Make & Do Books: Engaging readers in different ways

My focus in this post is on books that engage children by getting them making, exploring or manipulating things. The books I mention are generally just as appealing for girls as boys. Books of this type can also sometimes act as 'breakthrough' books for boys to get them reading. I've written previously about the role of non-fiction, cross section and diagrammatic books,  science & technology, and generally how to make reading exciting for boys. 'Make and Do' books require a different type of comprehension to that used with narratives. In summary, why are they important? They require readers to:

Follow sequences
Comprehend specific instructions
Learn subject specific vocabulary
Become familiar with the language of instruction
Use their body, not just their heads
Be creative and use problem solving
Can encourage reluctant readers to read

'How Machines Work: The Interactive Guide to Simple Machines and Mechanisms' by Nick Arnold & Allan Sanders, published by Quarto Children's Books and distributed in Australia by Walker Books.

This book is a unique interactive guide to understanding simple machines and mechanisms. It introduces basic physics both in words and through models that the reader manipulates. It has 9 double-page spreads that introduce the reader to a key mechanical principle that you then put into practice by building one or more working models. The text and illustrations offer an easy to understand description of the mechanical principle and how to make a model that demonstrates it. This hands-on approach makes it easy to understand how these principles work and how they can be applied to everyday objects, such as cars, bicycles cranes and seesaws. Everything that you need is within, or attached to the book. The concept is brilliant

'The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science: 50 Experiments for Daring Young Scientists' by Sean Connolly, published by Icon Books and distributed in Australia by Allen & Unwin.

I wanted this book as soon as I saw it.  Well, as soon as I saw the title!  The book is all about igniting interest in science. Sean Connolly achieves this with lively, hands-on activities that suggest excitement and "danger". Simple experiments that pop, ooze, surprise and teach will delight boys and girls in upper primary. He also leads the reader through the history of science, and uses simple experiments to demonstrate key scientific principles.

The reader can rediscover the wheel and axle with the ancient Sumerians, or perform an astounding experiment demonstrating the theory of angular momentum. Children can build a simple telescope like Galileo's and find the four moons he discovered orbiting Jupiter.  They can experiment safely with electricity and avoid the more risky approach of Ben Franklin with his Lightning experiment. They will also learn how to re-create the Hadron Collider in a microwave with marshmallows, calculator, and a ruler to demonstrate the speed of light. Or they might simply crush a can using Stephenson's steam can experiment. This is a wonderful book for children aged 9-12 years.

'The Lego Ideas Book' by Daniel Lipkowitz and published by DK Publishing 

If you have a box of Lego pieces resulting from your purchase of dozens of Lego sets, then you need this book. The book has 500 ideas for how you can make new things out of your box of Lego pieces. The book has six themed chapters—transportation, buildings, space, medieval history, adventure, and useful things to make. Each section has templates for models and ideas for how you might create your own. The book has 200 pages of tips and advice, illustrations and ideas.  It is well illustrated and beautifully designed. This book will keep children aged 7 to 70 years busy for hours.

'Sewing School: Hand-Sewing Projects Kids Will Love' by Amie Plumley & Andria Lisle and published by Storey Publishing.

Photo courtesy littlerockmamas.com

If you'd like some simple designs for sewing projects that don't require a machine, then this might just be the right book for you.  This beautifully designed book has 21 projects suitable for children aged 7 and up.  All of the ideas have been tested with kids and most only require basic hand stitches. The book has numerous illustrations and clear instructions as well as quotes from children who were part of the author's sewing camps where the ideas were developed and tested. 

The 150-page book has 12 chapters that cover basic instructions and foundational sewing skills. It then has a variety of projects arranged in categories. These include items to hug (e.g. blanket, pillow, doll), things to hold (e.g. wallet, tote, apron, pouch), gifts (e.g. coasters, pot holder, toy mouse), things to wear (e.g. hat, dolls dress), repairing clothes (e.g. patches, fixing rips, hems) and repairing soft toys (e.g. sewing eyes back on). Each project has step-by-step instructions at a reading level of about 7 years, photos of every step, and also a photo of the final project. The book also has some full-size patterns and instructions for how grownups can help.

'Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas' by Fiona Watt and published by Usborne

The Usborne Art book has almost 300 pages of original ideas for painting, drawing and making collage. This fantastic book is ideal for children of varied (and minimal) artistic ability. It is also suitable for just about any age (but it's ideal for 7-12 year olds). The book will help children to explore varied artistic forms and materials, including chalk, pencil, paint and watercolour. It offers ideas that require the use of a wide variety of artistic techniques, including painting, drawing, sticking, ink, ripping, rubbing, smudging and colouring. Each of the many ideas is illustrated with very easy to follow step-by-step instructions. The book also offers tips on brushwork, mixing colours, thinning and thickening paint, how to shade and add patterns, using oil pastels, acrylics and more. 

'Children's Quick and Easy Cookbook' by Angela Wilkes and published by DK Publishing.  

The Children's Quick and Easy Cookbook has 60 simple recipes that children will enjoy. The recipes are easy enough for most children to use, and are mostly suitable for the whole family. It contains a mix of healthy snacks, full meals, and delicious treats and sweets. The meal recipes include pita pockets, falafel, pizzas, Turkish meatballs, tacos, Thai satay kebabs, lemon fish sticks, filled crepes, chicken curry and rice. There are also many wonderful sweets including simple baked bomb Alaska, Tiramisu, parfaits, carrot cake, cookies and many more.  

The book also outlines cooking techniques, good food hygiene, kitchen safety, and step-by-step instructions. Full colour photographs are used throughout the book 


The Dangerous Book for Boys. by Conn Iggulden & Hal Iggulden and published by Harper Collins

This book offers a range of ideas for making and doing things. For example, how to make the greatest paper plane in the world, building a tree house, all about dinosaurs, making a G0-cart, how to go fishing, juggling, all about Australian snakes, skimming stones and so on. This isn't a simple book (about grade 4-5 standard) but the content will help boys to 'stretch' themselves. It is also a great book for boys to read and 'do' with an adult. I've reviewed it in more detail here.



'The Daring Book for Girls' by Andrea J. Buchanan & Miriam Peskowitz and published by Harper Collins is a companion volume to 'The Dangerous Book for Boys'.

Like its predecessor, it is designed for children aged 7-12 years. It includes a mix of things to make and do, information about things that girls might like to know, biographical material, poetry etc. It has been produced again by Harper Collins and has a similar layout, size and range of contents. Even the cover is similar in design, to build on the success of the previous book. Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz have written the book. The Australian edition was released in 2008 and mirrors the US edition released by Harper Collins in 2007, but it includes some different Australian content.

Children's Picture Book Reviews - February

This is another of my regular reviews of children's books. In this post I review some wonderful recent Australian and British picture books for younger children.

All but the last book are written for children from birth to age five years. The final book will appeal to slightly older readers.

1. 'The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes' by Jackie Morris and published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books and distributed in Australia by Walker Books. This is a wonderful collection of 40 traditional rhymes that all children should experience. Jackie Morris has chosen some wonderful examples, some familiar like 'Hey Diddle, Diddle' and some less common like 'Jumping Joan'.

Here am I
little jumping Joan,
When nobody's with me,
I'm all alone.

The watercolour plates are wonderful, rich in detail and with a style that will capture interest. If you don't have a 'treasury' of rhymes, then surely this is a good place to start.

2. 'Hop, Skip and Jump, Maisy!' by Lucy Cousins and published by Walker Books. This is a 'Maisy First Science Book' that kids will enjoy. Every preschool child loves Maisy books and this one will only expand the number of fans. This energetic little mouse has fun outside, in the park, at all times of the day and she can do many things. Children love this 'pull the tab' book, they can make Maisy do star jumps, roll over, skip, drink, kick a ball and much more. Lots of fun for the 0-3 year old readers out there who love the simple stories and want to explore their books.

3. 'Ten Scared Fish' and 'Kangaroos Hop' both by Ros Moriarty and illustrated by Balarinji. These two delightful Indigenous Australian picture books from Allen & Unwin are a wonderful introduction to this genre for children under three years as well as being wonderful language concept books.

'Ten Scared Fish' focuses on the number 1 to 10, while offering an encounter with Australian animals and the wonderful art of Balarinji. Ros Moriarty is the founder of the 'Indi Kindi' pre-literacy project as well as her own memoir 'Listening to Country'. Beginning with 'One turtle by the waterhole', we travel to the sea meeting turtles and fish until 'Ten fish in the salt water' meet 'One big mouth'!

