2012 Newbery & Caldecott Medal Winners Announced

The Newbery & Caldecott awards for children's literature were announced this week (23rd January 2012). The Newbery Medal was named after the eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery.  It is presented to the author of the book judged to have made the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. A committee of librarians and literary experts is chosen each year to select the winner and the runners up on behalf of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC); this is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The books can be works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The author must be a citizen or resident of the United States and the work written for children up to 14 years of age.

The Caldecott Medal was named in honour of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The awards commenced in 1938.

There are also a number of other specialist awards for fiction and non-fiction that were announced on the same day and are outlined at the end of the post.

1. Newbery Medal 2012

The 2012 Newbery Medal winner is 'Dead End in Norvelt' by Jack Gantos and published by Farrar Straus Giroux. This is a very funny story (not that common for Newbery winners) about two months in the life of a kid named Jack Gantos, who accidentally fired a live bullet from his dad's Japanese sniper's rifle. Jack's plans for a vacation are changed when he is "grounded for life" by his parents. But in spite of nose bleeds at every turn, there are plenty of surprises and excitement when his mum 'loans' him to help a feisty old neighbour with an unusual job, typewriting obituaries about the people who founded his town, New Deal. At its core the book is very much about the importance of story and history and the challenges of growing up.

The Newbery Committee chair commented:

“Who knew obituaries and old lady death could be this funny and this tender?”

Two honour books were also announced.

'Inside Out & Back Again' by Thanhha Lai and published by Harper Collins Children's Books (a division of HarperCollins Publishers). It tells the story of Hà and her family who flee war-torn Vietnam for the American South.

'Breaking Stalin's Nose' by Eugene Yelchin and published by Henry Holt and Company. Sasha's world is turned upside down on the eve of his induction into the Young Pioneers, Stalin’s guard arrests his father.

2. Caldecott Medal 2012

The 2012 Caldecott Medal winner is 'A Ball for Daisy' written and illustrated by Chris Raschka and published by Schwartz & Wade Books (an imprint of Random House Children's Books). It is a wordless book that children will love. Chris Raschka presents the story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed.  The simple illustrations make wonderful use of line, colour and expressive details. Children will relate to its themes of loss and friendship. The Chair of the Medal committee commented:

“Chris Raschka’s deceptively simple paintings of watercolour, gouache and ink explore universal themes of love and loss that permit thousands of possible variants”.

The judges also announced three honour books.

'Blackout', written and illustrated by John Rocco and published by Hyperion Books (an imprint of the Disney Book Group). This tells the story of an urban family that is forced into the street by a summer power outage. Here they throw a block party that attracts many of their neighbours.

'Grandpa Green', written and illustrated by Lane Smith and published by Roaring Brook Press (a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Ltd). Smith uses elaborate topiary sculptures to visualize memories in a wild and fanciful garden tended by a child and his beloved great-grandfather.

'Me...Jane', written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell and published by Little, Brown and Company (a division of Hachetter Book Group Inc.). A little girl is watching birds and squirrels in her yard and discovers the joy and wonder of nature.


Other major awards

a) The 'Printz Award' - This prize for the best young adult novel, was awarded to 'Where Things Come Back' by John Corey Whaley and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing).  Seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he is beginning to understand everything about his small, dull Arkansas town, until one day all is changed when a depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he has discovered a species of woodpecker once thought to be extinct. The rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker changes everything.

b) The 'Coretta Scott King' Award - This award recognises African American writers and illustrators of children's books. It was won by 'Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans' by author and illustrator Kadir Nelson and published by Balzer & Bray (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers).



c) The 'Young Adult Library Services Association' (YALSA) Award - This is a prize for the best work of nonfiction for young adults aged 12-18 years. It was won by 'The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery' by Steve Sheinkin and published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group).

