Children’s Literature | Children's books for mobile devices: PicPocket Books

December 8th, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Are digitally enhanced ebooks books or games?

In his article “How the e-Grinch Stole the Book,” Jason Boog asks “When is an eBook not a book?”

"I Can Do It Too!" picture book for the iPhone

Are digitally enhanced e-books books or games? It depends on the individual application and how faithful the app stays to the original work of the book. Some apps are games that are based on characters from a book, but have nothing to do with the original book or with reading. Reading a story book on a screen is a very different experience from playing a repetitive video game on the same screen. Reading an e-book has the same educational, mind-opening benefits as reading a traditional print book: it increases vocabulary, improves concentration and focus, and expands horizons.

PicPocket Books has a growing list of children’s picture book titles that are very faithful to the original published books that are available on iTunes: full color illustrations, full text, plus and audio track and other options, and you can take it anywhere!

October 23rd, 2009 | posted by: Eva

Where do stories come from?

Well, lots of places! In a recent interview, author Andrea Cheng shares what inspired her to write Tire Mountain:

Andrea Cheng

Now in the iTunes App Store!

“I ride my bicycle to work every morning, and I used to pass a tire store on my way. I saw a little boy playing on the tires almost every day. Even though this corner is really a blighted area, the little boy always seemed so happy with his home. I named him Aaron Jacob Johnson and made up a story of how he used his tires to make a playground.”

Tire Mountain is Andrea’s first book to be available on an iphone platform. She is happy with the results!

“When I saw [the app], I was most impressed. I especially love the way that the dialogue is read. It is full of expression and drama. In addition, the pictures look vibrant and intense.”

Do you make up stories sometimes? Where do they come from?

September 18th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

What’s the future? Children’s Lit and the Digital Age

What’s next for children’s literature? We are zooming into the digital age. Technology keeps changing, and print media is quickly going digital. Is anybody out there nervous? Could we lose something with this change?

An article in Publishers Weekly addresses these questions and more: are publishers ready? What about piracy? How will rights be handled? Will libraries become obsolete?

The article summarizes a forum held by the Children’s Book Council on “The Current State of E: Publishing in the Digital Age.” One panelist states, “E-books add a fantastic functionality to what a book is. Adding interactivity to that experience is also very interesting. And thinking about ways they can be fun [is important], because it’s for children.”

There’s a lot of potential! What do you think?

August 10th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

Learning in disguise…

I like when education sneaks up on me.

Concepts are often hidden. We don’t learn most of what we know via rote memorization, or by being hit over the head with dry “facts.” Much of the time, we learn by experiencing and taking in knowledge in our own time.

For me and for many, a lot of learning comes with reading. This kind of learning is critical for young children. Reading picture books is so important! An article on one of our new books, “Cucumber Soup,” emphasizes that “Meaningful learning takes place when children experience math and science [and other subjects] in ways that relate to their own day-to-day lives.”

The cute story of various insects that come together to move a big cucumber, subtly instructs. It explores counting, weight, balance, cooperation, and teamwork. With the recipe for “Cucumber Soup” in the back, it also introduces children to cooking in the kitchen (safely – there is no fire involved in this recipe!). Cucumber soup seems like a delicious summer snack to me!

August 4th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

A moment with Eric Carle

This is a very sweet post, and a touching interview, about Eric Carle. What a special contributor to children’s literature!

July 22nd, 2009 | posted by: Eva

"Write A Review Wednesday:" My Friend Isabelle

“My Friend Isabelle” (written by Eliza Woloson, illustrated by Bryan Gough) is the story of two young friends. Charlie and Isabelle are the same age and share a love of drawing, dancing, playing at the park, and snacks! Like most friends, they are also different.

What I love about this story is its sweet and simple depiction of young friendship. Young children, before they learn social stereotypes and ideas, are often more accepting and embracing of difference. “My Friend Isabelle” depicts exactly that kind of relationship. Isabelle’s differences, due to Down Syndrome, are explained in an age-appropriate and gentle manner. Regardless of differences, Charlie and Isabelle have a lot in common and enjoy spending “every Friday” together.

This story is a perfect opportunity for discussion about tolerance, acceptance, and even diversity by showing that “differences are what makes the world so great.”

For more information, see Write-A-Review-Wednesday and visit Woodbine House, the mighty Amazon, and our iTunes App of the book!

July 14th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

The B-more Examiner makes a "best" list

There are numerous lists out there, all claiming to include the “Best” of something – “top 100 books” lists and “top music” lists are the most familiar to me. I am always a little skeptical – who makes the decisions of what qualifies as best? What are the criteria? How thorough is the research?

You would have to read or listen to a LOT in order to create such a list. And even then, other people will have different ideas. I wonder if it’s possible to create a definitive “best” list of anything (maybe with divine criteria?) or if such things will always be subjective….

The Baltimore Examiner has given the “Best list” idea a try, with children’s picture books (in English). Their criteria are that the books must:

1. Never tire us. We are willing to read it again and again to our children and they want to hear it over and over.
2. Stay in our hearts and minds, even after the pages are closed, because they tell us something about life.
3. Have a seamless marriage of text and illustration
4. Use language well.

They seem like good criteria to me. Yet I’m sure that what we are “willing to read again and again,” and what “stays in our hearts and minds,” are as many and diverse as the people who read. I am curious to know what kind of board or panel made these decisions, and what its diversity was like.

I recognized 10 of the 25 titles, three of which I consider personal favorites: “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” “Make Way for Ducklings,” and “Where The Wild Things Are.” Other favorites, like “Goodnight Moon” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” were not on the list.

