artwork along the way.—Sharon Breslow, Bridgeport Public Library, Bridgeport, CT

Screen shot from ‘You Are Stardust’ (Kelsey) Think Thirty-Three. illus. by Soyeon Kim

How often do we take the time to stop and observe the world around us with the children in our lives? You Are Stardust (Think Thirty-Three/Owlkids Books, $4.99; PreS-Gr 3) based on the picture book of the same title (Owlkids Books, 2012), encourages us to do just that. Written by environmentalist Elin Kelsey, the text is rooted in science, yet surprisingly poetic.

A comforting female voice narrates the text, accompanied by melodic tones, chimes, and sounds from nature. The book provides a springboard from which to see the interconnectedness of things, to imagine, and to ask questions. It reminds readers to “Be still. Listen,” and suggests that, “We are all connected. We are all nature. We are all stardust.”

Soyeon Kim’s diorama artwork was created using linen fabric; Japanese paper; dried flowers; and color-washed, 2D line drawings suspended inside wooden boxes. It’s extraordinary. The whimsy and 3D feeling of the original dioramas successfully transfers to the digital version and the subtle animations of wings flapping, falling stardust, and floating whales further help to enliven the text.

The app opens with three options: “Read me the story” (narrated text; automatic page-turns); “I’ll read the story” (no narration; swipe for page-turns); and “Make your own diorama” (users can build their own artwork from a selection of scene elements). “More about Stardust” can be accessed to discover how Kim created her dioramas, to read a note from the author, to see credits and navigational information, and more.

If it’s been a while since you’ve marveled with your kids about how the electricity in our brains is similar to lightning, or the way baby birds learn to sing, You Are Stardust is a great place to start.–Kathleen S. Wilson, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY

Eds. note: A trailer for You Are Stardust is available for viewing.

Once again, Touch Press delivers an absorbing, in-depth look at a topic that will dazzle readers and viewers. This app takes viewers on a virtual tour deep inside the tombs and pyramids of Egypt’s Giza Plateau. 

On opening Pyramids 3D: Wonders of the Old Kingdom (Touch Press LLP; $13.99; Gr 6 Up), viewers soar over the Giza Plateau under the bright desert sun while the sounds of birds and the wind are heard in the background. In all, there are nine “Places” to visit at this ancient necropolis, from King Khafre’s Tomb to The Great Pyramid. Tapping on the entrance to a monument will bring viewers inside. Once there, they can take a virtual tour of the pyramid or tomb, methodically following arrows and using the floor plan as a guide, or swiping the floors and walls to move about independently within the labyrinths. The “Expert Intros” for each location, the only audio provided in this app, are informative, yet all too brief.

A menu at the top of each screen provides an alphabetized index of sites to explore and a “Quick tips” menu explains how to navigate within the monuments. Illuminated areas signal statues, wall carvings, and drawings that offer additional information. A tap on a picture label provides a description of the work. Titles, terms, and locales are defined and illustrated with maps. Throughout the app, scenes offer a “Then and Now” feature allowing users to toggle between the clean lines, vibrant colors, and the smooth surfaces that artists imagine these walls and items had millennia ago, and the fading colors and damage wrought by time, and in some cases, vandalism.

‘Statue of a Woman Making Bread’ from ‘Pyramids 3D’ (Touch Press) Photo by Sandro Vannini

An “Objects” option allows viewers to examine a collection of 40 artifacts, each of which can be enlarged and rotated 360 degrees. The clarity of detail is noteworthy. Particularly stunning is the “Golden Mask of Tutankhamun,” which shines as users tip their iPads to fully appreciate the pairing of ancient artistry and modern technology. Other artifacts include statues and statuettes, a gold-handled knife, and a piece of jewelry. For each item, details (size, material, etc.) and notes are provided.

The accompanying text offers an introduction and 10 chapters on topics ranging from “A Brief History of Ancient Egypt” and “The Pyramid Builders” to “The Mystery of the Queen’s Burial” and the 1954 “Discovery of the Solar Boats.” Fascinating details along with a timeline and photos of the site and artifacts are included. A postscript by the author—the noted archeologist Zahi Hawass—discusses recent political developments in Egypt and the plans for the Giza Plateau, its protection, and continued excavation.

