Common Sense Media launches new app
One of my favorite go-to sources for staying on top of media for my kids is Common Sense Media. The website offers real-world reviews for experts, parents and kids of movies, books and video games.
You can’t possibly play every game, pre-screen every movie and read every book your child will encounter, but sometimes you do want to know what they might be exposed to. Now you can get info on the go with the site’s new iPhone app. It’s free!
This would have been really helpful the other day at the library when my son wanted to check out a book that upon getting home and reading the review was totally inappropriate.
See also:
Free ebook from Barnes and Noble through July 5
In honor of America’s birthday, Barnes and Noble’s is offering Free B&N Classics through Monday at midnight. Classics from Poe, Twain, Whiman, Dickinson, Hawthorne and more are available. You can also download the free e-reader software that works on most phones and computers.
Found via MoneySavingMom
A World of Reading
The International Children’s Digital Library is a treasure of storybooks from around the world in many languages. The site boasts online viewing of more than 4,000 books from 60 countries in 54 languages.
While it is fun to read books from other countries, it is also fun to just flip through books that may be in languages you do not understand. You can learn a lot about different cultures through the pictures such as their clothing and appearance.
You can search by country, age, genre, or length.
If you like online books, check it out at www.childrenslibrary.org
Nook for naught
Barnes and Noble’s new e-reader Nook has been more popular than expected. The retailer has announced they have sold out of all the units for 2009, but you can put your name on the waiting list for 2010.
The device became available in mid-October and has already sold out, but new Nooks are expected to ship by Jan. 4. You can get a holiday certificate to stuff and stocking with though.
Of course, if you don’t want to wait, you can always get a Kindle.
Ripple connects loved ones with kids through books
Ripple is an online service that connects kids with loved ones such as parents on the battlefield or grandparents in another town through the magic of reading.
Users record themselves reading books in Ripple’s online library that the child can access to hear their own story with their copy of the book in hand. Designed for kids 4-8, the service has kids listening to stories again and again.
Users can buy a single recording session for $9.95 or a package that brings the per-recording price as low as $4.58. Ripple is also supporting schools and libraries. To find out how your local school or library can take part, see www.RippleReader.com.
Another way to connect with kids this way is through recordable hardcover books available from Hallmark.
Page by Page
We’ve all been there, attempting to scan either a lost report back into the digital world, or all those old photos up onto the computer for the first time. We all understand the time consuming and tedious time that comes with the average scanning job. Well, Tokyo University is hoping to change all that.
The university has recently presented its prototype scanner that scans pages as they turn. The camera adjusts for movement and light and produces pretty clear copies of the original. Imagine the possibilities? Every book could make it to the kindle. Well, we’ll see how I feel about a full “paper-less” revolution when we get there.
Academy trades books for digital versions
Cushing Academy in Massachutsetts has traded in its 20,000 volume library of traditional books for a web-based multimedia library including 18 Amazon Kindles and Sony readers. Is this the future of reading?
The Boston Globe quote headmaster James Tracy : “When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books.”
The school likes to think they are trading in 20,000 books for millions but I don’t know. For me there is still something about holding a book in your hand. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned. It is very true that kids are more familiar with technology at younger ages than even my age is, but I just wish books were as timeless as I hope they are.
Another quote from the story was very telling:
Tia Alliy, a 16-year-old junior, said she visits the library nearly every day, but only once looked for a book in the stacks. She’s not alone. School officials said when they checked library records one day last spring only 48 books had been checked out, and 30 of those were children’s books.
Really?
The school is one of the first to go this route, but I suspect they won’t be the last. . .
A Reading Voice
Scanners are incredible, color photos, signatures, articles, all can be duplicated. Yet, can a scanner go beyond the visual? Beyond saving a file to creating one? The answer is yes.
The Book Reader V100 is up and running and ready to create MP3 files out of the written word. It’s a simple and silent way to create your own books on tape. I can’t say anything about how nice the digital voice will be to the ears, but it’s a start. Think of the possibilities? Get me a scanner that can copy my comics into video files and then you’ll really have something 
.
Sofa Boy–A Cautionary Tale
Video game veteran Scott Langteau, best known for his work with the Medal of Honor game series, has a new children’s book featuring “Sofa Boy,” an overzealous young gamer who takes his obsession to new levels.
The following description sums up the tale:
Sofa Boy invites readers into the living room of an average family. But this family’s son has a bigger than average obsession with videogames. Sitting from daybreak to dark on the family sofa, the boy will not stop his gaming and TV gazing to play outside, have dinner, take a bath, or go to bed. He is – quite literally – consumed with sitting on the couch. Penned with a clever rhyme scheme and accompanied by captivating illustrations, Sofa Boy encourages moderation in gaming habits, by showing the fantastical fate of one boy (and one cat!) who wouldn’t put the controller down.
This would make a great night-time read for the little gamer in your life.
Available from Amazon and other retailers. Sofa Boy ($14.95) ISBN: 978-0-615-25125-7
Kindle 2
Amazon has announced the newest member of the Kindle family.
The Kindle 2 is sleeker and lighter but has a stronger battery. The Amazon homepage touts it as being thinner than a magazine and lighter than a paperback. It also can operate for two weeks on a single charge.
The Kindle 2 can also store 1,500 titles and with its text-to-speech feature it can even read it to you.
You can download more than 230,000 different titles to the Kindle 2, including more than 100 books on the NYT best seller list. Amazon says their goal is to have every book ever written available for download.
The new device will be available Feb. 24, 2009 and they are now accepting preorders. Price is $359.
If you already own a Kindle, you can get first priority if you place your order by midnight PST tonight (Feb. 10).
I’ve been a little skeptical in the past, but this new version is very enticing. See Amazon’s site for complete details. I never thought I would really be able to make the switch, but I can begin to see the appeal.
