Website Review: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION (AFSP) website provides resources to help youth and educators deal with suicide prevention and loss.

It’s National Suicide Prevention Week. The AFSP website provides a wealth of resources for educators working with youth. The resource is divided into sections.

The Understanding Suicide area provides quality information about suicide as a serious public health problem. The easy-to-read informational pages would be excellent resources for student projects as well as background information for educators. Topics include facts and figures, suicide warning signs, suicide risk factors, key research findings, engaging people with lived experience, and FAQs. Librarians will find these materials useful in displays along with books on the topic.

The Preventing Suicide section discusses suicide warning signs, finding help, treatment, and an interactive screening program. Specific educational materials and programs are aimed at teens and young adults.

The Coping with Suicide Loss area is specifically designed to help those who have lost loved ones to suicide.

The Research area is useful for those seeking more depth into the causes, treatments, and interventions associated with suicide and prevention.

The Advocacy and Public Policy section discusses ways that individuals and schools can get involved with becoming suicide prevention advocates.

For more information about National Suicide Prevention Week, go to http://www.afsp.org/…/in-t…/national-suicide-prevention-week. Consider using their sharable graphics at your school website or social media presence.

To visit the general website, go to http://www.afsp.org.

Book Review: Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs

SNOW WHITE AND THE 77 DWARFS by Davide Cali and Raphaelle Barbanegre is a silly retelling of the classic fairy tale.

On the run from an evil witch, Snow White moves in with 77 dwarfs in the woods. She’s grateful for the safe harbor, but she quickly becomes overwhelmed by the task of supervising a large household filled with dwarfs.

Young readers will enjoy the illustrator’s bright colors and the increasingly harried look on Snow White’s face as she becomes more and more stressed-out.

Librarians will find a readership for this picture book among children who enjoy adaptations of popular fairy tales. Consider an activity where children compare the original version of a book with alternatives.

Published by Tundra Books an imprint of Random House on April 15, 2015.

Website Review: The World Under Water

The WORLD UNDER WATER website provides visualizations of what coastal regions will look like with rising sea levels.

The premise is simple. What’s the impact of rising sea levels? The website provides 360 views of a dozen well-known locations that may be impacted by rising sea levels at some point in the future. Viewers are invited to examine a preview of things to come.

Users are invited to enter an address or city to see what the area will look like in the future.

The Take Action area provides tools for calculating your emissions, offsetting your carbon footprint, and supporting a green project.

Librarians can use this website to jumpstart a discussion of climate change. Ask them to select a city and research the time it will take for sea levels to rise enough to impact the city shown in the visualization based on current estimates. Involve teams in comparing the projections from various websites they identify.

To learn more, go to http://www.worldunderwater.org.

Website Review: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears

BEYOND PENGUINS AND POLAR BEARS is an online science resource for educators.

Produced by The Ohio State University, the resource focuses on preparing elementary educators to teach polar science concepts in an inquiry-based learning environment. Twenty thematic topics explore both the Arctic and Antarctica.

Each theme includes professional learning resources, science and literacy materials, stories from researchers and connections across the curriculum. These resources are aligned with the National Science Education Standards.

The Stories of Students section links to feature stories for specific grade levels including K-1, 2-3, and 4-5. These resources are excellent for informational reading activities.

A dozen podcasts tackle common misconceptions related to the poles. These would be excellent for listening activities.

Web seminars and print-on-demand resources are also available to extend the experience.

The Polar Pinterest social media site is used to share interesting visuals related to the polar regions including plants, animals, icebergs, and more.

Librarians will find a wealth of resources to connect children with information about the polar regions. Connect these informational and instructional resources with the science curriculum and extend the experience with your nonfiction collection. The website’s emphasis on inquiry-based learning fits well with the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner.

Although it appears that the website is not being expanded, the resources are all functional. A companion website called Beyond Weather focuses on weather and the water cycle.

To visit the website, go to http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/.
To visit the companion website, go to http://beyondweather.ehe.osu.edu/.

Book Review: Sunny Side Up

SUNNY SIDE UP by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm is a poignant, yet humorous middle grade graphic novel focusing on family and friendship.

