BBC Earth Wonders.BBC Worldwide LTD. 2013. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Version 1.0. $3.99.
Gr 2 Up–Earth Wonders offers a collection of images showcasing the fierce and fascinating beauty of our natural world, including rare animals, plants, and natural phenomena. As such, it supports science research, though the brevity of the text may make it a supplemental resource. The app’s real standouts are the hundreds of high-quality photos and numerous videos that bring information to life in a way that text cannot. These can be accessed alphabetically, or by theme, or by tapping a globe.

Providing glimpses into the incredible and often dangerous facets of nature, the videos are sometimes grisly; sensitive viewers may be disturbed by a pack of lions hunting and devouring an elephant. Then again, what child can resist seeing a Venus fly trap capture its prey? Other videos are sheer awe and beauty, such as the time-lapse scenes of the aurora borealis. Users may be put off by the somewhat clumsy interface and the prominent link to purchase the BBC’s Planet Earth television series after each video, but kids will love navigating via the spinning globe. Overall, a welcome resource for those with a keen eye for nature.–Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA

Fire Station. $2.99
Firefighter Dress-Up. $0.99.
ea vol: JumpSeeWow, Inc. 2012. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Version 1.0.
PreS-Gr 2-Do your students and know the difference between a fire truck and a fire engine? In Fire Station, 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 Jump SeeWow site.) Children can easily navigate the app, swiping across screens to move through scenes. A few of the images around town are also interactive, but there are no cues pointing to the interactions. One video is of 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 children who can’t get enough information on the subject of firefighters. Firefighter Dress-Up 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

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Loree Griffin Burns. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. iBooks 3.0 or later; iOS, requires 5.1 or later. Version 1.0. $ 9.99.
Gr 4-9–“There is a lot more trash out there than I expected.” This was the observation of a marine pollution researcher after his first flights over the Eastern Garbage Patch, an area of the Pacific Ocean where currents converge to create a floating landfill the size of Alaska. The vivid images, clear descriptions, videos, and animated diagrams in the iBook edition of will no doubt bring readers to the same realization. The title, one in the “Scientists in the Field” series (HMH, 2007) follows the efforts of Curt Ebbesmeyer and other scientists whose work studying ocean currents included tracking the routes of “roughly 80,000 sneakers” and 28,800 plastic tub toys adrift in the Pacific Ocean after two (separate) cargo spills, and referred to as “the largest and (cheapest) ocean drift experiment ever undertaken.”

The ebook has been enhanced with age-appropriate video content—one or two short multimedia components per chapter, including a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) animation of ocean currents that is both soothing and dizzying at the same time. The news is not all bad, though—readers also learn about scientists and conservationists who use techniques as basic as beachcombing and as advanced as satellite tracking to identify and clean up our oceans. Tracking Trash inspires further research and individual commitment to the environment, and with links to relevant websites and ongoing projects accessible from the tablet, the creators of the app have made it easy for students pursue their interests. Bonus: unlike the print version, the ebook edition isn’t made out of a tree and won’t end up in a landfill.–Paula Wiley, Pink Me

Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe.

Gr 9 Up –Based on two popular BBC science series hosted by physicist Brian Cox, this app immerses viewers in the science behind our solar system and the universe. It contains content from both television series with video clips, animated images, and infographics, alongside an incredibly rich and deep text.

Opening instructions guide users on how to navigate the app’s text and image gallery. The content is organized under the two broad areas (space and the universe), and both of these sections contains a number of subheadings or chapters. Chapters begin with a video clip introduction by Cox. Discussions start small–for example, sub-atomic and atomic particles expands to conversations about galaxies and the universe. A search box linked to a detailed index will help viewers locate specific information.

Cox is a great guide and the two-and-a-half hours of film clips of him discussing a variety of topics bring viewers to new levels of understanding. For instance, in considering the more than 2000 objects that circle the Earth, the author demonstrates what this “congestion” looks like with a clip of the identified asteroids in motion, and later, onsite at the Barrington Crater in Arizona.

Also included are more than 50 high-resolution 3D images that illuminate phenomena such as black holes and nebulae. These, along with authors’ renderings, can be saved, tweeted, emailed, or posted to Facebook.

To describe the content as multi-layered hardly does justice to this production. It’s a course in itself, taught by an engaging instructor, who while imparting his vast knowledge instills his students with awe and wonder appropriate to these otherworldly topics and scenes.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Kids Discover Galaxies. 2013. Version 1.1. Free.
Kids Discover Space. 2012. Version 2.0. $3.99.
ea: Kids Discover. iOS, requires 4.3 or later.

Gr 5-8 –Kids Discover has produced a number of apps based on their magazine series. Two of the recent offerings include the exemplary Galaxies and Space. The first focuses on the Milky Way and beyond, whilethe secondcovers our solar system.

In both productions, the writing is clear and engaging and the apps do an excellent job of presenting information via text and interactive features. In addition to navigation guides and visual indices, and a combination of pop-up text and/or captions, notes on important figures, Q & A’s, and definitions, these productions include a range of easily accessed elements such as film clips, animations, narrated segments, and background sounds that beautifully illustrate and enhance the accompanying text. For example, the more interactive Galaxies includes a projection of the Milky Way that allows viewers to zero in on Earth’s location and view it from a variety of angles.

