Cozy Picture Books for Winter Sharing

 I've long been on the lookout for cozy picture books that capture the feeling of a winter sunset. You know, the light's all pink and gold, outside is hushed with snow or cold and crisp with the anticipation of snow, and you're cozy inside, bundled up and looking out. Books like that make me feel all hygge and I have finally come up with enough titles to put together a decent book list. Whether you're hunkered down with your own kids at home or putting together the coziest winter storytime known to humankind, these books will fit the bill. 

Dusk by Uri Shulevitz (Farrer, Straus, & Giroux, 2013). I love, love, love the way the rich colors in Shulevitz's illustrations mirror the beautiful winter light of dusk in winter. This one has very slight references to winter holidays in the illustrations that depict a city street with Christmas and Hanukkah displays in the windows, but is otherwise secular. If you like this one, you may also want to check out Shulevitz's book Snow, another of my favorites for winter storytimes. 

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott (Simon & Schuster, 2020). Coco and Bear are good friends, but not everyone in the forest believes that a big, giant bear could be kind and gentle. When the two friends set out to spread cheer with gifts, they learn that the best way to share light is to help someone with no expectations in return. Between the dusk settling over the forest and their cozy gift of lanterns, the delicate illustrations in this book definitely give me that hygge feeling and the message of the story will warm the coldest heart. 

Snow Falls by Kate Gardner, illustrated by Brandon James Scott (Tundra, 2020). Oh, the skies in this book! With super simple text and the saturated pinks and golds in the illustrations, I knew this was a book for this list the second I opened it. This one would make a great addition to toddler storytimes because the text is so short and simple, but the illustrations give lots of winter activities that you can talk about with older kids, too. 

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking, 1962). This classic Caldecott-winner is one of my all-time favorite picture books and the beautiful pinks and blues of the snowy pictures are a big reason. 

Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer (HMH, 2006). This beautiful and creative picture book talks about all the ways that winter can be the warmest season. From enjoying hot cocoa to bundling up in sweaters, there's lots of ways that winter is warm. If you're cozied up inside, this might be perfect reading. 

Three New Haunkkah Books

 Hanukkah is coming up on December 10 -18 this year and I've got three great new Hanukkah books for you today. While lots of Hanukkah books give you the formulaic eight-Hanukkah-activities spiel, all three of these picture books go beyond that basic premise for some really fun stories. 

The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Galia Bernstein. Ages 4-8. Holiday House, 2020. 

Eight sibling knights must save the holiday for a community whose Hanukkah preparations are being interrupted by a dastardly dragon. As the knights quest to perform acts of "awesome kindness", they replace a scorched dreidel, help peel potatoes, perform mitzvahs, and fry donuts until they have a table piled high with treats, ready for a celebration. And of course the not-so-bad dragon attends as well (very handy for lighting menorahs with flame-breath). This is a sweetly funny story that capitalizes on the wordplay in the title. 

The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol by Arthur A. Levine, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Ages 4-8. Candlewick, 2020. 

With the aim of introducing a new mythological figure to Hanukkah (think about Rudolf or Santa Claus in regards to Christmas), this bright, own-voices picture book presents Nate Gadol, a magical being with the power to make objects stretch. From making one night's worth of lamp oil stretch for 8 nights to stretching out a meager portion of chocolate so there's enough for all the children or stretching much-needed medicine for a neighbor's baby, Nate Gadol is there. The name Nate Gadol is a play on the Hebrew phrase "New Gadol", which means "a great miracle". This is a clever addition to seasonal mythology. 

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Shahar Kober. Ages 4-8. Sterling, 2020. 

When the first night of Hanukkah falls just after their family moves to a new apartment, mom can't find the menorah and they just order pizza instead of making latkes. It's nice, but not quite the same Hanukkah they're used to. As they continue the search for their Hanukkah supplies in the moving boxes, the two children approach their new neighbors and find substitutes - birthday candles instead of Hanukkah candles, chocolate chips instead of gelt. The family's creative in their celebrations and then to thank their neighbors, they invite everyone over the night after the last night of Hanukkah and - miracle! - their lost moving box shows up with all their Hanukkah supplies. 

This is a sweet and clever story that may have special resonance this year as we're all figuring out new ways to have holiday celebrations and mark special events. I love the clever ways these enterprising kids find to replicate their Hanukkah traditions even though they don't have the things they normally would. And it has a wonderful message about helping and thanking those that help us. 

Smug Seagull

Smug Seagull by Maddie Frost. Ages 4-8. Little, Brown, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Seagull is an expert at swiping snacks on sunny days at the beach. He's the best - no one can beat him! Until a little crab shows up with a delectable french fry and, try as he might, the Smug Seagull is outsmarted at every turn. This delightful, laugh-out-loud picture book would make a really fun read for young beachgoers. The bright, cartoony illustrations make this a sure bet with young readers and they will delight in Seagull's mischievous escapades as he swipes all kinds of food from beachgoers young and old. 