Set in August 1976, Sunny Lewin arrives in Florida to spend a few weeks with her grandfather who lives in a retirement community on a golf course. From searching for lost golf balls and cats to reading comics with a new friend, Sunny has some fun despite being surrounded by “old people”. Flashbacks provide insights into Sunny’s home life back in Pennsylvania revealing family secrets and the real reason she’s staying with her gramps.

Whether referencing the bicentennial celebration or reflecting on the smell of a Polaroid photograph, the authors are effective at immersing readers in the culture of the 1970s. The illustrator’s eye for period details make the story even more endearing.

A note from the authors encourages readers to reach out to family, teachers, and counselors if they find themselves dealing with someone experiencing substance abuse.

Librarians will find that the authentic story will appeal to youth. The authors seamlessly weave important social messages into the heartwarming summer story.

Published by GRAPHIX from Scholastic on August 25, 2015.

Technology Review: National Gallery of Art

The NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART’s a website and apps that provide a wealth of resources and activities for youth of all ages.

The website Education area provides access to areas including Teachers, NGAkids, Families, and Teens.

The Teachers area is a place where educators can connect to useful educational resources including lesson plans, teaching packets, and videos. Teachers can also download posters and artwork. The NGA Images link provides access to 45,000 open access digital images for use in teaching and learning.

The NGAkids Art Zone includes over a dozen engaging art interactives for children including Sea-Saws, Brushster, Faces & Places, Jungle, Still Life, Dutch House, Photo Op, Collage Machine, Flow, Paintbox, Swatchbox, Wallovers, 3-D Twirler, Mobile, and Pixelface. These easy-to-use online learning activities focus on art and art history.

Eight of these interactives are also available through the NGAkids Art Zone mobile app. There’s also an app focusing on the Hobby Horse exhibit.

The Adventures in Art area of NGAkids Art Zone features highlights of the collection presented in a kid-friendly, interactive style.

The Families area contains resources of interest to youth of all ages. An Eye for Art is an online resource that explores 50 artists in the collection and Family Guides online booklets share insights into the collection.

The Teens area provides links to current exhibitions and installations. It also connects with audio and video programs associated with art and art history. Many of the interactives from the kids section would be of interest to teens too. The Your Art app provides information about over 130 popular artists and their works.

Librarians will find a wealth of resources for use in the art curriculum. Also, consider this resource when designing STEAM activities that connect art with science, technology, engineering, and math. Weave artwork into social studies and history classes through the use of the NGA Images collection.

To learn more, go to http://www.nga.gov.

Book Review: Becoming Maria

BECOMING MARIA: LOVE AND CHAOS IN THE SOUTH BRONX by Sonia Manzano is a touching memoir about a Puerto Rican-American girl growing up in New York City during the 1950s and 1960s.

Many readers will recognize Sonia Manzano as Maria from the children’s television program Sesame Street. This poignant story follows Sonia from her earliest memories through her college experiences. It concludes with her job interview for Sesame Street that made her famous with generations of children.

Manzano provides an authentic look at the daily life of a Latino family living in the Bronx during the 1950s-1960s. Readers experience the racial and social issues of the times through the eyes of a child trying to make sense of the world.

Librarians will enjoy reading this book themselves as well as sharing it with young adults. The fast-paced story will keep readers interested. This book would be a wonderful addition to your WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign.

For amazing photos and primary source documents from her life, visit the author’s website at http://soniamanzano.com/.

Published August 25, 2015 by Scholastic Press.

Book Review: The Small World of Paper Toys

THE SMALL WORLD OF PAPER TOYS by Gérard Lo Monaco is a wonderful work of paper engineering.

The ten meticulously produced scenes take readers through a toy room adventure. Each page features the title of the toy, an active exclamation, and a short scenario. Young readers will enjoy seeing each of the paper toys reappear at the end of the book.

Although the story is designed for young children, the book is likely to appeal to older youth who enjoy well-constructed pop-up books. The precision required to produce a high-quality movable book is immense making this book more durable than most.