d) The 'Pura Belpre Award - This is an award to a Latino or Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. The winner is 'Under the Mesquite' by Guadalupe Garcia McCall and published by Lee and Low Books Inc. Writing in engaging free verse, the author gracefully manages to convey the experience of growing up in a bicultural community in Texas. She manages to communicate authentically the experience of a child losing her mother to cancer but also of being surrounded by siblings who embrace and discard their Mexican roots to varied degrees.

e) The 'Theodor Seuss Geisel Award' - This is an award for the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English. The winner is 'Tales for Very Picky Eaters', that was written and illustrated by Josh Schneider and published by Clarion Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company). In spite of the outrageous food suggestions of his Dad, James, the very pick eater, turns the tables on his father

f) The Margaret A. Edwards award for lifetime achievement in young adult literature was awarded to English author Susan Cooper. Her well-known fantasy book 'The Dark is Rising' was named a Newbery Honour book in 1974. This of course was part of the wonderful series of the same name. She also won the Newbery Medal in 1976 for the fourth book in the series 'The Grey King'.

Starting School: Is there a best age?

In Australia many children will be starting school for the first time next week. I can't remember my first day at school, but I can still remember the mix of emotions that my wife and I experienced when we sent our two daughters off for their first day of formal schooling. As we've watched our grandchildren go off to school for the first time we still feel just as anxious. This year we have two grandchildren who will start in Kindergarten (the entry class for Primary schooling in NSW). One has just turned 5 and the other turns 6 in March. Both sets of parents made different decisions for equally good reasons, and I'm sure that in each case they have made the right decisions for each child.

Two cousins ready to start school, one almost 6, one just 5

In Australia the school year begins in the last week of January or the first week of February and ends in the same calendar year (in mid December). Every year we have media discussions concerning the best age to start. Last week, there was yet another piece of research being discussed on Australian television and radio offering advice. The starting age in Australia varies from state to state. In NSW any child may commence school if they are five years old or turn five prior to the 31st July in that year, but they must start no later than 6. In South Australia children can start in the school term after they turn five. In Queensland there is a non-compulsory Prep year (like preschool) followed by formal school entry if the child turns six before the 30th June in that year. It’s all a bit confusing and the Federal government has been discussing a standard starting age for some time.

In other countries we see similar diversity. In Finland children start formal schooling in the year in which they turn seven. In Germany it is six, in Britain 5 and in the USA it varies (like Australia) from state to state.

Elsie's Mum on her 1st day at school

So is there a best starting age? If there is, few education systems seem to agree on what it is. "Should my child start school at five even though....(fill the blank)?" is one of the most common questions I hear from parents. Today I was interviewed on commercial radio on exactly this topic. The short answer I gave on radio is the same one I give to parents, it all depends. Yes, children need to have reached a certain minimum stage of physical, intellectual and emotional development to cope with school, but variations from four and a half to six years don’t seem to make huge differences to most children’s long term academic achievement.

It would seem that there is little evidence for a universal perfect age for starting school, so there isn't much pointing asking anyone what it is. In reality, we need to make individual assessments for each child. Here are some things to consider if your child has reached an age at which he/she can officially commence formal schooling. Please note that these questions don't all apply to children with disabilities. In such cases parents have to consider many things when making a decision about the right time to start school.

Is my child physically ready

• Are they toilet trained?
• Do they have the motor skills typical of the average starting aged child? Can they walk, run, jump, throw things, dress themselves (few can tie shoelaces – that’s why we have Velcro! And Kindergarten teachers are good at it anyway). Can they tear paper, apply some stickers, hold crayons and pencils and use them (even if not that well)?
• Can they feed themselves (pretty much unpack their own lunch)?
• How big is your child? Very tall children often struggle if held back when they eventually go to school. And very small children might struggle if they go early.

Is my child emotionally ready?

• Is your child able to cope with separation? Going to school should not be the first time the child has been out of the sight of parents or the primary caregivers.
• Have they had at least some experience relating to other children? Can they share, communicate, show some control of anger and frustration?
• If your child is keen to go to school there’s a strong chance that they are emotionally ready.
• Can they communicate their emotions (frustration, fear, anger, affection etc)?