Along with some spectacular photography, the apps contain reproductions, artists’ renderings, and colorful cartoon drawings. The activities included at the end of the texts–a jigsaw puzzle, a connect-the-stars drawing feature, etc.–are more appropriate for a younger audience, but these represent only a small portion of the otherwise stellar content. Overall, these are visually stunning, informative introductions to their subjects.—Lindsay Cesari, Baldwinsville School District, NY

You Are Stardust. Elin Kelsey. illus. by Soyeon Kim. Think Thirty-Three/Owlkids Books. 2012. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Version 1.2. $4.99.

PreS-Gr 3–How often do we take the time to stop and observe the world around us with the children in our lives? You Are Stardust, based on the picture book of the same title, encourages us 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 art successfully transfers to the digital version and subtle animations of wings flapping, falling stardust, and floating whales further help to enliven the text.

The app opens with two viewing and listening options and opportunity for children to make their own diorama. “More about Stardust” can be accessed to discover how Kim created her art, to read a note from the author, 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

Autographed Imag.N.O.Tron app

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 print title (Atheneum, 2012), and now, in its “Imag.N.O.Tron” incarnation, an opportunity to experience some “augmented reality.”

While it sounds like an experience that requires ingesting something, it’s a technology. (Pressed to explain it, Oldenburg calls it “alchemy.”) The actual mechanics may be beyond me, but this is how it works.

Start with the print book, an iPad, and the Imag.N.O.Tron app. Turn the app on and position the tablet squarely over an illustrated page. When the app recognizes the image, the magic begins. Characters move; books flutter, fly, and whisper their lines aloud; shadows shift; and two-dimensional images become three-dimensional. Prompted to “look around,” pick up the iPad and watch the animation move into your space (here’s where the camera feature comes into play). Seeing is believing with this one, so take a look at the video demo below.

SLJ editor Daryl Grabarek walks through some of the amazing augmented reality “pages” in this companion app to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce

After Morris Lessmore the film premiered, Joyce began working on the app. Encouraged to drop that project and write the book, the author noted, “We thought that there shouldn’t be a set of rules…. We feel like we were born in the Middle Ages and woke up in the Renaissance.”

On a recent Saturday morning in New York City, Joyce and Oldenburg demonstrated the Imag.N.O.Tron technology and signed apps. When asked what they had in the works, the duo laughed and talked about a ghost story they’re working on. “We’re trying to make the most terrifying reading experience we can think of.”

Title: Otter on His Own
Subtitle: The Story of a Sea Otter
Author: Doe Boyle
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Series: Smithsonian Oceanic Collection
Published by: Soundprints, 2002
Developed by: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Platform: iOS, requires 3.0 or later
Version: 1.09
Price: $1.99 (introductory price)

PreS-Gr 1-Boyle’s lyrical text, combined with Lawson’s expressive illustrations (Soundprints, 2002) and a few multimedia enhancements, deliver an informative, visually appealing title. It’s summer, and a newborn otter and his mother gently sway amid the kelp by the rocky California shore. She has much to teach him, including how to dive, and how to gather and consume such delicacies as sea urchins, clams, and abalone. As he matures, the marine mammal’s mother leaves him as she searches for food. On one such mission, the curious pup follows her; panic ensues when a great white shark is spotted. All ends well, though, and readers will be rooting for the pup when it’s time for him to venture out on his own.

A comforting piano melody plays upon opening the app and users can choose to listen to or read the story. Words are highlighted along with narration, making it easy to follow along. To pause in the “Read to Me” mode, users must return to the main menu by tapping an arrow on the bottom of the screen. However, in “Auto Play,” users must stop the story, and then restart, a clunky process. Instructions on how to operate the app may be accessed from the main menu.

The soothing sounds of lapping waves and seagull calls and the zooming and gliding back and forth between illustrations enhance this visual and aural experience. The opportunity for emergent readers to learn new vocabulary (by tapping the pictures), and read other otter facts (appended at the end of the story) nicely round out this offering.—Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, Escondido, CA

In this video, the author talks about her inspiration for the story. If you would like a preview of what our reviewer Elisabeth LeBris refers to as the app’s “high production values” take a peek at Curtis’s short tutorial on how to operate Balloons. You’ll get a glimpse at some of those features.

Title: Where Do Balloons Go?
Subtitle: An Uplifting Mystery
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustrated by: Laura Cornell
Developed by: Auryn, Inc.
Platform: iOS, 4.3 or later
Version: 1.0.1
Price: $5.99

PreS-Gr 3-Curtis’s charming picture book (HarperCollins, 2000) about the fate of lost balloons gets the royal treatment from Auryn, Inc. High production values permeate this engaging app, which encourages children to explore and create.

On the home page, viewers are greeted with a melodic tune and several options; they can watch the author’s animated video explanation of how she came to write the story and/or her quick overview of its features, or start the story. Curtis’s tale and Cornell’s whimsical watercolor illustrations are enhanced by tapping, pinching, and swiping, and tilting the screen; these movements activate hidden actions, musical interludes, background voices, sounds, amusing animated vignettes, and interactive objects.

Some of the more spectacular features include the opportunity for users to record their voices (as though affected by helium), to make balloon animals, to write and email postcards, to create characters and produce animated movies in the Balloon Theatre, and to snap and insert a photo of themselves on a balloon. Flexible navigation allows viewers to move easily between the story and the activities.

Additional features include a settings panel, hints, bookmarks, and a highlighted text read by the author with the option to repeat words or lines. The depth and the variety of the activities embedded in the app ensure that viewers have a different experience each time they return. A visual and interactive treat.—Elisabeth LeBris, Sears LTC, Kenilworth, IL