Both the spectacular photography by Sandro Vannini and superb 3-D imaging will impress viewers, who will undoubtedly wish the app contained a larger collection of photos and locations to explore. A splendid production.—Deirdre Reddington, Uniondale High School, Uniondale, NY

Picture Book Apps

Emma Loves Pink (by Piret Raud/WingedChariot)

Go Away, Big Green Monster! (by Ed Emberly/Night & Day Studios)

Ladybug Girl (by David Soman and Jacky Davis/Trilogy Touch)

Hildegard Sings  (by Thomas Wharton/One Hundred Robots)

Harold and the Purple Crayon (by Crockett Johnson/Trilogy Studios)

Pat the Bunny (by Dorothy Kunhardt/Random Digital)

Don’t Let the Pigeon Run this App! (by Mo Willems/Smart Planet Digital)

Spot the Dot (by David Carter/Ruckus Mobile Media)

Otter on His Own (by Doe Boyle/Oceanhouse Media)

How Rocket Learned to Read (by Tad Hills/Random House Digital)

Moonbot Studios’ The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, The Numberlys, &
Imag.N.O.Tron

Ruckus Mobile Media’s many stories, folk tales and legends, including Johnny
Appleseed  & The Velveteen Rabbit

Where Do Balloons Go? (by Jamie Lee Curtis/Auryn, Inc.)

The Monster at the End of the Book…Starring Grover! (Sesame Workshop/Callaway
Digital Arts)

The Great Cookie Thief… A Sesame Street App Starring Cookie Monster (Sesame
Workshop/Callaway Digital Arts)

Press Here (by Hervé Tullet/Chronicle Books)

Sunday in Kyoto (Lyrics and Music by Gilles Vigneault/The Secret Mountain)

Moomin, Mymble and Little My (based on the title by Tove Jansson/Spinfy)

Pop Out! The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (by Beatrix Potter/Loud Crow Interactive)

Cinderella: A 3-D Fairy Tale (Illus. by Ed Bryan/Nosy Crow)

Will You Come for a Sleepover? (By Marianne Busser and Ron Schröder/Piccolo)

Tim on the Tiles (Tjibbe Veldkamp/Piccolo)

Boats (Byron Barton/Oceanhouse Media)

The Going to Bed Book (Sandra Boynton/Loud Crow)

Franklin Frog (by Barry Tranter and Emma Tranter/ Nosy Crow’s “Rounds”
series)

Parker Penguin (Nosy Crow’s “Rounds” series)

Goodnight Moon (by Margaret Wise Brown/Loud Crow Interactive)

Fiction & Literature

Frankenstein (by Dave Morris, based on Mary Shelley’s novel/Inkle)

Moby-Dick: A Digital Odyssey (based on Herman Melville’s novel/Arcade)

Treasure Island (abridged ed. of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel/Space Dogs)

T. S. Eliot’s The Wasteland (Touch Press)

Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (Penguin, 1KStudios)

Chopsticks (Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral/Penguin/ Citrus Suite)

Othello other titles from the “Shakesperience” series (Sourcebooks/iBooks)

Shakespeare’s Sonnets (Touch Press/ The Arden Shakespeare/ Faber and Faber Ltd.)

Chasing Fireflies: A Haiku Collection (trans. by Peter Beilenson/Honeybee Labs)

Horrible Hauntings (by Shirin Yim Bridges/Trigger)

Bottom of the Ninth (Ryan Woodward/Ryan Woodward Art & Animation)

Nonfiction & Reference Apps

Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night (by Mary Kay Carson /Bookerella, Story Services Ltd.)

Bobo Explores Light (by Craig Fusco/Game Collage, LLC; Juraj Hlaváč )

My First Classical Music App (by Genevieve Helsby and Jason Chapman/Naxos Digital)

X Is for X-Ray: An A to Z Look inside Everyday Objects (by Paul Rosenthal/Touch Press)

Barefoot World Atlas (by Nick Crane/Touch Press)

Britannica Kids: Ancient Egypt, Knights and Castles, Snakes, etc.