Is your child intellectually ready?

This is tougher, but in general you would expect that your child can:

• Concentrate on activities for extended periods of time (say at least 10-15 minutes on one activity). This might include being able to listen to a story, watch some television, sustaining attention on a game or activity that they like.
• Hold crayons and show some interest in making marks or scribble (the early stages of writing - see my post on this topic here), show some interest in print and symbols (e.g. “what does that say Mum?”), complete basic puzzles (maybe 30-50 pieces), try to write their name, count to five, recognise some letters.
• Use language sufficient to communicate with other children and the teacher?
• Show some interest in learning. This can show itself in many ways such as inquisitiveness, exploration, and observation of things around them.

Ultimately, parents need to make this decision based on what they know about their child. There are some other things worth considering:

• What is the school like? Do you know the teachers and do you have confidence that they will be able to understand your child and help them to find their feet at school?
• What are your family circumstances like? If you have another sibling just one year younger you might want to make sure that you don’t have them going off to school at the same time.
• What was the experience that you had as parents? Did you go to school early or late and what was the impact on you? Given the common gene pool this is a useful consideration.
• What are your personal circumstances? Is there major upheaval in the family or some major change coming in the next 12 months (e.g. moving to another area)? If so, holding your child back might be justified.

I find today that there is greater anxiety about starting age than ever before. Unfortunately, much of this is caused by parents worrying unduly about children being successful at school. I have parents who ask me (for example) is it okay that their child can't read yet, even though they are four. This is ridiculous of course; most don't start till they get to school. Others ask if holding their child back a year will disadvantage them compared to others. Overall, if you consider the needs of your child and the broad range of capabilities I've outlined above, I think you'll make a good decision. If you get it wrong, the evidence is that generally children will cope and adapt over time, and that there are few long-term problems for most children.

An interesting postscript to this matter is that the country in the OECD that regularly has the highest school literacy levels is Finland, where the starting age is seven!

Literacy, Families & Learning NEWS

Above: Part of the front page, showing links and other news categories

Children's author Katherine Paterson

People who read this blog and also follow me on Twitter will know of my daily newsletter that is generated automatically each day based on my tweets as well as the people who I follow. The newspaper typically contains over 100 links to blog posts, literature, videos and images that have a literacy and learning focus.  Today's News is out HERE and can be read by anyone even if you don't have a Twitter account. Some of my favourite stories and links today are:


'Katherine Paterson discusses the longevity of paper books and the best of young adult fiction' Washington Post HERE

'Celebrating Winnie the Pooh' on A.A. Milne's birthday (which is today) HERE

'iPhone and iPad apps for children with difficulties' HERE

Mr Schu shared a video introduction to 'Penny and Her Song' as well as the book's Caldecott Medalist author illustrator Kevin Henkes HERE

You don't have to have a Twitter account to subscribe to receive the Newsletter every day. If you have a look at the latest 'Literacy, Families & Learning News' you can go to the subscribe box and add your email so it can be sent to you when it comes out. If don't follow the newsletter in any way you can still click on the link each day in the Twitter links box on the right-hand sidebar of this blog.

The Joy of Books

If you love books, the way I love books, then please watch this video. In a previous post I reviewed another imaginative creation about a secret world of books - 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore'. This new video produced by 'Type' bookstore in Toronto Canada resonates (for me) with the story of Morris Lessmore. The 'Joy of Books' has been produced for the shear joy and fun of it (and of course the free web advertising).

Above: 'The Joy of Books'

Do yourself a favour, watch the 'Joy of Books' video first (it takes less than 2 minutes) and, if you have time, check out Morris Lessmore as well. You can buy 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore' as an app or short video story (details below). Both are brilliant.

Above: Trailer for 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore'

You can buy the short video of 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore' HERE
You can buy the app HERE
My review of the app HERE

Creative Storymaking Made Easy

I've written many times on this blog about the power of storytelling as a means to stimulate children's language, literacy, learning and creativity. Rarely do I suggest a commercial aid for such creative storying, but there is one that I've come across that deserves a mention.

