Touch the Earth is available online at NASA.

Touch the Earth — go ahead, touch it. The tactile maps are there so you can find the stripe of boreal forest in the north and gauge the size of the African Sahara Desert. Now listen to descriptions of the biomes — the forests, the deserts, the grasslands — all of the pieces that together make our tangible and living Earth. Touch the Earth is a multi-media book. It was designed for blind and visually impaired students, as well as for deaf and hard of hearing stduents. But it will be useful to anyone who enjoys getting information in several dynamic formats. With many interesting facts and hundreds of images, Touch the Earth meets the national science standards in a new and exciting way.

Touch the Earth Designed by Elissa Levine Written by Amy S. Hansen NASA and National Federation of the Blind, 2010 Ages 10 and up ISBN 978-0-615-27820-9

NBC report.

National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to announce the release of a new tactile book created with the support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Touch the Earth: A Multimedia book about the Earth's Biomes was written by Amy S. Hansen and conceptualized by Elissa Levine. It includes tactile graphics created by Noreen Grice.

This book aims to educate middle school students while also providing guidance for teachers on how to incorporate this book into classroom instruction. Each book contains DVDs with spoken scripts, contracted Braille and large print, along with tactile and visual graphics to illustrate important concepts in both a tactually and visually friendly way. Each book also comes with a colorful tactile map of the continents of the Earth.

Exclusively available through the NFB Independence Market, TOUCH THE EARTH (product# LSA91B) can be purchased for $20. To place an
order please visit NFB's Independent  Market or call  (410) 659-9314.

We are  pleased to announce that we  are offering  one  free copy upon request to schools and libraries for the blind across the country for their collections.  Please contact Mary Jo T. Hartle, Director of Education for the National Federation of the Blind  Jernigan Institute, at (410) 659-9314, ext. 2407, or by e-mail at mhartle@nfb.org to request a free copy for your institution.


Review:
A Book and A Hug