Archive for March, 2011

Children’s book publishers are creating cell phone apps for books like The Velveteen Rabbit and The Cat in the Hat.

Kids can read the book on their parent’s phone and enjoy some interactive features. For instance, they can touch a word they don’t know and hear it or touch the picture of a bird to see the word “bird.”

As the app reads the book out loud, each word is highlighted so the child can follow along. Some books are read by the author and others are ready by celebrities including Meryl Streep and Robin Williams.

Books apps for children aren’t really new. Readers of this blog know that I have long loved the LeapFrog book readers, and these apps are essentially the same thing—albeit a souped-up version. And without the physical book. So, erm, that’s quite different, then. But, same idea.

Some book apps also pronounce the words in other languages so kids can hear a second language while they’re enjoying the book.

Critics of the apps say that with a book the child is in the driver’s seat but with an app the book content is leading the learning. Not sure if I agree with that, especially harkening back to the LeapFrog reader–of which my child was definitely in control, and not the other way around. Perhaps a more pointed criticism is the fact that apps aren’t books. Beautiful, tactile, sometimes dog-eared, sometimes unwieldy, delicious books. But I digress.

The information in this article was taken from an article on npr.org. The article points out that, while book apps won’t replace children’s books… at least they’re better for your kid than Angry Bird. Now that’s a good point.

Ruckus Media produces many of the apps; you can buy them for about $3.99 per app.
There are a bunch listed on Ruckus’s website.

What is the best literacy activity you’ve done with your kids to help get them reading?
The three top answers will be shared here and will win a Ji Ga Zo puzzle, courtesy of Hasbro and Getting Kids Reading.

The contest ends on Saturday, April 2 so get your answer(s) in by then.
We’ll be looking for simple, fun literacy-boosting activities (crafts, games, Internet sites, tips etc.) that kids will really enjoy and that will get them reading.
Winners will be notified here, and the puzzles will be shipped directly from Hasbro.

If you don’t know about Ji Ga Zo, it’s my latest obsession. (And no, Hasbro is not paying me to say any of this – although they did give me one free to try out. But I did subsequently buy one myself.)

Anyway, click here for my Ji Ga Zo post that will tell you more about it.
There’s a commercial that explains it pretty well, here.

AND THE WINNERS ARE… EVERYONE!
I just couldn’t pick three winners. I couldn’t, I couldn’t!
Fortunately, Hasbro has generously offered (OK, after a bit of askin’ on my part – well, I couldn’t pick three! I couldn’t!) to give all of the people who entered our contest a free Ji Ga Zo reusable puzzle. The name may be challenging but the puzzle is awesome. This is a $24.99 value – and Hasbro is shipping them free to all our winners.

So congratulations to – and please email your snail-mail address to joycegrant@sympatico.ca – our winners:
Jen Robinson
Valerie Strain
Ingvild
Lisa Dalrymple
Goletha Smith and
Greg Heptinstall

Congratulations! Woo-hoo! Picture the confetti I’m throwing.
Ah heck, here – you don’t have to picture it:

Image: Sherrie Thai

Gary Kohl – elementary schoolteacher and writer – offers his review of Dust City, by Robert Paul Weston.
The book is recommended for kids age 12+.

By Gary Kohl

Robert Paul Weston’s new book, Dust City, has many magical elements scattered through its 300 pages of mystery and intrigue. Weston reaches back to the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and ancient mythology to weave his spells and adventures. These magical elements are both literal and abstract as the title refers to the dust that fairies use to grant wishes.

Our main character, Henry Whelp, son of the famed big bad wolf from the Grimm’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” is determined to follow through on his now incarcerated father’s plans to discover the truth regarding the disappearance of fairies and their magical dust. Not only will this quest help him to clear his father’s name, it may stop a great injustice that could have significant consequences for all creatures living in this world of dwarves, giants, talking animals, and more. Along the way, the reader encounters many familiar characters, from Jack, of beanstalk fame, to a cold-hearted villain with a King Midas touch.

