Perfect for Storytime

If I Had A Triceratops by George O’Connor

This book is in the same vein as O’Connor’s If I Had a Raptor, only this time the dinosaur takes after a dog instead of a cat.  While I have shared If I Had a Raptor in storytime before, I personally believe that If I Had a Triceratops would be more easily understandable to a preschool crowd.  The illustrations, for example, are a bit more humorous for a younger crowd and feature the large triceratops in the dog house (only his nose fits), hiding under the bed (the bed rests precariously on top of him), and sniffing another dinosaur’s — erm — posterior.  Overall, this would be a great addition to storytime, and I honestly can’t wait to read it in front of a group!

Elephant’s Can’t Jump! by Jeanne Willis

Lions can jump.  Monkeys can jump.  Even giraffes can jump.  But elephants can’t.  A little elephant is determined to learn how to jump, and he tries everything to no avail.  Just as he’s about to give up, he learns that there is something that he can do.  While the illustrations are adorable enough for a young crowd, I actually think that this one will work best with the 4 to 5 year old crowd.  The story runs a tad on the long side, and I’m fairly certain that most younger readers (or even older readers who are a bit wiggly) will lose interest.

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

The illustrations steal the show in this picture book about a rabbit and mouse who plant a tomato seed, carrot seed, and cabbage seed. When some hungry birds want to eat the vegetables, rabbit and mouse react not so pleasantly.  In the end, all the animals learn that it is better to share than to be selfish.  I already shared this one with a storytime group, and it worked so, so well! I think the parents in particular appreciated the moral of the story, and everyone loved the pictures! I’m sure this book will be getting some definite Caldecott buzz!

Perfect for Storytime

Baby and Toddler Storytime:

Everything by Emma Dodd

Okay, so this book actually came out in 2013, but it’s new to me.  I’m already familiar with the rest of the series by Dodd (and particularly love I Am Small), but some how this one escaped my notice, which is a shame because I really love it and think it will do wonderfully for a baby or toddler storytime (or as a calm down book in Pre-K storytime).  Overall I think most of the books in this series are saccarine sweet, to the point where I don’t want to share them in storytime.  But this one, while sweet, isn’t overly so and features koalas, which are always popular in storytime.  It’s also mildly interactive because kids can point out various body parts mentioned, and parents can give their kids hugs, cuddles, and kisses at the appropriate moments.

Where’s Lenny? by Ken Wilson-Max

This is, apparently, another new to me book that came out in 2013.  In this story, a father and son play hide and seek. The illustrations, done in acrylics, feature a multiracial family and are colorful enough to draw attention, despite the book’s smaller size.  There are also interactive features, such as counting and tickling.

Preschool Storytime:

If You Were a Dog by Jamie A Swenson

If you were a dog, what kind of dog would you be?  Would you be a lickety-sloppidy, frisbee-catching dog, or would you howl at the moon.  Some dogs do.  This story has a very simple premise, asking readers to imagine what kind of dog, cat, fish, dinosaur, etc. they’d be.  Again, there’s opportunities for interacting, such as howling at the moon, swimming with the fish, or stomping with the dinosaur.  The illustrations were done by Chris Raschka, and the book was published in September 2014, and I just missed it because that is the theme of this post, apparently.

How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran

Told in a simple rhyme, this book follows a young mako shark around the ocean for a day.  It shows how we can track sharks in the ocean by tagging them and having a robot follow them around.  The back discusses why marine biologists spy on sharks and goes into more detail about the process.  While the story and illustrations are very simple, I love the nonfiction spin on this and think it could be great to include in an ocean storytime.  Also, it was published in 2015, so yay for that!

Perfect for Storytime

Baby and Toddler Storytime:

Love Always Everywhere by Sarah Massini.

This super simple book is especially perfect for baby storytimes, though it’ll also work well for toddler storytimes.  Each page features only two words, and there’s a simple rhyme scheme that makes it flow smoothly.  While books that chronicle the many facets of love are plentiful, this one stands out for its warm illustrations that feature a diverse cast of children.  Also puppies.  And a little mouse that can be found on every spread, which would make a great look and find game for one on one reading.