Seagull gives me some serious Pigeon vibes. He's a bird that oozes personality and confidence, delighting in the fact that his "name is in lights" (there's a sign posted asking beachgoers not to feed the seagulls). I think young Mo Willems fans are really going to like meeting Seagull, too. And any family who's visited the beach can probably relate to swarms of seagulls hoping to sneak away with some of the picnic. 

Hand Smug Seagull to families about to head out on vacation or anyone who just needs a bit of a laugh. Although it's tailor-made for a beach or vacation themed display, kids love to giggle anytime. 

Let's Go to Taekwondo

Let's Go to Taekwondo: A Story About Persistence, Bravery, and Breaking Boards by Aram Kim. Ages 4-8. Holiday House, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Yoomi loves learning taekwondo with Master Cho at her dojang with her brothers and friends. She learns about the five tenets of taekwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. And she works hard to improve her skills. But when it comes time to test for her yellow belt, Yoomi must break a board with her hand. Try as she might, she cannot break that board. Soon, Yoomi doesn't want to go to taekwondo anymore. Will Yoomi find a way to persevere or will she give up? 

I love this sweet story about perseverance with it's wonderful intergenerational connection. Yoomi's grandmother is the one to take her to her taekwondo classes and when Yoomi thinks about quitting, her grandmother tells her that's okay. But just at that moment, Grandma feels like giving up on something, too. She's trying to call a friend in Korea over the computer and nothing she tries will work! Readers can see Grandma's growing frustration mirroring Yoomi's as they both try and fail to accomplish their goal. Finally, when Grandma's had enough, Yoomi steps in to encourage her grandmother and realizes that she'd better keep trying, too. This was a really nice, organic moment that teaches a lesson gently so that the story doesn't come across as didactic. 

This would be a great pick for kids who study martial arts or any kids who are struggling with learning or doing something challenging. It's also a story that will appeal to grandparents looking for stories to share with grandchildren. And although characters are loveable anthropomorphic animals here, this is an own-voices story, written and illustrated by a Korean American author/illustrator. This is the second book about Yoomi's family and you can read more about them in No Kimchi for Me (Holiday House, 2017). 

Dozens of Doughnuts

Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Fenison, illustrated by Brianne Farley. Ages 3-7. Putnam, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

LouAnn the bear is getting ready for winter, which for her means she's baking dozens of doughnuts which she will eat herself to get ready to hibernate. She's just about to sit down to some fresh doughnuts when her doorbell rings and it's a friendly neighbor who has smelled the delicious treats. LouAnn kindly shares her doughnuts and heads back to the kitchen to whip up some more. But when neighbor after neighbor shows up looking to share in the feast, LouAnn has finally had enough! Luckily, her neighbors realize that they've eaten up all her doughnuts and come back to repay her kindness with treats of their own. 

This is a super cute, playful story about sharing that feels mildly seasonal since it's a little bit about hibernation, but it could definitely be read any time of year. The rhyming text begs to be read aloud and this would make an excellent storytime book. It has a recurring chorus each time LouAnn's about to get to eat some of the doughnuts, in which LouAnn gets interrupted by the doorbell before it can get to her name in the rhyme: 

One dozen doughnuts, hot from the pan. 

Toasty, and tasty, and ALL for - 

Ding dong!

The interruption adds humor to the story and you could really play that up in the readaloud. 

Pair this fun animal story with Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson for another bouncy, rhyming picture book about forest creatures having a feast and leaving hibernating a bear out or Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora for another tale about neighbors following their nose and popping in to share in a delicious meal. 

The Ghosts Went Floating

The Ghosts Went Floating by Kim Normal, illustrated by Jay Fleck. Ages 3-6. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2020. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Are you as ready for Halloween as I am? I don't even know if we will really have a Halloween (at least not like we're used to, I'm sure), but for some reason I am all about decorating and celebrating it early this year. Maybe it feels like something to look forward to? Anyway, it was a lot of fun the week I got to sit down and order some new Halloween books for my library and this was my favorite one. 

The text is a variation of The Ants Go Marching, which is fun since you can sing it. Instead of "Hoorah, hoorah", it says "BOO-rah! BOO-rah", which I think is super cute. And instead of ants, each spread is a different ghosty or beasty. The book is far from scary with super cute illustrations, making this a very gentle monster book that's good for really young kids. I'm going to buy it for my youngest nieces, ages 2 and 4. 

Most of the book is not Halloween specific - it's only the last two spreads the mention where the ghosts and creatures are marching to - your street for trick or treat! And then the very last spread shows all the monsters enjoying a Halloween party together. So if you wanted to use this for storytime, it could easily fit into a monster or slightly-spooky themed storytime just by skipping the last couple of spreads. It would also make a super cute flannel board story. Although it does count up to 10 different creatures marching together, you could definitely cut down on the pieces by just creating one piece for each creature. 