'Kangaroos Hop' introduces the reader to a variety of common verbs and increasing sentence complexity as we meet Australian animals with lots to do and add them incrementally each page to an expanding story. 'The kangaroos hop and the birds fly', 'The kangaroos hop the birds fly the echidnas shuffle and the butterflies dance', and so on. Wonderful!

Both books are beautifully and simply striking and as you'd expect combine bright colours, traditional Indigenous artistic techniques and a fresh and engaging illustrative style. I love these books!

4. 'My Green Day' by Melanie Walsh and published by Walker Books. This is another simple book for preschool children. But it has a twist. It introduces children to ten things that they can do to protect the planet. Each simple sentence has a fine print explanation for teachers and parents that helps them to explain why each thing will help to 'green' your day.

'I eat a free-range egg for my breakfast'
'I put my eggshell in the compost bin ..'
'I help empty the washing machine... and peg our clothes out to dry'. And so on.

The illustrations are simple but eye-catching, use simple tonal variations, strongly contrasting colours and many variations in page shape, cut-outs and so on, to capture attention. The book has the look and feel of recycled paper 

5. 'Mole's Sunrise' by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies and published by Walker Books. This is a charming book due both to its story and the illustrations. Mole never thought he'd ever get to see a sunrise until one day his friends show it to him.

Mole had never seen the sunrise.
"It's beautiful," said Vole.
"I'd like to see it," said Mole.
"Come with me," said Vole.
Off they went hand in hand.

With simplicity of language and simple sentence structure, Willis tells a delightful tale of friendship, innocence and imaginative exploration of the world. The illustrations of Fox-Davies exquisitely detailed pen and wash drawings that are as soft and gentle as the story. This is a wonderful book that children aged 0-5 will just love. You can also buy a touch, sound and picture book for blind children. What could be more appropriate for a book about a mole? Find out more HERE.

6. 'Bom! Went the Bear' by Nicki Greenberg, published by Allen & Unwin. I love this book and so does every child I read it to. In fact, I almost forgot to review it because I have one granddaughter who insisted on it being read so many times that it was buried with all my older children's books. Nicki Greenberg is a fabulous illustrator and writer who after the epic dimensions of her acclaimed graphic novel 'Macbeth' (see my review here), has produced a delightfully simple story of a little bear and an unlikely band of animals. The dog went 'strum strum strum' on the banjo, the singing was covered by giraffes who 'hit the high notes' and the turtles who sang low, the rabbit played the "Clarinet quick-quick", the koala played the sax "s-l-o-w". But it was the bear who brings a dramatic end to this simple story about a procession of animals playing varied instruments - "BOM! went the bear on the big bass drum... BOM! BOM! BOM! BOM! BOM!"  Delightful brightly coloured illustrations and slightly stylised animals with clear personalities, marry perfectly with carefully chosen and crafted words.

7. 'School for Princes: Stories from the Panchatantra' Retold by Jamila Gavin and illustrated by Bee Willey. Published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books and distributed in Australia by Walker Books. This is a collection of five ancient fables taken from the 'Panchatantra' which is a piece of classic Indian literature from the 3rd century BC meant to offer wisdom for life. Gavin weaves five original stories in with them to tell the story of how three rude and badly behaved princes are shaped to become future kings.  The traditional tales focus on 'winning friends', 'losing friends', 'loss of gains', 'rash deeds' and 'the art of duplicity'.  Jamila Gavin was born in India and makes these unfamiliar stories of wisdom and moral advice relevant to a 21st century child. Bee Willey is an internationally acclaimed illustrator who doesn't disappoint in this book with a style that helps to makes sense of these culturally unfamiliar stories.  Suitable for readers 5-10 years and perfect for class read aloud to expand literary interests.

What are the 'basics' in the preschool years?

Creative water play

I am asked constantly by parents of preschool children should they be doing various things. Parents ask, should I:

"Make sure they know their sounds before schools?"
"Teach them the letter names?"
"Teach them to write their name?"
"Make sure they can write neatly?"
"Teach them to read some simple words?"
"Teach them about numbers?"