D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, and other titles in the “Great Battles” series (various/Amber)

Weird but True!  (National Geographic Society)

Brooklyn Bridge, The Parthenon, and The Taj Mahal (by Elizabeth Mann/ iBooks)

Annie Fox’s “Middle School Confidential” series (Free Spirit/Electric Eggplant)

“Our Amazing World” series: Antarctica, Penguins, and Owls  (Wayne Lynch/ Matchbook Press)

Beware Madame La Guillotine (by Sarah Towle/Time Traveler Tours, LLC)

Journey into the Deep (by Rebecca Johnson/Lerner)

The Wonders of Geology (by Michael Collier/Mikaya Press)

Al Gore’s Our Choice (by Al Gore/Melcher Media/Push Pop Press)

Fragile Earth (Collins)

Elements (Touch Press)

Journey to the Exoplanets (by Edward Bell, Ron Miller/FSG, Scientific American & Brandwidth)

Solar System (by Marcus Chown/Touch Press)

March of the Dinosaurs (hybrid fic/nonfic; Touch Press LLC, in conjunction with National Geographic &     Wide-Eyed Entertainment)

Gems and Jewels (by Lance Grande & Allison Augustyn/Touch Press)

Pyramids 3D (Touch Press)

Leonardo Da Vinci: Anatomy (by Martin Clayton/Touch Press)

Skulls (by Simon Winchester, Touch Press)

Building Titantic (National Geographic)

DK Human Body (by Steve Parker/Medi-Motion, Dorling Kindersley)

Tate Guide to Modern Art (by Simon Wilson with Jessica Lack and the Tate staff/ Tate Publishing/   Aimer  Media

Mini-Monsters (3D 4 Medical Science)

Fiske Interactive College Guide 2012 (Sourcebooks)

And finally, a few book-inspired game apps

Bunny Fun: Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes (by Rosemary Wells/ Auryn, Inc./Fourth Story Media)

Dr. Seuss Band (Oceanhouse Media)

Elmo Calls (Sesame Workshop)

Where Is My Frog? (by Mercer Mayer/ Sterling Publishing)

Eric Carle’s My Very First App (Philomel/Night & Day Studios)

Counting with the Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carle/Penguin/Night & Day Studios)

Big Nate Comix by U! (by Lincoln Peirce /Night & Day Studios)

How to Rock Braces and Glasses (by Meg Haston/Hachette/Alloy Entertainment)

High School Bites (by Heather Brewer/Penguin)

At the center is the Can*TEEN Trivia Wheel Library Interactive game, a new spin on the classic gaming style of multiple choice trivia questions, developed by the Carnegie Science Center. AASL, working with the Carnegie Science Center, and with support from the Motorola Foundation, will distribute Can*TEEN Trivia Wheel Library Interactive toolkits to more than 2,500 school librarians serving children ages 10 to 14.

Participating school librarians will receive a free kit for their library and will be asked to complete a follow-up survey at the end of the school year. The survey will evaluate how frequently the toolkit was checked out and how it was used in the school. More information and an opt-in form can be found on AASL’s website, and you can review clips from recent play tests, featuring two of the women who helped make the Can*TEEN Interactive, at www.canteengirl.org.

“

Financial Literacy

Grade Level 7 Up

Cost Tiered pricing begins at $595 for an annual subscription for schools and public libraries, and is based on student enrollment or cardholder numbers.

Overview Don’t let the simple homepage layout fool you—there is a ton of information in this database. Rosen has revised and updated material from more than 500 new and backlist titles, readying it for online use—and that effort shows.

Topics are timely, relevant, and made accessible to the intended audience. The homepage displays a list of seven broad financial topics that users can select; these range from “Entrepreneurship and Career Skills” to “Role of Government” to “The Market Economy.” The homepage also offers two featured articles: “Making Sense of It” discusses a current event, while “Take a Closer Look” typically contains a story with video; the one displayed at the time of the review, for example, stars teenage girls discussing how to start and market a small business. Users can also try one of six different financial calculators or get involved by answering the daily quiz or poll. Resources for teachers and librarians include Common Core and state-specific standards correlations, promotional materials, and Web buttons.

Content and Usability To get an idea of the content available here, users will want to browse by simply drilling down into a topic of interest. For example, clicking on the homepage topic “Personal Finance” brings up a list of related issues, which include “Credit and Debt,” “The Economy and the Individual,” and “Income and Careers,” to name a few. Under “Credit and Debt” are four relevant articles including “First Credit Card and Credit Smarts,” which is presented in very manageable sections. “Entrepreneurship and Careers Skills” offers helpful advice on job seeking, including how to write résumés and cover letters and prepare for interviews. Articles are divided into 8 to 12 prominently labeled subdivisions. “Previous” and “Next” navigation buttons allow readers to easily turn to the next screen.