Pick this one up if you're looking for a Halloween book for a very young child on your list! 

Time for Bed's Story

Time for Bed's Story by Monica Arnaldo. Ages 4-8. Kids Can Press, 2020. Digital review copy provided by publisher. 

The next time you push back when you hear the nightly announcement "It's time for bed!", maybe think again. Maybe take a minute to read bed's side of the story. You'll find it right here. Because as much as you don't want to go to bed.... you're no picnic either. And Bed's here to tell you that they don't appreciate the kicking, the drool all over their pillows, the mysterious smells in your room, or the stickers - endless stickers! - that are constantly stuck all over everything. 

This humorous take on a bedtime story is made super endearing by the expressive bed in the illustrations. Look at those indignant eyes! If you're looking for a book that will send little ones off to bed with a giggle, this is a rollicking good family readaloud. (If you're looking for a gentle bedtime story that might entice kids to actually sleep, you may want to look elsewhere.) This may be an especially appropriate read for families with kids who have trouble with the bedtime routine or who are growing up a little bit and would like to stay up later. Pair it with Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Kraus Rosenthal for another humorous, nighttime role-reversal. 

5 Picture Books about Love but Not Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and this is the perfect time to celebrate love! I know holiday books tend to get checked out really quickly at libraries, so if you've waited until the last minute to put out a display or to visit your library to pick out some books, here are some books that celebrate love without being Valentine's specific (so they might still be on the shelves!). Not into Valentine's Day or already got your books picked out? These are perfect to share anytime.

The I Love You Book by Todd Parr. Ages 2-6. Little, Brown, 2009. C'mon, you knew I was going to put a Todd Parr book on here. I super love his affirming messages, bright childlike illustrations, and moments of humor that keep things really fun. If you don't have Todd Parr on your shelves or in your storytime, you need to fix that right away!

Little You by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Julie Flett. Ages 0-2. Orca, 2013. This tender board book is all about celebrating love for young children. It's a perfect bedtime readaloud and would make a super new baby gift. I love the muted, cut paper illustrations and the essential message about how important children are to their parents. 

Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singer. Ages 5-9. Knopf, 2011. This cute, punny book of short poems imagines love poems animals might share with each other. It has funny, cartoony illustrations and is short enough for a bedtime readaloud or could be broken up into lunchbox poems to send along to school. This one will be a hit with animal lovers and pet owners.

 

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato. Ages 4-8. Balzer + Bray, 2016. When two worms fall in love, they want to get married! But who will wear a dress and who will wear a suit? It turns out it doesn't matter because Worm loves Worm (and because scientifically worms are both male and female). This is a really sweet story celebrating love and a relationship where gender is not a factor and a wonderful way to introduce young children to the rainbow of gender and relationships in our world. Or, y'know, a worm can just be a worm.

 

Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Scott Campbell. Ages 4-8. Atheneum, 2011. This one is a fun readaloud and was a surefire February hit when we'd visit our afterschool groups for storytime. Mortimer is looking for love, but he hasn't met the right lady yet. He goes to the gym, but his arm keeps falling off. He's put up an account on stalemate.com, but no dice. How's a guy supposed to meet a ghoul? This is a perfect choice for young readers who like something a little scary but also funny and for skeptics who think think they're too cool for love stories. And there's a sequel if you like this one: Zombie in Love 2 + 1 (Atheneum, 2014).

Firefly Award Kit Update

A couple of months ago, I posted about the Firefly Book Award Kits that I made for our library in order to spread the word about the Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award and try to collect more votes from our county.

I am happy to say that we had a lot of success with this program, learned a lot, and plan to continue (and expand it!) next year. My goal was to collect 100 votes with the Firefly Kits and we ended up collecting 196 votes. Together with the other programs we did, we sent in over 200 votes. I'm really proud of that and hope that we can make it even more next year!

Teachers were really enthusiastic about participating. I had the most success in reaching out to preschools and daycares that we have already worked with in the past, but I hope that next year with some experience under our belt we may be able to advertise it more broadly and pick up some new groups. 

I really did not have to convince teachers about the worth of this program. Once they understood what it was, they were super into it. I had several teachers ask me about participating again, so I think we'll hit the ground running next year. My plan is to get this started earlier in the year next year since we now have a template for it. That will allow more time for the teachers to keep the bags and more time to spread the word. 

I decided to make the bags circulating for one week, but several of the teachers kept them longer in order to do the activities in the provided teacher guide. One preschool made their own voting poster for the whole school. One preschool even took pictures of all the crafts the kids did and make a big thank-you poster for us! I love the creative things the teachers thought to do with the voting and I want to encourage that. I had no problem being flexible with the check-out time since we never had a wait list for the bags. Next year, starting earlier will give us even more time, so I will probably extend the check-out time. 

