September's App of the Month

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Sago Mini Forest Flyer
by Sago Sago
Updated: May 23, 2013
Version 1.0.1
$1.99
http://a1.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/069/Purple/v4/e9/3f/a5/e93fa5a8-577b-1a41-fb7e-1d57427e9fd7/mzl.rbihnkys.320x480-75.jpgThis adorable app will appeal to the very youngest iPad users.  Toddlers love to explore and Forest Flyer lets them do just that. Touching the screen guides a cute little pink robin around an enchanted forest.  With a tap of the screen kids can make the robin play, sing, and dance (and even poop!) There are more than 20 animations to find and the app is circular so that it can be explored endlessly.  However, there are no directions written or spoken, which older children may actually find frustrating.  There is a letter to parents that can be accessed by taping on the home button and then scrolling upward with two fingers.  Overall, this is a simple, super cute app best for babies and very young users who will be delighted by the bright colors, bold shapes, and sweet little sounds.  Reviewed by Alia

August's App of the Month

Friday, August 16, 2013

PBS KIDS Video
by PBS KIDS
Updated: May 29, 2013
Version 2.0.5
FREE
 PBS KIDS Video is a fabulous free app that allows kids to watch video clips from PBS favorites like Curious George and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and dozens more. But what makes this app great is that it is child centered so that even very young children can navigate from clip to clip on their own. The play button and arrow buttons are large and very visible in the bottom center and children can browse clips based character icons. There is also a "parent resources" section that can only be accessed by sliding the I-bar to the right, making it very difficult for a child to accidentally make unwanted purchases. PBS Kids Video is a video player and there are not any interactive games or activities included in this app but it is a safer and more child friendly alternative to YouTube.  Reviewed by: Alia

This Week @ Story Time

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Summer Stories:

written and illustrated by Bernard Most
 
Dinosaurs Galore! written by Giles Andreae
and illustrated by David Wojtowycz
 
How Do Dinosaurs Eat their Food? written by Jane Yolen
and illustrated by Mark Teague
 
Dinosaur Stomp! written and illustrated by Paul Stickland

Elementary Explorers

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

This week in Elementary Explorers we read:

Iggy Peck, Architect written by Andrea Beaty
and illustrated by David Roberts
 
We also looked at unique building designed to look like everyday objects in the book, Buildings in Disguise written by Joan Marie Arbogast.
 
One of our creative young minds built our own CHPL out of marshmallows and toothpicks! 
 

This Week @ Story Time:

Summer Stories:

Dirty Gert written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold
 
and illustrated by John Schoenherr
 
Frogs in Clogs written and illustrated by Sheila White Samton
 
My Truck is Stuck! written Kevin Lewis and illustrated by Daniel Kirk

Lego Club Pics

Monday, August 5, 2013

Check out the great creations for our Lego Club: Freestyle:


Book Buzz August, 2013

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Kelsey Green, Reading Queen by Claudia Mills
Kelsey Green LOVES reading. She can't believe how lucky she is when the school Principal, Mr. Boone, comes into her third grade class to announce there will be a month long reading contest! She goes to great lengths to read more books than anyone else and to help her class earn a pizza party. Can she do it all by herself? Not everyone in her class loves to read as much as she does, will this become a problem? This is a fun book about someone who clearly loves reading more than anything else. Kristin (J Fiction)

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night by Lenore Look
Hailing from Concord, Massachusetts (which is very hard to spell!), Alvin Ho faces new fears and obstacles in this hilarious installment of the series. This time around, Mom’s having a baby—and Alvin has found himself with a “simply pathetic” pregnancy. At the same time, there’s a thief on the loose in Concord, and things get personal when the thief steals Alvin’s PDK (Personal Disaster Kit) and the money he plans to donate for relief in Haiti. Many books deal with the issue of a new baby in the house: and this one does so in moving and hilarious ways. Readers will also enjoy LeUyen Pham’s funny and sweet pictures of Alvin and his adventures throughout the text. Parents and caregivers who read alongside their children will also find themselves in stitches as Alvin deals with the trials, tribulations, and phobias of second grade! Cassie (J Fiction)

Al Capone Does My Homework (Al Capone at Alcatraz #3) by Gennifer Choldenko
Welcome back to Alcatraz Island.  Moose Flanagan’s dad has just been promoted to assistant warden giving Moose even more to worry about.  His dad’s in danger from the cons, the other guards are seriously jealous of the unlikely promotion, and a suspicious fire has left the Flanagan’s without an apartment.  Plus, other families are trying to blame Moose’s autistic sister, Natalie for the fire. This may put the family’s place on the island in jeopardy.  Alcatraz may not be a normal place to grow up but it’s home to the Flanagans. Don’t miss the last installment in the Newbery Honor-winning Alcatraz trilogy! Alia (YA Fiction)

 
Design by Pocket