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Recommended App of the Week

May 4, 2013

bobbooksappBob Books #1 Reading Magic

 (Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later.)

Many parents come into the library  looking for Bob Books to help their children learn to read.  This app has the same simplicity as the books themselves, with the added advantage of being interactive.  The app sounds out letters and words.  One of the activities has children dragging a letter to make a word.  The images change when the correct letter is put in place.  As shown in the screen shots below-when the t is placed after ca, the picture changes from black and white to color.

When your child is ready, there is a Bob Books #2 Reading Magic app as well.

$1.99

Recommended for children ages 4-5

bob

bob2

 

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Degas and the Little Dancer

April 29, 2013

degas-and-the-little-dancerDegas and the Little Dancer: a story about Edgar Degas by Laurence Anholt

Marie was a young girl in France who wanted to be a dancer.  In fact she wanted to be “the most famous ballerina in the world”.  While she was studying ballet in Paris, she met Edgar Degas who was at the ballet school sketching the dancers.

Degas created a statue of Marie which included actual fabric for her tutu and a peach-colored ribbon in her hair.

Now, more than 100 years later, the young dancer lives on in that statue and its replicas, which are on display in museums around the world.

Similar titles by Anholt include Camille and the Sunflowers; The Magical Garden of Claude Monet; Cezanne and the Apple Boy; Matisse, the King of Color; Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail; and Leonardo and the Flying Boy.

Recommended for grades K-3.

Donna C (Schimelpfenig Library)

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Recommended App of the Week

April 27, 2013

fn-ExtraordinaireFancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire

(Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5)

Fancy Nancy fans can earn a membership card to the Explorer Extraordinaire Club by finding hidden objects in Fancy Nancy’s world.  Some of the places players can explore are Nancy’s bedroom, the Ooh La La Beauty Spa, and the butterfly garden.

New items are hidden in different locations each time you start a new game.  You can turn on “hints” for younger children.   In addition to the fun of searching for hidden objects, you can also read the story.

$1.99

Recommended for children ages 4-8.

fnscreenshot

fnss2

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Recommended App of the Week

April 20, 2013

jr astronaut appJunior Astronaut: Breaking Through the Space Barrier (Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later)

This app gives kids a chance to experience the science that propels a rocket into space.  At one point the narrator explains that the rocket thrust is caused by “narrow nozzles” which increase the speed of the hot gases coming out of the engines pushing the rocket upward.

An interactive example involves a water faucet that kids can manipulate, causing the water to shoot out of the faucet faster because the space the water comes out of is made smaller.  Then a wide rocket engine nozzle is shown and when the user touches the sides of the nozzle to make it smaller the gases speed up.

The app also includes information about the history of the science leading to rockets being able to travel into space.  Contains 28 interactive scenes and the opportunity to put a rocket together by choosing the right parts on the screen.

$2.99

Recommended for ages 8-12

jr astronaut screen shots

astronaut screen shot

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Recommended App of the Week

April 13, 2013

counting caterpillarCounting Caterpillar.  (iOS 4.3 or later)

Counting is fun with this caterpillar. Children have the choice of  learning how to count by 1s, 2s, 5s or 10s.  Part of the game involves feeding the caterpillar aphids which eventually enables the caterpillar to turn into a butterfly.  As children progress in their counting skills you can choose a higher level of difficulty. Recommended for preschoolers.  $1.99

Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

cccover

caterpillar

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Recommended App of the Week

April 6, 2013

captain underpants appThe Adventures of Captain Underpants: The First Epic App. (iOS 5.0 or higher):

Kids who know and love the Captain Underpants series will have loads-o-fun with this app.

It’s a book. It’s an app.  It’s a book in an app and a whole lot more.

In addition to a variety of activities related to the book series, kids can read the original adventure or listen to the book with sound effects and music added.

Flip-o-rama included!

$4.99

Recommended for Grades 2-6

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Millions, Billions, & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers

April 5, 2013

millionsMillions, Billions & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers written by David Adler and illustrated by Edward Miller.

When you think of a million of anything you know it is a lot but this book explains the concept in concrete terms.  I like pizza so when the author uses the example of how many pizzas  you could buy with a million dollars- that makes an impression.  (2 pizzas a day for more than 68 years-yum!)

Trying to imagine a billion and a trillion is even more daunting.When children learn numbers, they often count the numbers. If you want to  count to a billion, the author has figured that “at the rate of one number per second without stopping, it would take you almost 32 years”.  That’s a lot of counting.

With colorful, cartoon-like illustrations and humorous examples used to represent large numbers, this book makes math fun for young children.

The MathStart series by Stuart Murphy is also great for introducing math concepts to young children.

Donna C (Schimelpfenig Library)

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Snippet the Early Riser

March 22, 2013

snippet

Snippet the Early Riser written and illustrated by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

Snippet is the story of a young snail that is incredibly playful. He enjoys drawing on the sidewalk and chewing leaf sculptures with his sister. They play soccer and enjoy piggyback rides from their parents. Unlike his family, Snippet always wakes up very early.

With the help of many buggy friends, he tries everything he can to wake his family so they can go out and play. They jump on the “bed” (the leaf the snails sleep on), they set a cricket alarm, and the ants even try to push them out of bed. Caterpillar gives Snippet the idea he needs to pleasantly wake his family with “breakfast in bed”!

Of course, after such a busy morning, Snippet goes to sleep early and is awake before everyone the next day. With bright colors and a fun cast of characters, Snippet is a perfect story for the early risers.

Recommended for ages 3-7

Nicki P (Schimelpfenig Library)

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Prairie Chicken Little

March 21, 2013

prairie chicken littlePrairie Chicken Little written by Jackie Mims Hopkins and illustrated by Henry Cole.

Mary McBlicken the prairie chicken hears “a rumbling and a grumbling and a tumbling” and thinks “a stampede is comin’!” She runs to tell Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan so they can warn everyone. On the way she meets Beau Grabbit the jack rabbit and others, who agree to go with her to share the news about the stampede. When they meet up with Slim Brody the sly coyote, he convinces them he knows a shortcut.
This is a twist on the traditional Chicken Little tale using a Southwest theme.

In the end the coyote is chased away and the rest of the characters share a meal after they realize the actual reason for all that noise. If you like traditional tales with a Southwestern twist, you’ll love this one as well as  The Three Armadillies Tuff and The Horned Toad Prince (one of my all time favorites!) also by Jackie Mims Hopkins.

Recommended for ages 4-8.

Donna C (Schimelpfenig Library)

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Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell

March 13, 2013

WomenDoctors_cvr_lorezWho Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell written by Tanya Lee Stone and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman.

Imagine a time when a woman wasn’t allowed to become a doctor.  This picture book biography tells the story of the first woman in America to succeed in breaking the barriers against women in the medical field. 

The story includes examples from Elizabeth’s childhood which show how tenacious she could be.  She wasn’t particularly drawn to medicine until a sick friend suggested she would rather have a female doctor and encouraged Elizabeth to be the first.

Even after Elizabeth succeeded in getting accepted to medical school (after many rejections) and graduated with the highest grades in her class, it wasn’t easy for her to find a place to practice medicine. 

The colorful and lively illustrations help bring the story to life for a younger audience.  An author’s note at the end of the story includes additional facts about Elizabeth Blackwell.

Recommended for grades K-2.

Donna C (Schimelpfenig Library)

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