Librarians will find this charming movable book to be a wonderful addition to their pop-up collections. Like other fragile works, it’s likely that pieces may need to be repaired over time, particularly the see-saw page. However, it’s well worth the hassle given the value of the experience for young readers. For older youth, consider creating a display that incorporates this book along with works that demonstrate paper engineering techniques to encourage students to create their own books.

Published by Little Gestalten on October 25, 2015.

Book Review: George

GEORGE by Alex Gino is the heartwarming story of a transgender girl finding her place in the world.

George is a boy on the outside, but inside he’s a girl who wants to try out for a girl’s role in the class play, Charlotte’s Web. When best friend Kelly gets the role of Charlotte, they hatch a plan that will change how George is viewed by classmates, friends, and family.

Written for the middle grades, Gino does a stellar job introducing young readers to the battle facing transgender youth. However from the rainbow poster in the school office to sympathetic educators, the author also shows glimmers of hope and understanding.

Librarians will find a strong demand for this candid examination of a transgender girl seeking acceptance. Add this title to your “We Need Diverse Books” collection. For slightly older readers, suggest Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky.

Learn more about the author at http://www.alexgino.com/.

Published by Scholastic on August 25, 2015.

Website Review: Edheads

The EDHEADS website provides a wealth of interactive educational resources for all ages.

The website contains a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activities.

Resources for elementary and middle school youth include Simple Machines, The Compound Machine, Weather, and Design a Cell Phone.

Resources for middle and high school youth include Trauma, Deep Brain Stimulation, Virtual Knee Surgery, Choose the Prosthetic, Virtual Hip Replacement, Virtual Hip Resurfacing, and Aortic Aneurysm Surgery.

Resources for high school students include Sickle Cell DNA, Crash Scene, Stem Cell Transplant, Stem Cell Heart Repair, and Nanoparticles and Brain Tumors.

The Teacher Resources section encourages educators to participate by exploring materials teachers have created to go with the interactives as well as the opportunity to share ideas.

Librarians will find these high-quality interactives to be popular with both students and teachers. The online activities are attractive, engaging, and educational.

To learn more, go to the website at http://edheads.org.

Book Review: The Wild Ones

THE WILD ONES by C. Alexander London is an enjoyable middle grade adventure fantasy featuring an epic conflict between wild and domesticated animals.

House pets known as The Flealess are planning to attack Ankle Snap Alley and break the treaty with The Wild Ones. Kit, a young raccoon in the city for the first time must find the Bone of Contention and stop the turf war.

Librarians will find the blend of witty humor with the well-developed animal characters to be a draw for youth who enjoy anthropomorphic stories. Fans of Redwall, Warriors, Spirit Animals, or any of the other animal series books will enjoy the diverse cast of animals.

Published by Philomel, an imprint of Penguin on August 25, 2015.

App Review: Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies

MONSTER GUARD: PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES by the American Red Cross is an engaging middle grade app preparing youth for natural disasters and other types of emergencies.

Sponsored by Disney and reviewed by major government agencies, the app is both engaging and authoritative. This visually attractive educational simulation stresses the Learn-Practice-Share approach including the importance of learning how to stay safe in an emergency, practicing safety strategies, and sharing with friends and family.

Users work their a series of 14 fun training activities. Students can role-play as five different monster recruits, earn badges, and beat high scores as they learn about emergencies. Audio support and subtitles address the diverse needs of learners. The simulated training environments focus on the types of emergencies found in particular areas of the United States such as hurricanes in coastal areas and wildfires in dry regions.

Librarians will find this to be an excellent app for building both science and social studies curriculum connections. Extend the experience by creating a display of books associated with natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods.

To learn more, go to http://www.redcross.org/monsterguard.

Book Review: Icebreaker

ICEBREAKER by Lian Tanner is an intriguing middle-grade science fiction thriller that takes place aboard a huge ship traveling the icy southern polar regions.

