Book Review: Over on a Desert

OVER ON A DESERT: SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD by Marianne Berkes is a picture book exploration of the driest places on Earth and the animals who live there.

A short description, map, and illustration are provided for each of the ten featured deserts. Each scene shows creatures in their native habitats and are depicted using high-quality collage techniques. In addition to introducing the deserts, the book can also be used as a counting and number book with younger children. The very short narratives will appeal to young readers. The book concludes with additional background information, activity ideas, and even a song.

Librarians will find this book to be a useful read-aloud book for a desert themed unit. Young children and primary-aged youth alike will enjoy both the short narratives and the predictable counting theme. Use this book to kickstart a unit on desert habitats.

Published by Dawn Publications on September 1, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: A Place to Start a Family

A PLACE TO START A FAMILY by David Harrison is a picture book focusing on animal shelters.

This informational poetry book begins with an introduction to animal shelters. Each two-page spread features a different creature including birds, sea creatures, and land animals. From nests and webs to tunnel systems, mixed media illustrations feature a wide range of animal homes. The book concludes with a review of underground, land, water, and air builders.

Librarians will find this picture book to be a useful addition to the nonfiction collection. The poems are perfect for a read-aloud activity combining science and poetry. Create a display featuring books that feature animal homes and habitats.

Published by Charlesbridge on January 16, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Digital Spotlight: Listen to Nature

LISTEN TO NATURE

British Library

Contents: This large collection includes 400 sound recordings related to wildlife and the language of birds. Users can browse by location, animal group, or habitats. A section of the website also includes information about the language of birds.

Classroom Connections: Encourage students to incorporate sounds into their animal projects.

Featured Digital Objects:
Land Mammals https://goo.gl/oD3aUa
Animal Habitats https://goo.gl/WtqK5I

To visit the collection, http://www.bl.uk/listentonature/main.html.

Book Review: Rise of the Lioness

RISE OF THE LIONESS by Bradley Hague tells the true story of the decline of predators, the last lioness, and hopes for ecosystem renewal in West Zambia.

This work of nonfiction is organized into five chapters exploring the collapse and rebuilding of lions in Liuwa Plain National Park. The book begins with an exploration of life in the African plains. Next, readers explore the decline of the predator population as a result of animal conflict, human war, and other causes. Next, the book describes the plans for restoration and the rebuilding process. The lioness known as the Lady of Liuwa serves as an example of the struggles experienced by the lion population during this process. The book concludes with an afterword, glossary, and index.

Librarians will find this book popular among middle grade students who enjoy animals particularly lions, along with those interested in wildlife conservation. This book would be an excellent way to introduce students to the ecosystems and the interconnected lives of plants, animals, and humans in a healthy environment.

Published by National Geographic on September 13, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: The Mouse and the Meadow

THE MOUSE AND THE MEADOW by Chad Wallace is an interactive storybook app following the experiences of a mouse as he explores a meadow.

The “Read to Me” option reads aloud each page while displaying basic animation. The animated, interactive elements reinforce the story, so they aren’t distracting. Readers can follow along with the audio narration. Each word is highlighted as it’s read aloud.

The “Read to Myself” option is the same as the read aloud option, just without the audio support. Unfortunately, the font size is small and sometimes difficult to read against the colorful background.

From scary confrontations with a snake and great horned owl to quiet moments with fireflies, the storyline features believable situations and encounters among the creatures. The author skillfully weaves in nature facts making this an excellent science experience as well as an engaging story. The realistic flora and fauna contribute to the impact of the story. The colors and details of each creature are exceptional.

After reading the story, users are immersed in an informational reading experience focusing on facts and trivia about the habitat and creatures encountered in the book. They also learn about how animals communicate and help each other. Readers will also enjoy learning about the author. These special informational aspects are always available through a small icon on each page.

The book would be a wonderful addition to a collection of storybook reading apps for children.

This book is also available as a paper and electronic book. A Pop-Up App can be downloaded to go with the paper book.

To learn more about this app, go to http://www.dawnpub.com/apps/mouse-and-the-meadow-app/.

Published by Dawn Publications. Review copy courtesy of Dawn Publications.

App Review: Amazing World Ocean

AMAZING WORLD OCEAN is an extraordinary 3D science encyclopedia app.

This impressive experience begins with users scrolling down deep into the ocean to discover its inhabitants.

Divided into six layers including schools, coral reef, dolphins, whales, sharks, and the deep ocean, the app features information about over 50 ocean species.

Users click on the species of interest and scroll through informational pages displayed as long, multi-screen infographics. Each entry begins with an image and visual scale reference. Next, a couple paragraphs of background information is presented. While the text size is small and can’t be enlarged, high-quality, optional audio narration is provided to support reading. In some cases, creature sounds are also available.

A figure containing the length, weight, and depth of the creature is shown along with a habitat map. A series of interesting facts provide depth to the content of the page. Again, the text size is small and it’s all uppercase, but readable. Amazing 3D views make users feel like they’re swimming with the sea creatures. Finally, a gallery of photos bring the creature to life.

The outstanding illustrations and rich background music throughout add to the appeal. The setting options provides the choice to turn off the music.

With no in-app purchases or advertisements, this app would be an excellent addition to a school library collection. This reference app would appeal to all grades.

Look for AMAZING WORLD OCEAN on the “best of 2015” app lists.

Watch the amazing making of matte paint for the iPad app. Go to https://youtu.be/fTLzK3mvUVo.

Learn more at http://amazingworldapps.com/.

Developed by FourPlus Studio and distributed by Dimitar Itskov February 19, 2015.

Book & App Review: Noisy Sing-along Collection

The NOISY SING-ALONG collection by John Himmelman is a wonderful way to connect children with science and nature. Available as both print books, e-books, and apps, you’ll want to get all three for your library.

Designed for pre-K through grade 3, NOISY BIRD SING-ALONG is the latest addition in this nature awareness series. The print book and e-book includes large, colorful illustrations of robins, sparrows, owls, mallards, and more. Colorful text is used to introduce the sound of each bird. In addition to information about the bird and sound, the habits and habitat of each bird is described.

This easy concept book would be an effective way to introduce young children to informational reading. In addition, the text is easy enough for primary grade readers to enjoy independently. The Fun Facts and Things to Do pages are useful for older children, teachers, and parents.

In addition to the print version, an app version is available for NOISY BUG SING-ALONG and NOISY FROG SING-ALONG. One advantage to the app is that children can hear the sounds. App designer Malachi Bazan successfully adapted the print books to the app environment. Users have two easy-to-use options for reading: Read to Me and Read to Myself. The Read to Me option highlights each word as it’s read by an engaging narrator. Clicking on the illustrations generates simple animation. A matching game builds in the facts found at the end of the print version of the book and actively involves readers with the sounds.

Active listening is an important skill. Getting children involved with identifying creature sounds is an excellent way to develop observational skills using the auditory channel. This book series would be an outstanding addition to an elementary school library collection.

To learn more about bird sounds, explore Songs & Calls athttp://www.allaboutbirds.org/page.aspx?pid=1059. Their free bird guide contains hundreds of sounds to explore. Go tohttp://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search.aspx.

The Noisy Sing-Along collection is published by Dawn Publications