Rory's Story Cubes are a simple, but powerful tool for story creation. The aid consists of 9 cubes that have images on all sides. Each 'player' takes turns rolling the cubes. They then look at the top image on the 9 cubes, reorder them as they wish and then create an oral story. While some people are better at this than others, once you've had a few turns you get the idea of it and quickly begin to create original stories. I've used it with three of my grandchildren aged 5, 7 & 9 and all were able to create excellent stories and had a stimulating and fun time doing it. We had fun creating individual stories and group stories.

The original Rory's Story Cubes game contains nine 19mm cubes with 54 iconic images, for example, an eye, lock, wand, sad face, star, letter, bee, turtle, key hole, arrow, torch, lightning and so on.

There have now been two additional expansion sets released. The first consists of 9 cubes with 54 action images or 'picto-verbs' that depict common verbs showing varied actions. Another recent set has been released and focuses on the theme of 'voyages'. You can use the sets separately or can mix them up to create even more elaborate stories.

Story Cubes are an ideal activity for children at home or in small group work at school. At $US14.99 a set I think they're great value. You can buy them at good toy stores. I bought my set from one of my favourite toy stores in Sydney, Monkey Puzzle (at Summer Hill) for $16.95. You can also buy them online in varied places, including HERE and HERE

You will also be able to purchase a larger set of cubes soon for children with special needs. 'Story Cubes MAX' has 30 mm square cubes (almost twice the size) making handling easier for children with fine motor or visual disabilities. The expected recommended retail price will be approximately $US30.

Finally, you can download an iPhone version via iTunes HERE for $US1.99. The app works brilliantly. When you shake the iPhone, it even sounds like you're rolling the real thing.

Books: Gifts that keep on giving!

A birthday gift just before Christmas

We've just celebrated a traditional Christmas in our family. The day started with church and the celebration of Jesus' birth, then our family got together for the sharing of gifts, play (especially the kids) and lots of talk. It was a wonderful day with much joy and happiness.

One thing I noticed was that books are certainly not dead in our family. We gave Kindles to our eldest daughter and our son-in-law, and books of varied kinds to adults and children. And each time there was delight.

A Kindle, books in an instant

I managed to receive four wonderful books (all in paper form), including 'Oranges & Sunshine', the story of Margaret Humphries' fight to reveal the transportation of 150,000 orphans from England to Australia in the 19th century. I also received some historical fiction (Conn Iggulden's 'Empire of Silver'), a book about writers of fantasy ('The Wand in the Word') and Geoffrey Blainey's 'A Short History of Christianity').

Of course, books don't just give once, they keep on giving. They can be re-read to learn new things, or remember old things. You can also revisit a story that has already given us joy, emotional experiences, new knowledge, inspiration, challenge and insights into the human condition. Books, whether paper or electronic, can also serve as a vehicle to other places, times and experiences. Yes, books just keep on giving.

Sam loved his book to help him make paper planes

After lunch some play.

Our youngest family member at play

And then we all had some exercise

25 Great Children's Apps to Stimulate Literacy, Learning & Creativity

 

Readers of this blog will know that I've reviewed a number of apps for iPads, iPhones and Android tablets (HERE). I have suggested before that apps for devices like the iPad should be more than just fun games that populate an expensive toy. While I want apps to be enjoyable and exciting, they also need to:

• Provide opportunities for learning.
• Encourage creativity and problem solving.
• Offer knowledge that stimulates further learning.
• Use as many of the senses as possible for this is one of the things apps can offer.
• Be easy to use and intuitive to follow.
• Avoid trivialising any narrative with add-ons that have little to add to the story.
• Use quality language, stories and illustrations.

With thousands of people around the world about purchase device like the iPad I thought it might be timely to review some of my favourite apps currently on the market. I've grouped them into three categories: a) creativity & problem solving, b) writing, story making and animation and, literacy and literature.