After 300 years at sea and an epic Civil War, the crew of the Oyster is divided into three tribes. As an outcast, twelve-year-old Petrel lives a lonely life with only a couple talking rats as companions. The ship was originally launched to save the final remnants of knowledge and technology from the evil Anti-Machinists. However, memory of the original mission has been lost for generations until a lone boy is spotted by Petrel on an iceberg. What follows is a fast-paced story of survival and renewal.

Tanner’s skills at world building and character development will bring the story alive for middle grade readers. Her balance of interesting dialog with vivid descriptions will help readers visualize this unusual shipboard setting.

Librarians will find that this exciting adventure will appeal to youth who enjoy dystopian settings with elements of steampunk. ICEBREAKER is the first book in The Hidden Trilogy.

To learn more about this Australian children’s author, go to http://liantanner.com.au/.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan on August 18, 2015.

App Review: EarthViewer

EARTHVIEWER is a fascinating, interactive app from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute that allows users to explore the science of Earth’s history.

Through timelines and visualizations, students can see the continents grow and shift as they scroll through billions of years of Earth’s history. Users can zoom into their favorite landmark and follow how it changes through time. Layers allow users to view data on atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day length, and solar luminosity.

Part of the HHMI’s BioInteractive initiative, the app opens with the option to take a short tutorial or jump right into the program. Users pinch out or in to switch between timeline views. The three main timeline views include phanerozoic (540 million years), deep history (4.6 billion years), and modern (100 years). Suggested areas to explore contain place markers such as cities, fossils, impact events, mass extinctions, biological events, and geological events. In-depth options include text and illustrations about topics such as the greenhouse effect and plate tectonics. The teacher resources area includes quick guides, references, and other information.

Librarians will find endless applications for this resource. Students can start with a modern city and track it back through time. Or, follow a famous fossil as it moves through time. Collaborate with the science teacher to build connections with the library’s science collection including books on prehistoric creatures, fossils, plate tectonics, and other curriculum-related topics.

The accompanying website also includes data files, classroom activities, worksheets, video clips, and a downloadable version.

To learn more, go to http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/earthviewer.

Book Review: Court of Fives

COURT OF FIVES by Kate Elliott is an action-packed fantasy adventure filled with mysticism, forbidden romance, and a compelling examination of race and class identity.

As the child of mixed race parents, Jessamy been brought up in the Patron class but still has ties to the Commoners. Stuck between two worlds, she secretly trains for the Fives competitions as a way to escape the suffocating expectations of society. However, her world is turned upside down after the death of an aristocrat who sponsored her family. The games may be her only hope to save herself and her family.

Her first young adult novel, Elliott pitched the idea as “Little Women meets Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games” and she succeeded on all three counts. The Greco-Roman Egypt fantasy setting combined with characters that cross classes and an engaging adventure plot will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Librarians will find that both male and female readers will enjoy the smart, strong protagonist. This compelling YA fantasy joins a growing of titles that address social issues within the context of a convincing fantasy world.

The detailed world-building and complex characters along with the gripping plot will have readers waiting in line for the next book in this new trilogy.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.kateelliott.com/.

Published by Little, Brown an imprint of Hachette on August 18, 2015.

Website Review: Climate Kids

CLIMATE KIDS from NASA’s Eyes on the Earth program features information and activities related to climate change.

The “Guided Tour of the Big Questions” provides an excellent overview to key concepts related to climate change. Then, users can explore eight areas of climate change including weather & climate, air, ocean, fresh water, carbon’s travels, energy, plants & animals, and technology.

The navigation bar connects users with areas where they can play games, make stuff, get information about the world, keep up to date, watch videos, and dream of a green career.

A Planet Health Report widget provides information on air, temperature, sea ice, and sea level.
The Climate Time Machine page looks at changes in the climate over the ages.

The website is colorful and engaging. Students will find it easy to read and use.

Librarians will find this to be a valuable tool for introducing students to important, accurate information about climate change. Pair this website with books about climate change. Work with the science teachers to weave in the website’s content into science activities.

The website’s teacher resources are outstanding too.

To visit the website, go to http://climatekids.nasa.gov/.

For those seeking more in-depth information, go to http://climate.nasa.gov/.