 

Preschool and Family Storytime:

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

This book is beautiful and detailed and funny!  The story is simple and follows a bear as he escapes the forest on a berry truck and spends the day in the city, culminating with him eating a sandwich.  But the best part of the story is the slight twist at the end.  While a one on one sharing would be best for a child to see all the amazing details in the illustrations, this book will still work well as a read-aloud.  And while I’m not really good at predicting Caldecott contenders, I still say that this one has a definite chance for next year’s award.

This ORQ. (he cave boy.) by David Elliot

This one is sure to be storytime gold, and I can’t wait to read to a group of kids!  For optimal success, you’ll have to read it in your best cave-person voice.  The short sentences on each page tell the story of Orq, a boy who loves his pet woolly mammoth named Woma.  But when Woma gets too big for the cave, Orq’s mother kicks the over-sized pet out.  The antics between Orq and Woma will make kids giggle throughout the whole story.

The Boy Who Lost His Bumble by Trudi Esberger

There once was a boy who loved his garden and the bees that lived in it.  But then the seasons change, and the bees go away, and the boy feels very sad until spring when the bees return.  The story originally made me think of S.A.D, particularly since the colors are bright during the warmer seasons and dull and gray during the colder seasons (and also because the boy is described as feeling empty).  But the back of the book has some interesting tidbits about where bees go in the winter, why bees are important, how bees are in trouble, and what we can do to help.  While you can definitely use this book to talk about emotions or help a SAVE THE BEES campaign, it also works well on its on as a simple read aloud.

A Few of My Favorite Themes: Apples

Fall themes are my absolute favorite themes, so I’m hoping I can post a couple of these within the coming months.  However, seeing as I have little to no time to work on blog stuff at work (and my life outside of work is pretty busy too), I honestly think that I’ll be lucky to post more than 1 favorite theme this season.  But we’ll see…  Maybe the stars will align or something.

I’m also changing up how I do favorite themes.  I’ll still post a PDF of my favorite books like usual, but I’ll also be posting PDFs of any flannelboard templates I make.  As for crafts, STEM, and other storytime activities (including rhymes), I’ll be providing links to those at the end of the post.  I want to be sure to credit others, and I think providing links is the best way to do that.

So, here we go:

Apple Books PDF:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Apple Flannelboard Templates:

Click the images to be taken to the PDFs of the flannelboard templates.  The first image is for the flannelboard rhyme, “Five Little Apples” (Credit).  The second image is for the “A-P-P-L-E” flannelboard song (Credit).  The second image will take you to a previous post of mine — scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the PDFs of the apple images.  To make the flannelboard, print out the apple images, tape or glue them to construction paper, and then tape or glue the letters to the other side.

 

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Apple Crafts, STEM, and Other Activities

•  Everyone knows that worms like to live in apples, so introducing an activity that focuses on worms can add a nice variety to your storytime.  This Wiggle Worms game by Little Family Fun is one of my favorite activities to do in storytime!  It works well with almost any age group, and it’s a good way to change up your regular storytime.
• If you don’t mind a little mess in your storytimes, try this super cute Apple Prints craft from Make and Takes.  While they used Popsicle sticks as handles for the apples, you can also use those nifty corn on the cob holders too.  Or do without handles and let the kids pick the apples up and stamp away.
• Want a cute apple craft, but not a big mess?  I don’t blame you!  This Tissue Paper Apple Craft from Storytime Katie is super cute and doesn’t require any paint!
• Looking to add some STEM to your storytime?  Here’s a whole Pinterest board dedicated to Apple Science!  (I couldn’t just choose one activity, when there are so many great ones on there!)
• You can’t have an apple storytime without talking about apple picking!  This Apple Picking/Finding Game from So Tomorrow is not only a great way for kids to stretch their legs and get their wiggles out, but it also gives the storyteller a breather.
• This Picking Up the Fruits rhyme from What Happens In Storytime is a great sorting activity!  If you want to keep it limited to apples only, you can change it to picking up red apples, green apples, yellow apples, etc.
• A storytime roundup would not be complete without a five little whats-its rhyme.  My favorite is Five Apples in a Basket by Future Librarian Superhero.
• Like to use props in storytime?  1234 More Storytimes has a great prop to use for the 2 Red Apples rhyme.
• And, just in case you missed them, here are the rhymes for the flannelboard templates from above:  Busy Crafting Mommy’s Five Little Apples rhyme (there are many great versions of this rhyme which are linked in her post).  And A-P-P-L-E by RovingFiddlehead Kidlit.

