Picture Book Apps

This season the hot gift on many a child's list (and many a grown-up's too!) will be a new tablet. But once you have that shiny new tablet you'll need to start downloading apps.  Apps also make great last minute holiday gifts. No going to the mall required! And how will know you which apps to look for?  That's where we come in!  Here is a list of Picture Book apps to share together (or to just entertain the kids for a while.)

iPad Apps:
GREEN EGGS & HAM  By Dr. Seuss (Author), Oceanhouse Media (Developer)

Age Range: 2 - 8

Read the review HERE.

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON
by Crocket Johnson (Author), Trilogy Studios (Developer)

Read the review HERE.

MOO, BAA, LA LA LA!  from the "Boynton Moo Media" series, volume 2                   

By Sandra Boynton (Author), Sandra Boynton (Illustrator), Loud Crow Interactive (Developer)

Read the review HERE.

POPOUT! THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT

By Beatrix Potter (Author), Loud Crow Interactive (Developer)

Age Range: 2 - 18

Read the review HERE.

Android Apps:

Check out this list of 5 great Android Picture Book Apps HERE.

Coming soon to Broadway...

Tuck Everlasting as a musical? We think it could be awesome.  Here's the early buzz from the New York Times.  Also, Because of Winn-Dixie is slated to become a musical. Read all about it here.

SLJ's Best Picture Books 2011

School Library Journal has put out their list of the Best Books of 2011. You can check out the list here.
We were so happy to see that Deborah Underwood's The Loud Book (the follow up to The Quiet Book)made it on to the list! We would love to hear what would be on your "Best Of" list!  Let us know what you think!

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:
Little Listeners:
Polar Bear, Polar bear, What Do You Hear? written by Bill Martin Jr and illustrated by Eric Carle
I Spy with My Little Eye written and illustrated by Edward Gibbs

Story Time:
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas
Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems

Book Buzz December, 2011

A Bad Kitty Christmas

by Nick Bruel        

Bad Kitty is a bad kitty.  A very bad bad Kitty.  So why not read about Bad Kitty and how she celebrates Christmas?  Nick Bruel’s newest kitty adventure had me laughing out loud.  When Bad Kitty wakes up on Christmas Eve, to find nothing good under the Christmas tree, she decides to take matters into her own paws.  Someone needs to teach Bad Kitty the true meaning of Christmas. Will she feel the holiday spirit?  This is a holiday must read.  Jacquie (J Fiction)

Magical Mischief by Anna Dale
When Arthur Goodenough steps into inside Hardbattle Books he expects to find an ordinary bookshop.   Books are not all the shop contains; it also houses magic, and not the nice fairy dust and happily-ever-after kind of magic.  This magic has brought disarray to Hardbattle Books and driven away most of Mr. Hardbattle’s customers.  It’s time for Mr. Hardbattle to take action. A new home must be found and young Arthur can help. But what sorts of chaos will the magic cause in the meantime? 
Alia (J Fiction)

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

by Uma Krishnaswami

Twelve year old Dini is NOT excited about moving to India for two years and leaving her best friend, Maddie, behind.  However, Dini’s spirits lift considerably when she realizes her Bollywood idol, Dolly Singh, is staying in the very same village!  Dini and Maddie have memorized every bit of Dolly’s movies and Dini is thrilled at the prospect of sending her friend an autographed photo of the star. This book is a fun exploration of friendship and fate that reads like a fast-paced film. Meghan (J Fiction)

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach

by Brenda Woods

Saint is an eleven year old boy living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf and changes the lives of the residents forever. He is a normal kid going about his business, the music business, playing to earn money for a new clarinet. Like other kids, he has his friends, his Mama and Pops, and his dog Shadow. This takes place a few days leading up to and a few days after the storm, and is a good introduction to the devastation of Katrina, without being too heavy. Kristin (J Fiction)

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass

Leo, Amanda, and Rory are back for another fun story.  Part of the Willow Falls series, 13 Gifts, introduces us to Tara, a sit on the sidelines type of girl.  Tara never wants to make waves or break the rules, but somehow she ended up breaking into school and stealing a goat.  Her punishment is spending an entire summer with her aunt and uncle in a small sleepy town. Tara meets a very unusual woman who turns her world upside down.  In order to make things right, Tara will need to find 13 gifts for the woman. With the help of some brand new friends, Tara learns that life is better when it is played on the field and not on the sidelines. Jacquie (J Fiction)

This Week @ Story Time:

What we read:

Little Listeners:

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly illustrated by Stephen Gulbis
In the Tall, Tall Grass written and illustrated by Denise Fleming







Story Time:

Ginger Bear written and illustrated by Mini Grey
Who Took the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? illustrated by David A. Carter
The Cow Loves Cookies written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Marcellus Hall