1. Apps that promote creativity & problem solving

Dr Seuss Band
Price: $US0.99

This is a simple app from Oceanhouse Media allows you to play music associated with a variety of classic Dr Seuss books including 'Cat in the Hat', 'Green Eggs and Ham' and even the latest Seuss book 'The Bippolo Seed'.  You can transform a three-piece brass instrument with the flick of a finger and use it to play a variety of melodies or create your own piece. As you play, you can unlock new instruments, and create sound effects and new songs when you've attained higher scores. It contains 120 combinations of sounds that offer many variations and lots of interest. The user plays each note by touching the keys in time to a series of moving 'stripes' of different length that correspond to note length. It's a fun way for non-musicians to make music that takes colour-coded xylophones and keyboards to a whole new level. The app has three difficulty levels and scores your performance on each tune, allowing the user to judge progress.

Animalia for iPad
Price: $4.49

Australian illustrator and author Graeme Base has many wonderful picture books (see my review of his work HERE). 'Animalia' is an award winning book that has been given some new interactive dimensions via the iPad app. Readers can search for hundreds of different things hidden in the artwork, and enjoy engaging sounds while reading words and trying to solve the puzzles and uncover some of the deeper layers of the book.



Lego Creationary
Price: Free

I've never met a child who doesn't like Lego. The brick company has produced a great game based on virtual Lego bricks. It is based on the board game 'Creationary' and is a bit like a 3D version of Pictionary. The players roll a virtual dice and watch as objects based on a theme are created. You need to guess what is being built before it is revealed. There are almost a hundred different puzzles to complete.

Elmo's Monster Maker HD
Price: $4.49

This app allows your children to create different monster friends to play with Elmo. The player selects a body, face and features and so on. When finished the monster comes to life on screen. This is a simple app that allows creative manipulation and stimulates language use and story making. Children love the app.

2. Writing, story making & animation

PlayTime Theater
Price: $US2.99

'PlayTime Theater' is a customizable interactive castle that comes with varied characters, props, and sound effects. The user is invited to create and record short animated features. It is similar in principle to 'Puppet Pals' (see below) but is much simpler and a little more limited in the effects possible. However, its simplicity is one of its strengths, because some apps of this type are complex and detract from the fun of creating your own 'story'. The app provides ample opportunities for free play, creativity and storytelling using image, sound and movement.

ClickySticky
Price: $US1.99

This is a wonderful app that again provides opportunities for creative play and image making. Many children will tell their own stories as they create composite pictures based on a variety of background images, characters, clothes and objects. Each character can be increased or decreased in size, rotated, dragged around the background and embellished to create an individualised scene. It includes ocean, aviation, space, dolls, and safari scenes. It is a cross between a sticker book and a dress up mannequin game. When finished you can remove all stickers from the scene by shaking the iPad. This animated 'sticker book' is ideal for boys and girls aged 3-6 years.

Puppet Pals
Free initial app with add-on themes for purchase

I've written a previous post about 'Puppet Pals' and other animation resources for children (HERE).
This wonderful app is available free for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Essentially it is a simple way to create an animated movie using 'cut-out' themed characters and a variety of backdrops and scenes to create an animated 'puppet' play.

The free version comes with Wild West backgrounds and actors.  However, you can also purchase different themes for $US0.99 or the 'Director's Cut' in which you can access all the themes for $US2.99. These allow you to obtain a range of additional scenarios and characters based on themes such as monsters, space, pirates, arthropod armada, Christmas and so on. You can even make your backdrops and characters.

Puppet Pals is a wonderful resource for supporting story telling, writing, language development, creativity, and problem solving, while at the same time introducing them to film making and animation. I could see myself using a smartboard to collaboratively develop a story with my class before introducing individuals and groups to this smart little app.