Book Review: The Little Shop of Monsters

THE LITTLE SHOP OF MONSTERS by R. L. Stine and Marc Brown is a picture book with just the right balance of giggles, gross outs, and evil grins to please most monster book fans.

Written for ages 4-8, this silly-scary book actively engages readers. Potential monster buyers are asked to guess the name of a creature or what it eats. The author use rhymes and visual clues to keep readers thinking.

These two popular children’s authors make a great team. R.L. Stine’s creepy creatures are beautifully illustrated by Marc Brown. The gross visuals and goofy jokes are just right for the primary grade audience. The quick scare at the end will keep readers coming back for more.

Librarians will have fun with the variety of creatures displayed at the Little Shop of Monsters. Involve the art teacher in creating your own library-front window display of student-produced monsters. Then, get students to write stories to go with the creatures. This is also a great opportunity to bring out your creature puppets and other monster books. Pair this picture book with the beginning chapter books from the Magical Animal Adoption Agency by Kallie George.

To learn more about R.L. Stine, go to http://rlstine.com/.
To learn more about Marc Brown, go to http://marcbrownstudios.com/.

Published by Little, Brown Kids, an imprint of Hachette Book Group on August 25, 2015.

Website Review: Will Hobbs

WILL HOBBS is an award-winning author of picture books and young adult novels with a rich website for young fans. Hobbs writes outdoor adventures about places in the wild. With more than twenty books published, reader fans will enjoy learning more at his author website.

The website includes a biography in the Meet Will Hobbs section. There are lots of photos embedded throughout the site. Use the website to learn about his growing up, his family, and his writing. In the Will’s Books section of the website, users can click on a book cover and read an interview about each title. The author tells where he got his ideas and shows photos of his own adventures. There is a story summary plus information about awards and audiobooks for each title.

Don’t miss the Favorite Questions section and learn more about Will’s life, family and his writing. Most of the content is aimed to his young adult readers, but there is also a section for teachers and librarians. Here he suggests some curriculum resource materials and provides contact information about having him come to speak.

Will Hobbs is a favorite of many teen readers. Librarians can use this site to promote his books and extend student’s experience with his work.

Learn more at http://www.willhobbsauthor.com/

Book Review: Goodbye Stranger

GOODBYE STRANGER by Rebecca Stead takes an authentic look at the challenges facing middle school youth in today’s society.

A work of realistic fiction, the story follows three connected narratives what capture the awkward often complicated friendships of young teens.

From facing cyberbullies to dealing with the unintended consequences of impulsive texts, Stead does a stellar job addressing the issues on the minds of children as they enter young adulthood.

Librarians will find a ready-made audience among Rebecca Stead fans. This well-written novel is likely to swell her already large fan base. Youth interested in books about friendship will be drawn to the quiet humor and authentic dialogue among characters. However, some younger readers may have difficulty following all the characters and dealing with the unusual approach to the narrative.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/.

Published by Wendy Lamb, an imprint of Random House on August 4, 2015.

Website Review: BAM! Body and Mind

BAM! BODY AND MIND from the Center for Disease Control provides information and activities aimed at helping young people make healthy lifestyle choices.

Designed for children 9 to 13 years old, the website contains six sections: Diseases, Food and Nutrition, Physical Activity, Your Safety, Your Life, and Your Body; all are packed with information and activities. For example, the Disease section includes the Disease Detectives and Immune Platoon activities and more. Information about Asthma is found within Disease Detectives and more details are added in Meeting the Challenge in the Physical Activity Section. Acne and its treatment are explained in the Under the Microscope section of Your Body.

In the Teachers Corner, educators can quickly view lessons and activities, handouts, and recommended related materials. Teachers can use BAM! to provide interactive, informative and fun activities in their classrooms; activities that are linked to the national standards for science and health.

Librarians can partner with teachers to plan and deliver a healthy food activity. Setup a blender with needed ingredients and have students try the recipes for drinks and smoothies found in the Food & Nutrition section. Lots of other recipes are provided in Cool Treats. Pair this activity with a cookbook display featuring healthy recipes.

Visit and learn more about BAM! at http://www.cdc.gov/bam/