Graphic Novels and Apps

Totally unrelated to each other, I wanted to note that I am working my way through a reader's advisory book and discovered a mobile app creator for non-fiction interactive books.

GN Scavenger Hunt
The reader's advisory book is Read On-- Graphic Novels: Reading Lists for Every Taste by Abby Alpert. I'm having fun identifying books that we don't have in my current institution's collection (hey, the selector said I could make a list!) and books that I want to read (sometimes these lists correspond, sometimes they don't). The fun thing about this is the process:

1. I read an entry and identify a title that I think should be in the collection like Chuckling Whatsit
2. then I check the catalog to see if we have or ever had it
3. I go to our vendor (bibz) and look to see if they have it, 
• if they do, I add it to the recommend list, 
• if they don't, I look to see if Amazon has it or if it is available as an ebook in Overdrive

It's like a scavenger hunt. Sometimes the graphic novels in the reader's advisory book are out of print, such as True Story, Swear to God by Tom Beland and I have to track down used copies. (For myself, b/c my system doesn't buy from anyone other than our one vendor and before you get all up in arms, many library systems do it that way b/c they just don't have the man power to catalog and sticker everything. It's a trade off. I.L.L. it, if you want it.) This is the fun part of learning a collection and assisting in collection development, well, I guess if you really like the genre you are researching.

Book App
While reading the Dec 16, 2013 edition of Publisher's Weekly I came across the article "Mobifusion: Making Apps Make Money" [article not available online from what I can tell]. The company builds book apps for various publishers, kinda like my favorite app developer for children Loud Crow Interactive, only this one is for adults. I'd love to get more info on what tech they can support. It is just an interactive book, like search, bookmark, highlight, or can it do more, like if they have a cookbook, can I build menus and add up ingredients? I'm excited about this, but I'm wondering also what are the costs and are they on the scale that only established publishers will want to purchase their services?

App Reviews

I looked over my last app review post and saw that I had made a note to look at the Boynton Going to Bed Book. I wanted to note that I had bought it ($4) and my son really enjoys playing with it every once in a while, when enough time has passed that he's forgotten the story (though he never forgets the interactive features). The narration and the soundtrack is excellent, and the animations are playful. My only wish is for more play features, for example like being able to dress the characters in their pajamas. However, I suppose this is how you keep costs down. I also wish there wasn't the advertising for the other books, because all I hear from my kid are that I need to buy those too.

In the January 2013 School Library Journal, there is a brief article about a book reader called StarWalk Kids. I looked at it and basically thought, well, I'd rather have my son play with TumbleBooks, which has a huge collection of books and also has games and videos and is free with my library card. Not saying that StarWalk Kids isn't handy, just that I'm already happy with my current service.

App Reviews

I started out with Wired Magazine's App Guide ($11). Love it and I have a goal to try at least one app from every section for the Android. However, Wired's Guide doesn't have any children's games/apps. I remembered that the School Library Journal reviews apps and technology, so I stole the most recent print copy from the children's librarians at my branch (Oct 2012) and I'll be listing the ones that I'd like to try below. Online, the column name is "Touch and Go" and is archived under the Blogs and Columns link

I also eavesdropped on a conversation two children's librarians were having regarding the Scholastic Warehouse sale they had attended. So I attended it and picked up a flyer for storia , the e-reader for Scholastic Books which comes with 5 free books and which received an editor's choice award from Children's Technology Review. CTR participates in a few awards presented at the yearly Consumer Electronics Show and the annual Bologna Children’s Book Fair(!), so, I think I've finally found my resources.

Book Apps I wish to check out in the future:

• The Going to Bed Book by Boynton and app created by Loudcrow interactive
• All of these- SLJ's top 10 apps of 2012
• The SLJ 2012 Halloween Book Apps Review. 

Other Apps to Check out

• Tate Modern Art Terms - currently only for iPad

Tech to check out

• https://www.remind101.com/learn_more
• http://www.codecademy.com/ JavaScript coding for kids
• (and while I'm at it, be sure to look at SLJ's 2012 top 10 tech for School libraries)