While the above are genuine questions about knowledge children will eventually need, most overlook the real 'basics' in the preschool years that will have a big impact on school success and later learning. If you want your child to succeed at school and in the workplace, become lifelong learners, be creative people able to solve problems and adapt to varied situations, who have varied life interests and a love of knowledge, then here are the things you want them to be able to do when they are five.

Enjoy playing with language - know unusual words, enjoy finding out new ones, play with rhyme and rhythm in language, love telling stories, jokes and talking with other people.

Creative story making with skills established early

Enjoy new stories with others in all their forms - stories you tell them of your life, stories read to them, stories watched together with others in the form of film and on television.

Have an interest in numbers, letters and words - wanting to learn about them (e.g. "Show me what a thousand is Mum"), trying to write them, including them in their creative play and drawing.

Be able to sit still for up to 30 minutes - being able to play alone or with others, complete a task they're interested in, listen to stories, engage in a play situation etc.

Have an expanding vocabulary - learning new words, trying to invent their own, asking you about words and what they mean.

Learning from experience

Enjoy knowledge and the gaining of it - being curious about some area of interest (e.g. insects, dragons, horses, pets) and having a desire to know more and share it ("Did you know Mum that a stick insect is called a Phasmid, and there are lots of types").

Have a love of books - while I've already mentioned stories above, there is a particular place for the love of books, I'd want my children to see books as some of their most special possessions because of the knowledge, stories and wonder that they hold.

Have an emerging knowledge of words, letters and the sounds associated with them - a five-year-old doesn't need to be able to read before school, but I'd want them to have some knowledge of letter names, some concepts of print and an interest in knowing how to read and write.

Show an interest in technology - not just to play games, or sit for hours transfixed in front of a TV, but a desire to explore their world with computers, an interest in the knowledge and learning that technology can deliver and how it can expand our world.

An ability to be creative and inventive - drawing and making things inspired by a story, TV show, movie or experience. Wanting to dress up and act out characters and experiences. Making shops, cubbies under the table, giving names and characters to their dolls and toys, using toys and other objects for creative story telling or recreation.

Creative play in action, the foundation of imagination & problem solving

Have an interest in problem solving - working out a way to spread the sheet over the table and hold it there for the cubby, trying to see how things work, trying to fix things that are broken, coming up with ideas for how the problems of his or her world can be solved ("Mum, if we could knock off three palings on the fence I could make a gate to Cheryl's house").

Have the ability to listen to, learn and comprehend - stories, lifestyle programs, movies, television shows, stories you tell them, recipes and how they are structured, instructions (spoken or pictorial). 

The above are the real basics that children need to know to succeed at school. The problem with them is that you can't cram in the year before school to develop them. These basics are things that take time and effort by parents and preschool teachers. Each requires knowledge of the child, an interest in their learning and interests and the ability to observe our children to scaffold their learning.

Seven New Children's Story Apps

I recently reviewed a list of my 25 top children's apps in 2011 (HERE); this is my first review of new apps for 2012. Most of these were released late last year and are suitable for children aged 4-8 years. Of the many new releases, the following seven are worthy of consideration. It's pleasing to see that many of the negative things that have been commented on in previous reviews seem to be being addressed in some newer apps. While developers still need to work hard at maintaining a priority on the quality of the story, they have been using more engaging material with rich language and more complex story. There is also more evidence of use of sound, image and word in more effective ways, without simply producing an app with cute and fun interactive elements.

I've used the same rating scale as for some of my earlier app reviews, with four key categories and a 5 point rating scale - 1 (Very Poor), 2 (Poor), 3 (Average), 4 (Good), 5 (Excellent). The higher the score out of 20 the better the rating.

1. 'Cozmo's Day Off' from Ayars Animation

'Cozmo's Day Off' is one of my favourite new story apps. It has a cute story in simple rhyming verse that is complemented by a 'quirky' reader. Ayars Animation developed the wonderful 'Jack and the Beanstalk' app that I reviewed last year (here). It tells of Cozmo the alien who is having a bad day as he tries to get to work. 

It also has some brilliant and very funny interactive elements. Children love exploring the many interactive elements on each page, and yet because it's a fun rhyming story they also come back to the text.  The quality of the images is high, as is the rendering of every page. The app also has just about every option for reading it. You can listen to the story, read it yourself and record your own reading of the story. A fun device they've added is the ability to speed up or slow down the reading of the story. While this is a bit of a distraction once children discover it, they do come back to the story.