3. Literacy & Literature apps

Alice for the iPad
Price: $9.49

Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s book has been enhanced for the 21st century. Children can engage with Alice and her story by tilting the iPad to watch her grow and shrink, help the Caterpillar smoke his pipe, shake the White Rabbit's watch, make Alice's neck stretch and so on. You can read an abridged 52-page version where the animation effects come more frequently or the full 249 original version. This app certainly created a lot of attention when it was released and still sets the benchmark for animation effects. Kids love it, but I still feel the effects are rather distracting from the reading. Expensive, but every app collection should include it.

The Nutcracker Musical Storybook 

Price: $US2.99  

 

The Nutcracker Musical Storybook is a wonderful book and musical app that introduces this timeless classic to kids and grown up alike! It can be experienced as a video or in story format. The app presents 27 fully orchestrated musical arrangements of Tchaikovsky's musical. The wonderful illustrations and animations have been hand painted by Yoko Tanaka. It is a wonderful app that engages children at the story level as well as with music, image and creative animation. It can be read and joyed with children, as well as by children aged 6-8 years themselves.



'The Pedlar Lady of Gushing Cross'
Price; $US6.99

'Moving Tales' is a developer responsible for a series of ePicture book apps that present traditional tales in new ways. The organization states that its purpose is to present imaginative interpretations and adaptations, "...inspired by age-old folk tales, archetypal yarns and legends from around the world." In my view they have succeeded in doing this.  They have released four stories to date; each is presented in the same format and with similar stylistic illustrations. I will review just one of the stories. The other titles are 'This too shall pass', 'The unwanted guest' and 'Twas the night before Christmas' (see them here).

The 'Pedlar Lady of Gushing Cross' by Jacqueline O. Rogers (Moving Tales) is inspired by the age-old tale of a man who becomes rich through a dream. There are varied older versions of the story with origins in Persia, Israel and Ireland.  The story describes the journey of a poor pedlar woman who, guided by the shifting line between the real and the unreal, discovers a surprising and wonderful treasure.

As with all ePicture books you can read it yourself or have it read to you. The reader can also record their own reading if they wish. The storyteller provided has a wonderful Irish accent that works well with the traditional tale.  The background music also adds to the haunting nature of the reading of this story. The illustrations are monochrome, with touches of colour and partial animation on each page. It is available in English, Spanish and French.

'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore'
Price: $US4.99

The producers of this app Moonbot Studios suggests that the book written by William Joyce was inspired in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books. It is a story about people who devote their lives to books and how books in turn enrich our lives. It is a poignant, humorous allegory about the power of story. It uses a variety of illustrative and animation techniques to create a moving story.  It is presented in a style that offers echoes of the great silent films of the past.

The various interactive elements in this app are complex and yet they relate well to the story.  The reader can repair books, descend deep into a great storm, learn the piano, become 'lost in a book', and fly through a magical world of words. I could have done without some of the games sprinkled through the reading, but kids will love them. There is a surprise on each page of this app. The sophisticated CG animation, excellent original music, and quality illustrations work well to support the narrative. While I felt that there was just a little too much gadgetry, I don't think children would agree, this is a wonderful app.

Above: Image from the app showing the books coming back to 'nest'

'Timo and the Magical Picture Book'
Price: $US3.99

'Timo and the Magical Picture Book' was written by well-known Dutch author Rian Visser and is illustrated by Klaas Verplancke, one of Belgium's most celebrated illustrators. It is a story app for younger readers (3-7 years).  It is about a little boy called Timo who receives an unusual birthday gift, a magical picture book from his uncle. A parcel that was not to be shaken, but... When Timo begins reading his new book he finds himself and his family mixed up into the story. As Timo enters the book, the app reader is able to interact with the illustrations, shaking and touching the images to elaborate on the story.

While the app doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the previous app, it is an appealing picture book that has just enough interactivity to support the narrative.  For me, this app does a good job balancing the interactive elements and story. The app plays English or Dutch language and the reader's voice is warm and friendly, although at times the reading is a little staccato.