Perfect for Storytime: May Edition!

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
Published 4/8/2014

In this heartwarming story, Beekle is an unimaginary friend.  He has waited his entire life for a child to imagine him, but hasn’t had any luck.  So he does the unthinkable:  He builds a ship and enters the real world.  At first the real world is strange, drab, and gray.  But when Beekle finally finds his friend, the real world turns out to be not so bad at all!  This story is wonderful and captures the imagination of a child beautifully.  I’m especially enthralled by the illustrations and wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being a Caldecott contender!

Here Comes Destructosaurus! by Aaron Reynolds
Published 4/1/2014

When Destructosaurus comes to town, he causes all kinds of trouble! His tail topples building and bridges, and his feet track seaweed, and he burps fire! The narrator tries to calm Destructosaurus down by telling him to watch his manners, but Destructosaurus has other things on his mind — like finding his lost teddy bear. Once the bear is found and Destructosaurus gives us a big hug, he heads back out to sea, ignoring the narrator who tells him to help clean up. But, never fear, a giant chicken named King Kluck arrives just in time to help clean up (or, more accurately, cause more destruction). Jeremy Tankard’s digital illustrations are wonderful and eye catching, though I’m not so sure how parents will feel about the fact that Destructosaurus doesn’t learn his lesson. Kids, however, will find the ending humorous.

Who’s in the Tree? And other Lift-the-Flap Surprises by Craig Shuttlewood
Published 4/1/2014

This book has so many great things going for it! Rhyming text? Check! Animals? Check! Lift-the-flaps? Colorful illustrations? Humor? Check! Check! Check! The text provides a clue as to who’s hiding, and each hiding animal is peeking out just a little bit, so that kids can guess who it is. However, some of the clues are pretty ambiguous, and some of the animals just aren’t peeking out enough for large storytime crowds to get a good look. Still, I think this has the potential to be a storytime favorite! I can also see a flannelboard being made from this!

Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep by Barney Saltzberg
Published 5/6/2014

Chengdu is a panda bear who just cannot fall asleep. He tries tossing and turning and even hanging upside down to no avail. Finally he finds the perfect place to fall asleep — right on top of his brother. This silly story is a perfect addition to a panda, jungle, or bedtime storytime. With simple text, foldout pages (you’ll definitely want to practice this one before reading in front of a crowd…just so you know which pages are the foldouts), and illustrations done in black, white, and green, this book is sure to be a hit!

What I’m Reading

Some of my favorite posts on other peoples’ blogs are of the “What I’ve Been Reading” variety.  I don’t even care if they include detailed reviews or short synopses or just a few bullet points about what they liked or hated about the book.  I just love these types of posts and want to start including my own from time to time.  So here we go:

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy
By Karen Foxlee

Goodreads Summary:  Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn’t believe in anything that can’t be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia’s help.

As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy’s own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.

A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale is about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.

My Thoughts:  I should admit that I personally feel that the Snow Queen plot is a bit over done in children’s literature, and it’s never been one of my favorite stories.  So I went into this story with low expectations.  What saved this book, for me, was the setting.  I may not like the Snow Queen plot, but I do love museums, and the majority of this story takes place in one of the most interesting museums I have ever encountered.  I loved how big the museum is, how much history it possesses, and how it has rooms upon rooms of seemingly random objects!