The app is also easy to use. It doesn't have a page swipe function (just a back and forward button) but this isn't a problem. It does have a scroll bar that allows you to move quickly from page to page or back again if you've lost your place. Overall, this is an app that makes good use of all that there is to offer in an eBook, including sound, image, movement, colour, language and text devices. A big pat on the back to the developers for using phrase highlighting in the read along option rather than word-by-word reading as is the case with many apps. This encourages reading for meaning, not just reading words.

Rating

a) Fun & interactivity (5) - Sets new standards for fun and creative elements
b) Ease of use (4) - Complex, with many options, but not hard to work out
d) Benefit for literacy & learning (5) - An enjoyable story, with rich language and an engaging storyline
e) Value for money (4) - at $4.49 US it is excellent value. 

Total =18/20

2. 'Ellison the Elephant' by Eric Drachman and illustrated by James Muscarello
Oceanhouse Media

This is a simple and enjoyable story about a little elephant who is different from other elephants because he can't trumpet properly. He is helped by Weasel to find his trumpet and in the process manages to invent jazz music. 

Oceanhouse Media has been developing apps primarily for previously published books. This strategy ensures that they end up with some quality stories. There is little animation, but the movement of screen focus across images works well and gains attention and increases interest. In this app they also include some good (and subtle) use of sound to support, rather than overpower the story. The interactive devices are limited, but that doesn't bother me, as it means there is more emphasis on the story. This is supported by the use of multiple voices for the storytelling mode that are excellent. Two minor quibbles. Ellison's mom seems to call her 'Alison' whenever she speaks, but maybe this is her accent. There is also one page with three font sizes for no obvious reason.

Rating

a) Fun & interactivity (3) - The level of interactivity is limited but acceptable (and not distracting)
b) Useability (5) - Very simple and easy to use
c) Benefit for literacy & learning (4) - Great story, rich in language and vocabulary and well written
d) Value for money (4) - Great value at $2.99 US. 


Total = 16/20


3. 'The Nutcracker Musical Storybook', artwork by Joko Janaka animator Andy Zibits & music audio Paul Zibits. Developed by Mouse King Media.

This story app is based on E.T.A Hoffman's classic story of 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' (1816) and the music from the famous ballet 'The Nutcracker' that was based on the story.  It comes in story or movie mode. Each has a single line of text at the bottom of the screen that presents the simple narrative. In the read-only option the user can control page turning and tap pictures for a number of simple effects (mainly sound and some movement). In the movie mode the story moves automatically from one screen to the next. Both modes make use of segments from the opera. The read only page is controlled from an initial Christmas tree image with numbered baubles allowing different paths through the story. The reader can swipe the pages and interact with a number of visual elements on the way.

The images are delightful and capture the mood of the 19th century winter setting with wonderful variations in colour, light, movement, animated figures (puppet-like), sound and of course Tchaikovsky's wonderful music. The well-known scenes are all there with the 'Waltz of the flowers' and the 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' brilliant!


Rating

a) Fun & interactivity (4) - The elements are simple but they fit well with the story and music.
b) Useability (4) - The app is simple, but I found the story sequence that was triggered by touching the right bauble on the Christmas tree a little confusing until I found the reset button.
c) Benefit for literacy & learning (4) - A wonderful introduction to a famous ballet and another period in history
d) Value for money (5) - at $2.99 US this is excellent value. 


Total = 17/20

4. 'Monkey Business', by Christopher Cheng and developed by Kiwa Media (New Zealand)

This is a simple story about a runaway monkey and his adventures while free from his confinement. It is in HD format but has unusual images for a young child's app. The zookeepers all look as if they're on steroids. The monkey images are simple and effective, but I wonder how 3-6 year old children will respond. Those I tested it with seemed to enjoy the story more than the images.  The language was also adult-like, e.g. "He was checked for injuries but the only visual evidence of Erwin's escape was a grazed foot". The app has many of the common features including ready alone or listen to, record your own reading, and a painting option. This is a cute feature that allows the reader to paint all illustrations on the way through. While children I tested the app with enjoyed the painting option, it does little for engagement in the story.

I can't say this is one of my favourite story apps; I'd encourage the developers to work on better texts for children and to think carefully about the appropriateness of their images for the age group. They might also consider more interactive elements to elaborate on text or enrich story elements and sequences.