Either way, the books on this list will certainly be wonderful to read.

July 3rd, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Blueberries for Us

Last week, my sister and I took my 9 year old son and his little cousins to pick blueberries at nearby Blueberry Gardens, an organic berry farm. The day was warm and sunny and we concentrated on filling our pails as bees buzzed around and birds chirped from the surrounding trees. Well, we adults concentrated on filling our pails as most of the berries the children picked went straight into their mouths and their tongues turned a delicious shade of purple. On the fortunate occasions when I head out into nature to pick berries, I am always reminded of Robert McClosky’s masterful picture book, Blueberries for Sal. The charming text and expressive deep blue-black drawings (quite matching the color of the children’s tongues after snacking on the berries) make this story one of my all time favorites.

Sal accompanies her mother out to pick blueberries to store for the winter at the same time a mother bear and her cub are filling their stomachs with food for the winter. Of course, the bears’ method of gathering berries is more suited to a child’s priorities. Just as little Sal put considerably more berries into her mouth than into her pail back in 1949 when McCloskey was awarded the Caldecott Honor citation for “Sal,” my children do the same on this outing.

However, unlike Sal and her mother, the buzzing insects and birds were the only wildlife we encountered (no bears). My favorite line from the book remains, “Little Bear and Little Sal’s mother and Little Sal and Little Bear’s mother were all mixed up with each other among the blueberries on Blueberry Hill.”

I highly recommend pairing this classic picture book with a trip to pick blueberries this summer!

June 22nd, 2009 | posted by: Eva

Marantz talks about picture books

Marantz? Who is Marantz? Well, in addition to being a school librarian for almost 30 years, Sylvia S. Marantz has coauthored several books and written her own. I got Picture Books for Looking and Learning from the library at the same time I got Jalongo’s book. Like Jalongo’s book, Marantz’s work is geared toward teachers and librarians. Unlike Jalongo, however, Marantz focuses primarily on picture book illustrations.

The first two chapters are called “Anatomy of a Book” and “Media and Techniques.” In the first chapter, Marantz gives an in-depth overview of all the parts of a picture book (including dust-jacket, title page, and gutter). I was surprised by how explicit she is in this chapter – don’t we all have enough of an understanding of what a title page is to get along? Yet Marantz opens this chapter by stating that “we need to introduce and define certain terms that will be used throughout our discussions. Acquainting student with these terms will help them better discuss picture books as well” (1).

In chapter two, Marantz again goes into great depth: collages, pencil drawings, scratchboard, and lithoraphs are among the “media techniques” she explains. She makes a good argument for this review at the opening of the chapter. “You [a teacher] may have spent hundreds of hours over the years reading, discussing, and analyzing the words in books with the help of teachers and professors and on your own. But most of you have barely spent minutes looking critically at pictures under comparable conditions” (5).

The next three chapters review a number of picture books by grade-level. For each book, Marantz describes the illustrations in great detail, and relates them to the story. She explains how artistic choices made by illustrators create particular atmospheres for stories, and how they can affect children. It is an interesting approach to picture books that I have not encountered before. I was reminded of film or literature analysis – picking up details and symbols that are discreet and subtle. Like Marantz stated in chapter two, most of us have spent much more time analyzing literature and film. Clearly, picture books can be delved into with a similar analytical lens.

June 3rd, 2009 | posted by: Eva

What Jalongo has to say

I came across references to Mary Renck Jalongo’s Young Children and Picture Books during my Internet searches on the “importance of children’s picture books.” When I realized it was an actual book I immediately checked 2nd favorite research spot: the public library I love the public library! I clicked on the library catalogue bookmark and lo, the system had Jalongo’s book!

I have been going through her book for several days now. It is largely geared towards teachers. There is a lot of information about reading in the classroom, involvement of parents, acquisition of literacy and comprehension, culture, and resources. However, this slant does not detract from the book’s appeal to a general audience. It is very interesting: I had no idea of the depth of facets to children’s picture books!

For example, here is some of the table of contents:
1) The Importance of Picture Books
2) Quality of Picture Books
4) Young Children’s Responses to Picture Books
5) Acquiring Literacy through Picture Books
7) Linking Picture Books with Curriculum

Jalongo covers many aspects of picture books in her work, which is under 200 pages in length. Additionally, she includes recommendation of “quality” picture books for children of all different age groups.

She uses examples from classrooms, quoting real children and analyzing their experiences, to illustrate the chapters. I enjoyed reading the children’s words. They provide a nice contrast to Jalongo’s academic tone (though she is quite readable), and are cute!

These quotes particularly stood out to me:

“Engagement with picture books while we are young forms the basis for becoming a literate adult, one who not only decodes words accurately but also enjoys reading and takes the time to read” (1).

“To realize the full potential of children’s literature, adults must accept two complementary guiding principles: that the purpose of picture books is to engage children with literature, and that the picture book is a major resource in children’s acquisition of literacy” (2).

“Although children certainly do achieve important learning goals through picture books, the process must begin with enjoyment, rather than with a dreary, adult-directed lesson” (2).

“Picture books embody at least three stories: ‘the one told by the words, the one implied by the pictures, and the one that results from the combination of the other two’ (Nodelman & Reimer 2003, 295)” (12).

Would I recommend this book? Yes, at least to flip through. In it’s entirety it is probably most appealing to teachers of young children with picture books in their classrooms. However, Jalongo makes interesting points about the importance of picture books beyond the classroom setting as well. It benefits all of us to be aware of the integral part picture books play in our children’s growth and development.

Are you an author or a publisher?