Another plus for this story is the main character.  Ophelia is portrayed as a very realistic girl.  She is grieving for her mother and trying to connect with her father and sister, all the while trying to help this mysterious boy even though the thought of helping him and going against the Snow Queen terrifies her.  She is nervous — almost to the point of panic — yet courageous.  She is flawed and innocent, yet intelligent.

While this book isn’t one of my favorites and even felt slow in parts, I still enjoyed it overall.  Which is saying a lot, considering I really don’t like the Snow Queen plot.  I would definitely place this book in the hands of fantasy enthusiasts.

Attachments
By Rainbow Rowell

Goodreads Summary:  “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . ”

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It’s company policy.) But they can’t quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O’Neill can’t believe this is his job now- reading other people’s e-mail. When he applied to be “internet security officer,” he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth’s and Jennifer’s messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can’t help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late to introduce himself.

My Thoughts:  Okay, this isn’t a children’s book.  It isn’t even a YA book (though I can see it having a YA audience).  This is an adult book that came out in 2011 and focuses on characters who are 28 and who are trying to make that final transition into full blown adulthood.  I loved this book!  Maybe not as much as I loved Eleanor and Park or Fangirl, but I still really, really enjoyed it.  Rowell has a talent for writing characters who could very well be my best friends.  Her stories are bits and pieces of my own experiences sewn together and — okay — given a bit of fictional flair.  This book may not be the next great American novel, but it’s definitely a story to get attached to.

A Snicker of Magic
By Natalie Lloyd

Goodreads Summary:  Introducing an extraordinary new voice—a magical debut that will make your skin tingle, your eyes glisten . . .and your heart sing.

Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.

But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck’s about to change. A “word collector,” Felicity sees words everywhere—shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog’s floppy ears—but Midnight Gulch is the first place she’s ever seen the word “home.” And then there’s Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity’s never seen before, words that make Felicity’s heart beat a little faster.

Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she’ll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that’s been cast over the town . . . and her mother’s broken heart.

My Thoughts:  I’m calling it now…this one’s a Newbery contender.  This book has the unique talent of combining the ordinary with just enough of the fantastical to make you believe that maybe, just maybe, magic exists.  A strong cast of characters, an intriguing setting, and a whole lot of ice cream makes this a book worth reading.

Two things that I really loved about this book were Felicity’s penchant for seeing words, and the fact that Jonah’s in a wheelchair but it isn’t made into a big deal.  The words that Felicity sees are no doubt magical in themselves, and I firmly believe that Lloyd considered each word she chose for Felicity to see with great care.  The groups of words usually have a cadence that feel as though they belong with one another, and often they represent the characters or situations being mentioned in the book.

As for Jonah being in the wheelchair…  Usually in media, the characters don’t possess any real handicaps, or if they do, their handicaps become their story.  That isn’t the case with Jonah.  Yes, he’s in a wheelchair, but he is not helpless and the chair does not define who he is as a person.  He is an amazing character, who does a lot of good and becomes Felicity’s quasi-crush (this isn’t a romance, but the crush is hinted at for both parties).  While I don’t have a problem with stories that focus on handicaps, I still think that it’s very refreshing to see a character who’s in a wheelchair, but isn’t defined entirely by the wheelchair.

Perfect for Storytime: March/April Edition

I’ve been a bit remiss with my posting lately.  I wish I could promise that I’ll rectify this problem, but the truth is that my updates will most likely become more and more sporadic as Summer Reading draws nearer (and I’ll probably go on a full on hiatus in June and July…you’ve been warned).  But it’s not summer yet, so here are a few books that are perfect for storytime!

Orangutangled by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Published 2/11/14

This wild romp of a book is perfect for any jungle themed storytime!  Two orangutans wake up, craving a snack, in the middle of the night.  They find some delicious mangoes in a tree, but when they reach for them, they lose their balance and the mangoes and monkeys come crashing crashing down and end up orangutangled!  Several other jungle animals attempt to free the primates but end up being orangutangled as well!  The illustrations, rendered in ink, brush, and photoshop, fit well with this silly story that kids will love.

