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Library stocking stuffer review
Published 11:36am Friday, December 16, 2011Does a child or teen in your life have access to an iPad or a Nook Color? Would you like to get them an exciting interactive ebook or a fun app for the holidays, but don’t know where to start?
Well, earlier this week Youth Librarian, Arielle Krohn, offered a new holiday preview program at the Fergus Falls Public Library called the “Digital Stocking Stuffer Review” designed to help parents and grandparents answer that very question.
The literary applications Arielle downloaded onto the library’s iPad for the review were so much fun, that I would like to use this week’s column to spread the word to those who may have been unable to attend the program in person.
If you search for “apps for kids” online, you’re going to come up with a ton of hits. How do you know which reviews and which apps are quality? Arielle located some great sources for literary and educational related apps that are also seriously fun: Touch and Go Blog by School Library Journal (http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/
touchandgo/)
Is a guide to the best apps and enhanced books for children and teens and includes reviews, commentary, news, and interviews with “movers and shakers in the dynamic world of digital publishing.”
Young Adult Library Services Association Blog
(http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/category/apps/) This blog highlights an “app of the week” for teens and includes reviews for literary and educational apps as well as plenty of “just for fun” apps.
Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews) “Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.” The app reviews include an age range, screenshots from the app and parent and educator comments.
So just how do you wrap an interactive ebook or other application? You can gift specific apps using the iTunes Store for the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone.
On the drop- down box on each application’s page (next to the “Buy” button) there’s an option that says “Gift This App.” Just enter in details like name, e-mail address and the message
that you want to include. The app is then delivered to the gift recipient’s email box. For Android apps, you could include a gift card with suggestions as to which apps the gift recipient should purchase.
I hope this short list gives you some digital holiday gift ideas for the young ones in your life.
Erin Smith, Library Director, Fergus Falls Public Library