Robert Paul Weston’s book will appeal to readers who have been enjoying the world of fantasy so wonderfully re-energized over the past 10 years by the Harry Potter series. The chapters are short, with each one leaving the reader wondering what outlandish characters are going to appear next to challenge or befriend our hero on his quest to save everything he cares about.

Readers can expect everything, from a love interest to some horrific acts that sometimes catch you off guard. Readers can really let their imaginations run wild while trying to picture what some of Weston’s creatures might really look like and, quite often, smell like.

Some chapters are not for the faint-of-heart, but if it’s adventure and life and death scenarios you’re after, then Dust City should prove wholly satisfying and easy to follow.

Related Links
Here’s Dust City’s pretty intriguing website.
Robert Paul Weston’s website.

This has nothing to do with literacy. Well, unless there’s something called “animal literacy” (which there’s not).

But some things just have to be shared. Stick with it past the Michael Jackson bit – it gets really good.

Here’s a fun game we were playing at the dinner table recently. It’s called “Connections,” and it’s great to help with creativity and get the blood flowing to the ol’ brain cells – not just for your kids but for you, too.

You start. You name two objects that seemingly have no connection to each other. Your child has to somehow connect the two objects in a logical way.

Here’s an example:

You: An electric oven and a tree.

Your child: The electric oven is based on the wood-burning stove. Wood comes from trees.

Then, it’s your child’s turn:

Your child: Snow and Florida.

You: That’s a hard one. Um, there’s no snow in Florida?

Your child: Aaaaaaang! (Buzzer sound). No way - try again!

You: In Florida, they have a hockey team called the Panthers. If one of the players stops really hard on the ice, his skate blades will create some… snow!

Your child (giggling hysterically at your ineptitude at this game): Oh man, mom–you were really reaching on that one! OK, I’ll accept that answer even though it’s awful. Your turn.

And on it goes.

The great thing is that there are no rules. Together you decide what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

And the other great thing is that often it’s harder to be the person coming up with the two objects than it is to be the person connecting them.

And the other great thing is that it’s all using your brain and having a good time doing it.

And then all of you can go and rent that Will Smith movie “Six Degrees of Separation.” No, wait – don’t do that. Highly inappropriate for kids. But you can watch it again when your kid’s asleep. Great flick. And, an excuse to have Will Smith’s picture on this post. Sigh.

Bone is a very popular (understatement) series of graphic novels. Many a reluctant reader has been enticed into reading because of the Bone series. Parents will be thrilled, then, by this latest Bone offering – it’s an actual novel without the graphics. Kids who’ve been reading and enjoying Bone may be ready to step up and get into this longer version of their favourite book. We asked book enthusiast Alexander Kelly to read and review the new Bone novel.

By Alexander Kelly, age 11

Quest for the Spark is about Tom Elm, a 12-year-old farm boy who dreams of being a hero.

When an evil being called the Nacht is awakened, people in the valley start to fall asleep. To save his family and the kingdom, Tom must embark on a quest to find the spark, the only thing that can save his family and the people in the valley from endless sleep. With help from an odd team of questers, Tom must find the spark before everyone is encased in endless sleep.

This novel is written by Tom Sniegoski and not Jeff Smith, the author of the Bone series, although Jeff Smith did illustrate the book. If you liked the Bone series, you might like this book although the style of the writing and the author are completely different. Unlike the Bone series, it is not a graphic novel but is an actual novel with some illustrations. Some of the characters and setting will be familiar to people who have read the Bone books. The two stupid rat creatures, Roderick the Raccoon, Grandma Ben and Queen Thorn appear in this novel.

You might like this book if you are aged 6 to 9. For older readers this book might be a bit basic and even a little cheesy. Correct me if I’m wrong, but a book with characters named Smelly and Stinky might be a tad childish for some older readers.

The new edition of Literacy Lava, a free e-zine for parents with great literacy articles and ideas, is now available.

You can download the .pdf from The Book Chook, here.

I’ve got an article in it, and there are lots of other great articles including:
* Writing tips for kids;
* Story-telling;
* Literacy tips – what works (that’s my article);
* Tips for reading aloud;
* A book club for preschoolers:
* Creativity tips; and
* much more.