Dangerous by Tim Warnes
Published 3/1/14

This book is short and simple, but would still be wonderful to share in storytime.  Mole loves labeling things, but when he comes across an alligator, he doesn’t know what to label it.  So he labels it many things, such as bumpy and lumpy and dangerous.  The alligator wants to befriend mole (and, believe it or not, his reasons aren’t nefarious), but mole grows angry when the alligator continuously eats all his labels.  In the end, they both apologize and mole gives alligator a new label: friend.  The cartoonish illustrations are awash with bright greens and yellows, and the text is large enough to read easily to a group.  But the best thing about this book is the vocabulary.

The Short Giraffe by Neil Flory
Published 3/1/14

Boba the baboon wants to take a picture of the tallest animals, the giraffes.  But there’s one tiny problem — Geri the giraffe is much smaller than his friends, and it’s difficult to get him into the shot.  They try stilts, a turtle tower, and even helium, to no avail (but some hilarious pictures result from it).  Finally, a tiny caterpillar suggest that instead of raising Geri up to their heights, the taller giraffes should bend down to Geri’s height.  This works perfectly and the final picture of the giraffes is the best one yet.  The giraffes look a little silly, and the text can’t decide if it wants to rhyme or not, but overall this is a great story to share for a jungle theme, a big and small theme, or a theme about being a little different.

Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper
Published 2/25/14

This terrific book combines the concept of stop and go with construction!  One day, little green said a word:  Go!  And the construction trucks woke up and got to work.  But when there’s a little too much go and things get out of hand, little red steps in with a new word:  Stop!  They work together with hilarious results and a bridge gets built.  And just as the cars start to drive over the bridge, little yellow rolls into town.  I bet you can guess little yellow’s word!  This book would work well with any construction, things that go, or movement storytime!

Tiny Rabbit’s Big Wish by Margarita Engle
Published 3/4/14

Tiny rabbit wants to be big and strong, but the only thing that seems to be big for him are his ears.  However, he soon realizes that his big ears are very useful because they allow him to hear all sorts of things — including a hungry lion.  And his tiny frame is useful too because it allows him to hide from the hungry lion.  The acrylic illustrations are adorable, although I’m not quite sure what forest animals are doing in a jungle animal habitat.  Also, the text in this book is a little bit on the tiny side, which is appropriate for the story but it makes group sharing a tad bit difficult (but not impossible, especially if you practice beforehand).

 

Perfect for Storytime: February Edition

February is slowly creeping to an end, which means it’s time for me to talk about a few of my favorite new picture books!  I was able to keep a better eye on the new books that came in this month, and I was also able to read a good selection and ended up writing reviews for a few on Goodreads.  I’m going to post my favorite books today, so here we go:

I Hatched by Jill Esbaum
Published 1/23/2014

This picture book features rhyming text that details the hatching and first day of a baby bird. The ink/watercolor/pencil illustrations steal the show as the young bird discovers running, singing, and eating, among other things. The book ends with another hatching and the baby bird says hello to a sister. The rhyming text and large scale illustrations makes this book perfect for sharing with a group.

How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth by Michelle Robinson
Published 1/21/2014

Joining the ranks of other great odd pets picture books, How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth is a hilarious step-by-step bathtime story that preschool children will love!  While this book would work well for storytime, I would also encourage parents to check it out after storytime so that they and their little ones can pour over the illustrations.  There are some details in the pictures that they may not have noticed in a storytime crowd, but would love to laugh over together in a one on one reading session.  One of my favorite things about this book in particular is the mammoth’s facial expressions.