A search box is provided for more specific queries. In addition, topics may be browsed alphabetically or by subject, and doing either reveals the depth of material provided.

Layout This database is not cutesy but rather reflects a more serious approach, a smart choice for the topic and intended age group. The interface is pleasantly consistent and predictable. Every article is presented in the same way, with a menu of sections on the left and the text on the right. At any time the user may click on the large “Financial Literacy” link on the top left to go to the homepage.

Some of the pages could use additional back navigation buttons. For example, after clicking on a calculator there are no buttons within the database that will bring the user back to the calculators’ menu page. Also, the “Browse A-Z” and “Browse Subject” buttons do not work when using Internet Explorer 8, but were fine on the iPad (Rosen recommends the use of Internet Explorer 9), while, using the iPad, moving the mouse over a highlighted word provides a definition that is then hard to remove.

Rosen offers a user-friendly option to print or email either a section or the full article. Six financial calculators help with, for example, auto loan payments, college costs, and budgeting. Each article includes “investigate” topics that encourage related reading on the subject.

Articles can be translated into 50 different languages using a built-in Google Translate option. There are text-to-speech capabilities, although the voice is robotic and thus the pacing and pronunciation are off at times. However, for students who need the audio, it is a valuable feature. Article citations are provided in APA and MLA formats. The material is written in plain language, although unfortunately the authors are sometimes condescending or preachy (“teenagers should turn off the television and learn…non-exportable jobs…”).

The Common Core and state-specific standards correlations can be viewed on screen or exported to an Excel spreadsheet. Social bookmarking allows for sharing of articles, and the material is iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and netbook compatible.

Verdict This accessible database hosts a wealth of information for students and provides teachers with a solid resource to support financial-literacy lessons. Rosen has taken into account the needs of students and teachers in creating this comprehensive tool for the classroom, and the end product is a valuable, dynamic resource.

Stephanie Farnlacher is a librarian at Trace Crossings School, Hoover, AL

Image from ‘Atlas by Collins’

A number of apps address the state of our planet. One of the first produced for students was Al Gore’s award-winning Our Choice (Melcher Media/Push Pop Press; $4.99), featuring stunning photography, informative video clips, and a compelling message about global warming. In 7 Billion: How Your World Will Change (National Geographic; $4.99) thought-provoking photos, videos, charts, and articles examine the impact of population growth on the earth, including commentary on food sources, family size, and the most challenged regions of the world. Fragile Earth, one of SLJ’s Top 10 Apps of 2012, offers a gallery of photos detailing the impact of human endeavors and natural phenomena on the environment. Satellite and land photographs, taken from minutes to years apart, depict the alarming before-and-after effects of mining, deforestation, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other events on our landscape.

The recently released Atlas by Collins takes a look at our planet from a number of perspectives. Cathy Potter reviews it below.

Chart, “Energy Consumption,” from ‘Atlas by Collins’

Gr 6 Up-The expansive Atlas by Collins contains seven globes: satellite, physical, political, population, environment, communications, and energy. For each thematic section text and illustrations combine to provide an overview of the subject.

“Living Earth” explores the natural world and a variety of landscapes, as well as changes in and threats to the planet, among other topics. “People and Power” considers where energy reserves are located, where energy is produced and consumed, how technology connects the world, and more. These and other subjects are addressed through questions (“What are the major environmental threats to our planet and the areas most affected? “What energy reserves does each country contain?” “Where in the world can you get mobile phone coverage?) and detailed answers are provided along with captioned photos, charts, and graphs (sources cited).

Viewers swipe to spin the 3-D globes; pinch and pull to zoom in and out. While zooming in the globe will switch to Google Maps, but an Internet connection is required to take advantage of this feature. A location bar at the top of each screen marks the city and country or region displayed. A tap on the information symbol opens a window that reveals country statistics and information on the nation’s land, climate, economy, demographics, and transportation, and a few images–information that will be useful to student researchers. Each entry also includes links to the country’s web site.

Menus below each globe provide readers with a plethora of information about our planet including birth rates, pollution hotspots, and Internet usage. Color-coded keys and symbols help readers interpret the information presented. (The app contains no narration or sound effects.)

