Talking Book Review

The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin

Hello Readers!

I hope that this review finds you feeling well and preparing for Spring  

ILAB’s book of the month is The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin. I have to admit, when I first heard the title of this book I immediately thought that it would be a boring read. However, I was sadly mistaken. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning right to the very end. This is a true account of a blizzard that took place in 1888 on a utopia type of homestead. The end result: many lives were lost and those that survived were changed forever.

I would recommend this page turner as a great read, Laskin is an amazing author who has the ability to take you on the story with him.

Until next week…

BARD Mobile app for Apple devices

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped now offers BARD access app for iPads, iPhones and iPods. It is called BARD Mobile and it is free to download from the iTunes store.

Step-by-Step Instructions for using the BARD mobile device:

•  Download (free) from the iTunes store.

•   Enter BARD login information to complete installation.

•  Connect to a WI-FI network.

 Get Books tab
◦ Search for and select audio books to download.
◦ Select titles from the BARD online catalog interface or from a list of “recently added titles.” This is especially useful for accessing audio magazines, as it lists most recent publications first.
◦ If using BARD catalog, first add   book(s) to your Wish List.
◦ Access the Get Books tab to find the titles you added to Wish List ready for download. (You may find it easier to add titles to Wish List by using a computer with screen magnifiers and readers.)
◦ Download book(s).

· Now Reading tab
◦ Select this tab to begin listening. The app is similar to the digital Talking Book machine, with buttons for play, fast forward, rewind, speed, bookmark, and forward/backward chapter.

· Bookshelf tab
◦ This is where downloaded books are grouped and can be sorted by title, author and latest played. Click Edit and Delete buttons to remove a title you no longer want from the Bookshelf.

· Settings tab
◦ Manage account information.
◦ Manipulate audio and video settings. The degree to which a voice  command software can assist a user with this app will depend on the features of their personal device. Many iPhones have a voice command option called Siri and this software can be downloaded as an app to the iPad.

       

If you have any questions about how to register for BARD or use the BARD Mobile app call the Talking Book Library at 630-1999.

Talking Book Review

Mom Can’t See Me by Sally Hobart Alexander

I read this book to my children when I learned how to read Braille. My children thoroughly enjoyed hearing it as much as I loved reading it to them.

Alexander, to give readers a picture of her life, told her story from the vantage point of her nine-year-old daughter. It is a warm picture of family life and explains how both mother and daughter have learned to cope with living with a handicap. Alexander participates in all the family activities: cooking, cleaning, taking the children to lessons, and volunteering at school. She includes some of the frustrations of blindness as well, such as the fear children express of "catching" blindness and the sadness Alexander feels in not seeing what her children are seeing. Ancona's clear black-and-white photographs greatly amplify the text, showing the family at work and at play.

Although this book is intended for children in Elementary school, I believe that it is a must read for all ages.

Happy Reading!!!

Talking Book review

Gift of Gold by Beverly Butler

Hello readers…

This week’s book is an excellent account of a blind girl's struggles in working toward her career goal of being a speech therapist. Cathy, the main character of Butler's earlier novel, "Light a Single Candle," goes on to college and faces many trials, including dealing with the death of one of the children she works with and dealing with the parents' attitudes about her blindness.

Although this book is for middle school through high school readers, I feel that it is a must read for all. This book will inspire you to persevere through all obstacles that you face to each your desired goal.

Talking Book Review

The First Lady of The Seeing Eye by Morris Frank and Blake Clark

Happy New Year readers! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to continue with reading great books in 2014!

The First Lady of The Seeing Eye by Morris Frank and Blake Clark is the book of the week for this week. Morris Frank was a blind man from Nashville who helped start the first school that trained seeing eye dogs. His dog Buddy is considered to be the first seeing eye dog in America. This amazing story started in November 1927, when Morris Frank was a 20-year-old student at Vanderbilt University and a man very unhappy about his dependency on others to get around. Frank's father read him an article by Dorothy Eustis, a woman living in Switzerland who had seen shepherds training dogs to lead blind people get around. Excited by the idea, Frank wrote a letter to Eustis and received a response letter 30 days later inviting him to come see for himself. Frank then took a ship to Europe and trained extensively with a dog that had been bred specifically to lead a blind person. The training was hard, but after weeks with the dog, Frank could get around the nearby Swiss village holding tightly to a harness to which Buddy was strapped.

I’m not about to give away the rest of this amazing story. To find out more about Morris Frank and Buddy please consider reading this book…it will inspire you and give you adequate knowledge about one of the most prominent Guide Dog schools in the country.

Happy reading until next week!!