Monster Be Good by Natalie Marshall
Published 2/26/13

Colors abound in this short picture book in which the audience is in charge of a group of rowdy monsters.  If a monster is noisy, children can tell him to be quiet.  If a monster is selfish, children can tell him to take turns.  Storytime crowds will love the chance to tell monsters to “sit still” and “go to sleep” and parents will appreciate that this book introduces a fun way to talk to their kids about manners and other social situations (including bullying).  What I love best about this book, is what usually grabs my attention when it comes to picture books:  bold, bright, and fun illustrations!

Big Rig by Jamie A. Swenson
Published 2/4/14

While there are a lot of things to love about this picture book about an 18-wheeler big rig, two things that really stand out for me include:  the terminology and the sound effects.  This book introduces young children to the work, mechanics, and terminology of trucking.  The word ‘cargo’ is explained in the text, and the other terms are defined in a glossary at the back of the book.  While adults will love the fact that this book helps expand a child’s vocabulary, children will love sounding the horn along with the truck throughout the story.  I can already see myself going “URRRNNT-URRRNNNT!” in storytime now!

And now two books that would be great for toddler or baby storytimes:

Nest by Jorey Hurley
Published 2/4/14

Wonderful photoshop illustrations chronicle a year in the life of two birds.  With one word per page, this book would be perfect for baby or toddler storytimes, though it could also work well with a slightly older group under the right circumstances.  While not nonfiction, this book could still be used as a way to introduce habitats.  My favorite thing about this book is how the seasons change in the illustrations.  This book would be perfect for a birds, homes, forest, or seasons storytime.

Say Hellow Like This! by Mary Murphy
Published 2/11/14

Reminiscent of Murphy’s “A Kiss Like This,” this picture book is bright, colorful, and has ample opportunity for little ones to make animal sounds.

Perfect for Storytime: January Edition

A few years back, when I was still a very new full time librarian, I used to read Awesome Storytime. Back in the day, this blog had a series that I loved called “Storytime Contenders.”  As someone who was new to children’s services and who hadn’t read a picture book since 1st grade, this series was immensely helpful to me.  Not only for finding quality books to use for storytime, but also as a collection development tool.

Since the first couple of months at my new job were very busy for me, I fell out of the habit of checking out new picture books.  In order to rectify this, I’ve decided to start a monthly blog series similar to Storytime Contenders.  Each month, towards the end of the month, I’ll post a list of a few of my favorite new-to-me picture books.  My hope is that this series will not only keep my butt in gear about reading new picture books, but that it’ll also be beneficial for others as far as storytime planning, collection development, or just providing a place to talk about a picture book that is particularly awesome (or not awesome).

So here we go:

Love Monster by Rachel Bright
Published 12/24/2013 (American Version)

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this picture book features a cuddly and very lonely monster who just wants to be loved!  He searches high and low and even middle-ish for someone who will love him as he is, googly eyes and all.  Just as he starts to believe that he’ll never find a companion, his luck changes and a bus driven by another monster rolls into town.  I love the use of color in this book — bright pastels darken as the monster gets sadder, but the light from the incoming bus brightens the pages once again!  The theme of feeling alone or out of place is universal, and is something that children will empathize with.  The story does run slightly on the sappy side, but not overly so and would be all kinds of amazing for a Valentine’s Day theme storytime!

Planes Fly! by George Ella Lyon
Published 7/23/2013

In many ways, this picture book is reminiscent of Airplanes: Soaring! Diving! Turning! by Patricia Hubbell.  However, while I love Hubbell’s version, I personally think this one outshines it for several reasons.  First, it covers not only different planes and what they can do, but also the different people associated with planes, such as pilots and air traffic controllers (and even passengers).  Second, it doesn’t shy away from introducing airplane terminology (I had to look up what ailerons were!).  Lastly, the large scale, digitally rendered illustrations are spectacular!  They give kids a sense of how massive some planes can be, and make the readers feel as though we’re going on a journey with the planes.  Plus the bright use of color is very eye-catching.  I’m definitely excited to try this one with a Things That Go theme for storytime!