Rating

a) Fun & interactivity (3) - Pretty basic with very minor interactive elements, the painting option was fun
b) Useability (4) - Fairly easy to use
c) Benefit for literacy & learning (3) - Limited in my view. The story does offer rich and complex vocabulary, but this seemed strangely inappropriate in places.
d) Value for money (5) - at $0.99 US you can't argue on value, this is a very cheap app 


Total = 15/20


5. 'Tacky the Penguin' by Helen Lester and produced by Oceanhouse Media.

I love this little story app. Tacky is a lovable character and the illustrations of Helen Lester are simple pen and wash with vibrant colours. She manages to create images that project different personalities for all the penguins. I like the fun names that Lester chose - 'Goodly', 'Lovely', 'Angel', 'Neatly', 'Perfect' and of course 'Tacky'. The introduction of the story complication (the bear and two wolves) with a repetitive verse adds to the fun of the story. But of course, Tacky, the crazy little penguin manages to confuse them with numbers and then send them packing.

As with other Oceanhouse apps, the use of quality literature means that they have a head start and don't need to use as many tricks and gadgets to engage young readers. The app also allows the reader to tap each image with the name of the object shown in word and sound. I'm not a fan of this feature because it often seems to distracts readers from the storyline as they play with the app trying to look for interactive elements. In my view, this simple app doesn't need this feature, which confuses the purpose of reading whole stories with word recognition drills.  

Rating


a) Fun & interactivity (3) - As indicated above, this is a simple app with only minor interactive elements. I'm glad to see sound used in this app to add to the reading experience.
b) Useability (4) - The app works well and is simple in format.
c) Benefit for literacy & learning (4) - The story is rich in language and elegant in plot and structure.
e) Value for money (4) - at $2.99 US it is good value. 
 
Total = 15/20

6. Some more Dr Seuss magic from Oceanhouse Media

(i) 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street' by Dr Seuss, Oceanhouse Media

This is another Oceanhouse production to mark the 75th anniversary of the Dr Seuss classic story 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street'. This was the first story Dr Seuss managed to have published.  It uses the images from the book and is not animated. The template used by Oceanhouse is the same as for the app reviewed above for 'Tacky the Penguin' and has the same basic features.

The simple sound effects work well and add to the experience of the story for the reader. These include music, footsteps, horse hooves, sounds of the wagon and the grand parade. Kids will love this story app.

Rating

a) Fun & interactivity (3) - A simple app with enough to interest the reader
b) Useability (4) - Simple and easy to use.
c) Benefit for literacy & learning (5) - Wonderful and timeless story from Dr Seuss with the usual richness of rhyme and language.
d) Value for money (4) - at $2.99 US it is good value. 


Total = 16/20

(ii) Dr Seuss Beginner Book Collection #1

This is a fabulous collection of Dr Seuss classic stories just released by Oceanhouse media. Each story in the set is ideal for beginning readers. The titles come in one app and include:

'The Cat in the Hat'
'The Foot Book'
'One Fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish'
'Mr Brown can Moo! Can You?'
'Fox in Socks'

All these books use the same design template as for 'And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street'. So you can read it yourself, have it read to you, or have auto play. It also uses the same picture tap function that primes the words and name for each separate image on each page. However, while I see this as a distraction in some of the apps in which it is used, it works well in this collection because all are fine examples of how Dr Seuss plays with words and language. Hence, the tapping of images to hear and see the label makes more sense.  One other feature in this app is that the sound works so well to support the experience of the story. This is seen particularly in 'Fox in Socks'. I should also add that the reader on the app is brilliant. Try reading '...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle bottle paddle battle' with fluency and interest.

You can't go wrong with this collection; at about $2.50 per story, you should add it to your collection.

Rating

a) Fun & interactivity (4) - A simple app with enough to interest the reader. The word tap option works well with the repetitive language, use of nonsense words and rhyme
b) Useability (4) - Simple and easy to use.
c) Benefit for literacy & learning (5) - Five wonderful stories from Dr Seuss with the usual richness of rhyme, language and silliness.
d) Value for money (4) - at $11.99 US for 5 stories, it's great value.

Total = 17/20

Some previous reviews of apps

'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)

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

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.