'The Three Pandas' by Valerie Min (See Here Studios)
Price: $US2.99

I have reviewed another 'See Here' app in a previous post, 'The Wrong Side of the Bed' a 3D app, and I have just discovered 'Twinkle, Twinkle'. What I like about the work of this developer is the desire to put as much effort into the story and illustrations as the interactive elements.  'The Three Pandas' is based on the traditional story of 'The Three Bears' with an Asian twist.  It will appeal to younger readers aged 3-7 years.

Reading 'The Wrong Side of the Bed' with 3D glasses

The story is set in a bamboo forest, where a little girl (Mei Mei) enters the house of three pandas. As you would predict, she eats their porridge, sits on their chairs, and sleeps in their beds.  But unlike the traditional tale there is a slight twist at the end. The story has been developed in association with 'Pandas International' and so the app provides additional facts about pandas and an external link that enables you to learn more about the Giant Panda. A portion of all proceeds goes toward Panda conservation efforts. The animation is delightful. You can tickle the pandas on each screen shot and be surprised by their responses.  As with most apps you have a choice of languages (English or Chinese).

The story is simple and delightfully understated. The illustrations would be a hit in any form of picture book.  The animation of Mei Mei and the pandas is photographic in nature while the backgrounds are a mix of drawn and real objects. All in all, the images are wonderful.

'The Wonkey Donkey'
Price: $8.49

This app is based on Craig Smith's wonderful book and song of the same name by Craig Smith and is illustrated by Katz Cowley. The original picture book came with an audio recording of the song. This app can be read or followed as it is sung.  It is a funny, predictable and cumulative song, that uses rhyme to great effect. Each page tells something new about the three-legged, one-eyed donkey, who walks down the road. He ends up being a lanky, honkey tonkey, winky, wonky, cranky, stinky dinky, spunky, hanky panky donkey. No child or adult can use this app without smiling! There is much fun to be had by listening to the song and trying to predict the new word for each clue given!

'What was that Noise?' by Iain Anderson
Price: $0.99

"What Was That Noise?" is a simple, original, illustrated, interactive children's storybook. It's a rhyming, noisy book (each page has a sound effect!) that kids will love to read and play with. You can read to your child, or use the "read-aloud" feature to let them read on their own. It has to be the simplest app on the market and is perfect for pre-school children. You can touch the text and it reads the complete phrase or touch the picture to hear the noise that the text describes.  The illustrations are beautiful and yet very simple pen and wash. Young children will love this app; it is a good first app for 2-4 year olds.

'The Cat in the Hat' & other Dr Seuss books

Price: $US 4.99

There are a number of Dr Seuss books that have been turned into ePicture books by Oceanhouse Media. These include 'Dr Seuss's ABC' (also available in a free LITE edition), 'Green Eggs and Ham', 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish', 'The Lorax' and 'The Sneetches'. I could have chosen any title because they are essentially all the same in design and format. It's hard to go wrong with Dr Seuss books but I have to say that this is a case where the ePicture version does little more than the paper book version.  Why? Because the only interactive element in these books is the ability to click on pictures which then leads to an appropriate word appearing. While this focus on individual words might be good for some young children to learn sight words, there is the potential to turn every reading of these books into a lesson, rather than the enjoyment of the book, the fun of the language, meaning, the rhyme and rhythm and so on. The text is also highlighted word by word in the 'Read to me' function as it is read. This could be helpful for some beginning readers, but distracting for others. You can try out the LITE version for free.

'Jack and the Beanstalk'
Price: $US3.99

This is a very amusing little app from Ayars Animation. While it is a well-known version of the traditional fairy tale, the animations have a sense of fun and add to the experience of the story rather than simply trivialising it (like some apps). It can be read in readalong mode or can be read yourself.  It has a number of hidden features on each page and has a summary menu that can be accessed showing what features are on each page. The varied forms of interactivity include a variety of elements in the illustrations that speak, move or do funny things. There is also a hidden egg, characters that can be moved, a sun that you can set, a page that you can 'paint' and so on. While some forms of interaction on ePicture books can distract from the story some of these quirky animations add value to the reading experience.