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb
Published 12/10/2013

Fantastic oil illustrations depict a fish’s world in this (possible Caldecott contender?) picture book.  Paul, a fish who barely pays attention to the world outside his fish bowl receives a new companion one day.  Bernadette, a lovely salmon-colored fish, enhances Paul’s life by encouraging him to see past his fish bowl glass and admire the world around them.  Kids will delight over how Paul and Bernadette confuse real world objects (my favorite is the tea pot/elephant mix-up).  In the end, Paul not only has a new friend, but he also has a new appreciation for the world around him.  Sweet, charming, and lovely to look at, this is a great story to share with the storytime crowd.

Junkyard by Mike Austin
Published 1/7/2014

This picture book features two robots: one a brilliant green and the other a combination of black and red that invokes the sense of rust.  These robots find themselves in the midst of a junkyard and immediately get to work clearing it away for the green of a garden.  There are plenty of books out there about keeping our world green; however, I feel like this one holds its own with its rhyming text and boldly colorful illustrations.  What I love best about the illustrations (other than how bright the colors are) is the fact that, in the beginning of the story, the junk illustrations are very cacophonous, but the resulting garden at the end is very tranquil.  This book can work equally well for a robots, messy, or garden theme!

Pre-K Storytime: Nighttime

I’m back!  …Well, sorta.  While I’m starting to get settled in at my new job, I’m still adjusting.  Which means that my posts will probably continue to be sporadic until 2014.  In the meantime, here’s a storytime plan that worked very well with a group of preschoolers who were touring the library:

Opening Song:  The More We Get Together (wigh ASL signs)

Book #1:  Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker

I talked about my love for this book back in August, and I have to say that that love has not abated!  The children were riveted to this book!  Their eyes were glued to the pages, they asked all kinds of wonderful questions, and one little boy flat out told me “I like that book!” when we finished it!  Storytellers beware though…this book runs a tad on the long side and probably isn’t best for wiggly crowds.

Activity #1:  Where is Bear? (Fingerplay Rhyme w/ Finger Puppets)

[to the tune of Thumbkin]

Where is bear?  Where is bear?
Here I am.  Here I am.
How are you today, bear?
Very tired, thank you.
Go to sleep.  Go to sleep.

After we finished singing the rhyme, I had the children count to 3 then shout, “Wake up, bear!”  The bear finger puppets woke up, then we did the whole thing over again.

Credit:  Preschool Education

Book #2:  I Dare You Not to Yawn by Helene Boudreau

In this book, a small child gives advice on how to avoid yawns and bedtime.  Prior to reading, I told the children that no one was allowed to yawn during this book.  Of course, as I was reading it, I emphatically yawned throughout the story, much to the children’s delight.  Some of the kids yawned right along with me…others clamped their hands over their mouths to keep from yawning.  Overall, this was a very fun book for when you’re feeling silly in storytime.

Activity #2:  Little Moon, Little Moon

We all know how fond I am of doing the Little Mouse games in storytime.  In this one, I hid a little moon behind a cloud and the children had to guess which cloud it was behind by reciting:  “Little moon, little moon, are you behind the ___________ cloud?”

Credit:  So Tomorrow

Book #3:  A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

This book is another favorite of mine!  I love Il Sung Na’s artwork in all of his stories, but this one is especially whimsical for me.  I also love how this book is very short but has plenty of opportunities for discussion.

Activity #3:  Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high.
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.

Credit:  Traditional

Book #4:  How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

You can never go wrong with dinosaurs, and the kids especially loved saying “No” or “Yes” after every question in the book.

How It Went:

I really enjoyed this storytime!  In the past, I never really liked the nighttime/going to bed theme, which is probably why I never posted any of my past plans for this theme.  But this one had a great collection of books (from the whimsical to the funny), and the kids really enjoyed the rhymes/activities (especially waking the bears up!).

Also, you might have noticed the new opening rhyme!  I’ll be using a new closing rhyme as well, but I didn’t include it for this storytime since we started our tour as soon as the storytime was finished.