Presentation Video
Background Information on The Baobab:
I am reviewing VL2’s (Science Center of Visual Language and Visual Learning) first ASL and English bilingual storybook app, Baobab ,which was launched on January 2013. The storybook tells an original story in ASL about the adventures of a young and inquisitive girl. The storybook was professional designed and created by a team of deaf professionals (from a deaf project director, to a deaf artist who did the watercolor illustrations, to a deaf videographer, and including a deaf programmer who developed the storybook). It is a Deaf-centric storybook.
Features of The Baobab Storybook:
The storybook is well designed and is high quality which includes three features to the storybook, 1) a story told fully in ASL by a skilled ASL storyteller, 2) story told again in both text and ASL. Readers can click on selected words for individual signs and to scroll the pages as if they are reading a book. 3) The storybook also includes a section where readers can click on list of words to see the sign of the word on video. The Baobab is interactive and intuitive and young children can easily navigate the storybook. The storybook is based on an application of research on the benefits of fingerspelling, early access to ASL and literacy, and bilingual approaches between ASL and English.
The Quality of The Baobab Storybook:
The storybook is beautifully illustrated in bright watercolor paint and is beautifully told in ASL using rich language with a folktale storytelling quality. The storybook is a great educational tool for the home and the classroom. Young children can enjoy watching the story told in ASL and learn how to retell stories through ASL, e.g. what happens first, second, and third, identify characters, the setting, and exploring the theme of the story, to develop vocabulary, and to learn how to read text by making connections to the pictures and ASL. From children’s literature perspective, the storybook is well written and is high quality as it share themes that children enjoy (adventures and interaction with animals), has a positive representation of gender character (the female character is adventurous and it challenges the stereotypes of female roles being passive), beautifully illustrations and the interactions/connections between the text, illustrations and video are clear and appropriate.
A word of caution:
While the technology of a storybook app is amazing and enriching, we need to be mindful about the age-appropriateness of using technology like iPad with young children and to limit the amount of screen time which includes watching TV, playing video games, using iPad. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend any screen time for babies from birth to 2 years old and to limit screen time up to 2 hours a day for children who are 2 and older. I also highly recommend that adults to actively interact with young children while using the storybook to increase the benefits of the app by discussing the story (making connections to their own experiences, facilitate reading comprehension skills, facilitate storytelling skills, and to facilitate vocabulary development)
In conclusion, I highly recommend The Baobab storybook for young children.
REFERENCES
http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/pages/media-andchildren.aspx
Media Use by Children Younger than 2 Years Old
Council on Communicatoin and Media
Pediatrics November 2011
Children, Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media
Council on Communication and Media
Pediatrics, july 2011
The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolscents and Families
Council on Communications and Media
Pediatrics April 2011