The satellite globe is the only one that downloads when users purchase the app. The others must be installed individually, and the amount of time required to do so is considerable. While the breadth of information in Atlas by Collins is impressive, the download time, tendency to shut down, and substantial amount of storage space required (1.3 GB) may prove problematic for some users.—Cathy Potter, Falmouth Elementary School, Falmouth, ME

Eds. note: For a look inside Atlas by Collins take a peek at the trailer.

A Picture-Book Biography in Spanish

My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz / Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz (illus. by Rafael López, Luna Rising, 2004)

Listen to Monica Brown’s story about Celia Cruz in the singer’s native tongue.

A French Canadian Classic

The Hockey Sweater (illus.by Sheldon Cohen, House of Anansi Press, 1979)

Experience Roch Carrier’s story in French, as read by the author.

An Ojibwe Young Reader Book

Awesiinyensag: Dibaajimowinan Ji-Gikinoo’amaageng (by Anton Treuer et al., illus. by Wesley Ballinger, Wiigwaas Press, 2010)

Hear Anton Treuer describe the collaborative effort behind this unique title.

An Early Reader 

Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! (Toon Books, 2009)

Tune in to Julie Chung and Yixin Zhang as they read Geoffrey Hayes’s popular book in Mandarin Chinese.

A Puerto Rican Classic

Juan Bobo Sends the Pig to Mass (as told by Arí Acevedo-Feliciano, illus. by Tom Wrenn, August House Story Cove, 2008)

Watch this animated video as Denise Arribas narrates a story about the beloved fool.

A French-language winner of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award

La saison des pluies (Soulières éditeur, 2011)

Listen to author Mario Brassard introduce and read from his celebrated title.

 A Graphic Novel in Russian

Little Mouse Gets Ready (Toon Books, 2009)

Listen to Elena Makarov’s reading of Jeff Smith’s Little Mouse in Russian.

A Bilingual Spanish/English Folktale

Tell Me a Cuento / Cuéntame un story (as told by Joe Hayes, illus. by Geronimo Garcia, Cinco Puntos Press, 1998)

Hear storyteller Joe Hayes’s fluid bilingual rendition of this tale.

Nick Glass and Carin Bringelson would love to hear about your favorite bilingual stories. Write to them at nick@TeachingBooks.net.

You see, I’m not really that smart. I just know people who are. One of the wisest things that we librarians can do is to collaborate with other smart librarians who love to share. For example, I have a strong personal learning network (PLN) that starts on Twitter and even includes a monthly face-to-face gathering. My PLN provides me with lots of really good ideas, answers questions, and supports my work. It is through these resources that I have gathered a huge technology toolbox, assessment strategies, promotional ideas, and a ton of worthwhile resources that I can pass on to my teachers.

The core of my network starts online with Twitter and the #tlchat hashtag. You can get started on Twitter by following great school librarians like Buffy Hamilton, Gwyneth Jones, Donna Baumbach, or Jennifer Lagarde. You can also find librarian folks on Facebook and Google+. Several blogs like The Never Ending Search and Not So Distant Future post great resources, links, ideas, and challenges. I find the online world a great place to ask questions or get directions. For me, this is better than email because there are so many knowledgeable experts who respond almost instantaneously.

Librarians can also take advantage of some great (free) professional development opportunities. Join the Teacher Librarian Virtual Cafe webinar presentations the first Monday of every month, live #tlchat twitter discussions the 2nd Monday of every month, or peruse the outstanding free online recorded sessions of Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference held last month. School Library Journal also features many free webcasts including a series that just began in September focused on Common Core.

Do you need more ideas? My state’s professional organization (Colorado Association of School Libraries) has been developing a site where we librarians can upload examples on everything from advocacy to lesson plans. Perhaps your state has a site like Survive and Thrive which has been created as a space for sharing stories and models of 21st century skills. Broaden your perspective by joining  EdWeb.net, Council on 21st Century Learning, or your own state’s eLearning professional development site (like eNet Colorado).

Finally, take some time to meet face-to-face with other professionals in a learning atmosphere. A small group of us have committed to meet once a month (at the bar of course!) where one of us facilitates the discussion or shows new tools for learning. While we often arrive beleaguered by the trials of the day, we invariably leave energized and ready to try new things.

Librarians love to grow and learn, and must do so to be on the cutting edge of positive change. Since most of us are the only staff person in our field in the building, we must utilize opportunities to develop our own personal learning networks, share ideas, and find ways to be rejuvenated.