September 19, 2013

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Multimedia Reviews | May 2013

Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (Weston Woods) 
©2007 by Melanie Watts

Be sure to check out May’s starred reviews for two DVDs and five audiobooks that are must-haves for you collection.

Teens Review OneRepublic’s ‘Native’ and New Kids’ ’10′ | Music Reviews

New Kids on the Block 10

“The boys” still have their stuff on New Kids on the Block’s ’10′, the follow-up to their 2008 ‘Greatest Hits’ reunion album, while OneRepublic has continued to add polish and range on their highly collaborative new album, ‘Native’.

Pick of the Day: Moonbird (AUDIO)

Moonbird audiobook

Phillip Hoose describes a year in the life of a rufa red knot in the audiobook Moonbird and does a superb job of narrating the text.

Pick of the Day: Marching to the Mountaintop (Audio)

marching to the mountaintop

Ann Bausum explores the connections between the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Marching to the Mountaintop. Check out the review for this wonderful audiobook for listeners in middle school and above.

Pick of the Day: Growing Up in Coal Country (Audio)

growin up in coal country

In Growing Up in Coal Country, Susan Campbell Bartoletti recounts life in Northeastern Pennsylvania coal country around the turn of the 19th century utilizing oral history and archival documents and focusing primarily on the lives of children. Don’t miss the starred review of this audiobook narrated by Suzanne Toren.

Pick of the Day: You’re Not a Little Kid Anymore! Personal Hygiene (DVD)

Personal Hygiene Proof

You’re Not a Little Kid Anymore! Personal Hygiene covers the basics that all elementary school kids should know. Check out this starred review.

Pick of the Day: Courage Has No Color (Audio)

courage has no color

Learn about the Triple Nickles, a group of unsung African-American soldiers who became part of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion during World War II in the starred audiobook review of Courage Has No Color, written by Tanya Lee Stone and narrated by JD Jackson.

Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults: Justin Timberlake, Son Volt, ‘Tomb Raider’

Honky Tonk

Timberlake’s performance during the Grammy Awards earlier this year may have been panned, but our reviewer finds his efforts on The 20/20 Experience laudable. If you’ve never heard of Son Volt, it may be time to give their latest album, Honky Tonk, a listen. Been missing Lara Croft? She’s back in Tomb Raider, a prequel to the wildly successful franchise that first launched in 1996.

Pick of the Day: Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists–Faith Ringgold (DVD)

getting to know faith ringgold

Introduce young viewers to Faith Ringgold, an amazing and influential African-American artist, in Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Faith Ringgold. Be sure to check out the starred review of this DVD.

Pick of the Day: Ready Set Go (Audio)

ready set go

The Happy Racers’ latest album, Ready Set Go, embraces all the fun and wonders of childhood. Here’s the starred review of the CD.

Pick of the Day: Bone Wind Fire (DVD)

bone wind fire

Learn about the art and lives of three female artists—Georgia O’Keefe, Emily Carr, and Frida Kahlo—in Bone Wind Fire, a visually stunning production from National Film Board of Canada. Don’t miss this starred review.

Pick of the Day: Uses for Boys (Audio)

uses for boys

Check out the starred review of the audiobook Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt, narrated by Emily Durante.

Pick of the Day: Death and the Civil War (DVD)

death and the civil war

Death and the Civil War utilizes historical photographs and primary sources, especially letters written by soldiers, to present the history of the war from Fort Sumter to Appomattox. Don’t miss the starred review of this DVD.

Pick of the Day: Got a Minute? (Audio)

got a minute

The children’s music CD Got a Minute? features Milkshake’s outstanding vocal and instrumental performances. Be sure to read the starred review.

Music and Game Reviews from Young Adults: The Walking Dead, Sly Cooper, and MLB 13

Walking Dead soundtrack

Though I’m surrounded by Walking Dead fans, I’d have never imagined a soundtrack—guess I was wrong! This might be just the thing to listen to while taking part in Run For Your Lives, a zombie-infested 5K obstacle course race that’s going nationwide. Spring training has wrapped up and the baseball season has begun, so there’s no better time to break out MLB 13: The Show, which sports many new features. Ready for some classic gaming? Sounds like Sly Cooper, Thieves in Time has all the moves for a satisfying experience.

Multimedia Reviews | April 2013

Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Faith Ringgold (Getting to Know)
©2008 by Mike Venezia.

You will definitely want to add the ten DVDs and audio productions that received starred reviews to your school and public library collections

Pick of the Day: The Abolitionists (DVD)

DVD about abolitionists

The struggles of the abolitionists to raise the collective consciousness of Northerners and Southerners to the horror of the slave system are recreated in The Abolitionists, an incredibly well-crafted DVD program. Check out the starred review.

Pick of the Day: Pickin’ in the Garden (Audio)

pickin in the garden

The Funky Mama’s new album, Pickin’ in the Garden, presents 15 upbeat, lively songs in folk, country, rock Latin, bluegrass, ragtime, and funk musical styles. Don’t miss the review of their CD.

Pick of the Day: Action! Fun! Dance! for Kids (Audio)

action fun dance

Don’t miss the starred review of Learning Station’s Action! Fun! Dance! For Kids, a new album of 14 rousing songs that will get children up and moving.

Pick of the Day: Out on the Prairie & Deep in the Swamp (DVD)

out on the prairie and deep in the swamp

Donna Bateman’s clever juxtaposition of two very different but fragile ecosystems in Out on the Prairie & Deep in the Swamp is just right for young children. In the DVD version, the artwork and minimal music let the rhyming text sing. Check out this starred review.