'Wrong Side of the Bed' by Wallace E. Keller
 Price: $US2.99

This 3D story has been produced by Seehere Studios. It comes in a 3D version that uses the typical paper glasses that you can purchase for about $1. Both versions work well. It is a delightful story suitable for 3-6 year-olds and tells of a little boy who wakes up one day to find everything is upside down. The book has simple and effective cartoon style pastel illustrations. The level of interactivity is limited except for the ability to zoom in on the images and move the image around a little. Younger readers will enjoy it, but this app does little for me and wasn't that exciting for child readers tested.
 
'Toy Story'
FREE

You can buy the more recently released 'Toy Story 2' and  'Toy Story 3' based on Disney and PIXAR movies, but the earlier 'Toy Story' app is free!! It is essentially based on Toy Story 1 and includes clips from the movie and some of the songs, pages that can be painted at the touch of the screen and some simple games. It has read to and read alone options as well as an option to record your own version. There is also a fantastic find a page option that allows you to bring up thumbnails of all pages and simply flick from one page to another - brilliant! My only beef with the app is that in the readalong version the text highlighting is word by word. I'd prefer a phrase-by-phrase option for many readers, and would suggest that developers try to incorporate both options. 

Toy Story 2 Readalong
Price: FREE

This story app is based upon the Disney PIXAR film of the same name. Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp, and leaves Woody behind. A toy collector steals him, so Buzz Lightyear and the other toys set off to rescue him before he is shipped to a museum in Japan. The app uses the same wonderful images from the film and includes games, movie clips, colouring pages and songs from the movie. Children aged 5-10 will enjoy the app.

'Little Mermaid and Other Stories by H.C. Andersen'
Price: $US11.99

It's hard to go wrong with a Hans Christian Andersen story and Game Collage has done a great job with this app. They also offer a free LITE version that allows you to try it out before spending $11.99 US to buy it. The app includes three H.C. Andersen stories, 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Emperor's New Clothes' and 'The Happy Family'.  This app does what the developers of 'Alice for the iPad' wanted to do but didn't quite achieve. Unlike 'Alice' this app manages to add a wide rang of interactive elements that use colour, movement, sound and image to engage the reader, complement the story and even, in places, add value to the experience of the book.

Like 'Alice', at times the interactive elements seem a little contrived, but they work. They have used an ornate style for the print and design (in keeping with the age of Andersen's stories) and have added a mass of varied interactive features. These include swimming through the ocean with the Little Mermaid, travelling to different kingdoms in the 'Emperor's new Clothes', shooting fireworks from a ship, watching ants and snails crawl across the screen, being able to rock and switch on lanterns and many more. Unlike 'Alice' the elements are on virtually every page.

The 'Little Mermaid' is a longish story, with the 'Emperor's New Clothes' medium in length and 'The Happy Family' much shorter. There is no readalong option for any of the stories which some will see as a weakness.

Aesop's Wheel of Fables (for iPad)
Price: FREE

This is a simple collection of Aesop's fables. That can be read by children or listened to. One novel feature is a wheel that is spun to choose the fable. There are also some other games embedded along the way which can be chosen. I could have done without the games and perhaps a little more interactivity but nevertheless it is a good collection of classic fables.

Lazy Larry Lizard
Price: $US4.49

This Australian animated children’s book was created especially for the iPad. Early readers are invited to play an active role in the story and are rewarded with full animation - when they ‘poke’ Lazy Larry on the screen, he wakes up and comes to life. But as delightful as this is for the reader, it’s not so much fun for poor Larry and the reader learns of a better way to make him happy when he plays his favourite game. This is an excellent story and the game is addictive.

My previous posts on story apps & eBooks

'Alice', the iPad and new ways to read picture books (HERE)

'Literacy and the iPad: A review of some popular apps' (HERE)

'Literacy and the iPad: A second review of children's apps' (HERE)

'eBooks, not what they're cracked up to be?' (HERE)