Next year, I would also like to circulate the bags to families, too. We did not have a ton of participation from individual families with our in-house voting. I think we might get more participation if families could check out all the books and read at home. I didn't want to do that this year since we had a limited number of bags for our pilot program and I had a small window of time. I wanted to concentrate on groups of kids to get the most bang for our buck. If we offer the bags circulating to the public, I think it'll be easier to spread the word and that may catch the eye of our local teachers, too. 

It was a great, pretty easy program to run and I think our teachers and their students got a lot out of it. It was definitely successful and I'm excited about doing it again next year!

Firefly Book Award Kits

This year, I took on a project that I have wanted to do for a long time: Firefly Book Award Kits.

The Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award is a kids-choice state book award started in 2015 and aimed at ages 0-5 and featuring books that develop early literacy skills in our youngest readers. Each year, a committee of professionals selects 5 nominees and children 5 and under may vote for their favorite.

We've done some programming around the Firefly Award in the past and set up a voting station in our Children's Room, but this year I really wanted to push it with our local early childhood educators and see if we could get them involved.

I created five Firefly Award kits that each include a copy of each of the five nominees, the 2019 program guide (super useful - it contains ideas on how to share the books, craft ideas, ideas for voting, etc.), and 20 ballot sheets. Each kit checks out for one week and any teacher who checks out a kit and returns children's votes will be entered into a drawing to win a set of all five books.

I set the kits to check out for one week because we're starting a little bit late and I'm trying to get the maximum usage out of them before votes are due on May 15. We'll see how it works - if we repeat the program next year hopefully I will be able to start earlier in the semester so we have more time and we may adjust the checkout period.

For our pilot program, I'm first reaching out to local early childhood teachers because we'll get huge bang for our buck that way. I started last week and all five kits are checked out to teachers. If we start having kits sitting on my shelves, I intend to put them out for any families to check out.

Creating the kits:

I purchased DALIX zippered cotton canvas bags through Amazon for about $13 apiece. I have my eye on heavier-duty canvas totes via Lands End or LL Bean, but for this pilot project I decided to go with cheaper bags. If we like the program and continue it, we'll probably invest in higher quality bags. We will also look at vinyl bags or other options that are not cloth - critters aren't a huge concern to me with bags circulating to schools, but we can never be too careful.

I purchased a set of plastic tag holders that came with zip ties to affix the kit labels with barcodes to the bags. On the back of the label, I printed the contents of the kit. I realized that I needed to attach a second tag with the delivery and pickup information, so if we continue the program in future years I will look for better solutions.

My hope is that we will have success and continue the program and then the bags can be an investment that we reuse each year with the new nominees.

The best deal I could find on the hardcover picture books was through Ingram. I ordered them non-processed and put labels in the front of each book with the kit's barcode. That way if they get separated we know where they go. When we give away the books, we'll put a new label with no barcode over the top of it so teachers can be reminded of their awesome library.

Giving away the books once the program is done was my cataloger's idea. That way we don't take up extra shelf space with multiple copies that we probably no longer need, and it's an extra incentive for teachers to participate in the program.

Program Goals:

My hope is to collect 100 votes via this program this year. Last year we were in the throes of our huge staffing restructure and we submitted 0 votes for our county, so if I can get 100 votes to submit I will be happy and that will give us something to build on. I'll be sure to update and let you know how it goes!

Read on for information about my budget and staff time for this project, as well as files you can use if you want to replicate it at your library!

Program Budget:

5 canvas bags at $13/each = $65*

Set of 50 tag holders with zip ties = $14*

25 hardcover picture books (5 each of the five nominees) at an average discounted price of $13/each = $325

Printing 5 program guides + extra in case any of the teachers keep theirs (which would be fine with me) at 25 cents a page = $100**

Printing ballots to include at each guide (500 ballots printed) at 25 cents each = $125**

Total: $629 for five kits
(Or about $400 without including printing costs)

*These items will hopefully be used in future years
**Printing costs may vary and may be something your library can absorb in its normal operating budget. We printed ours in-house, so I did not really need to budget for this, but you might!

Staff Time (approximate):

Purchasing supplies and processing kits (creating labels, making catalog record) = 4 hours*

Drafting invitation letter, collecting contact information, and sending out info to teachers = 2 hours

Checking out and delivering kits, creating teacher library cards, communicating with participating teachers, keeping track of kits = approximately 2 hours/week (mostly in small chunks, may vary week by week) for 11 weeks = 22 hours**

Total staff time: 30 hours
Over a period of about 12 weeks, so averaging about 2.5 staff hours/week

* Much of this can be reused in future years. We will still have to process new kits, but I won't have to design new labels, etc.
** You may or may not need to do all these tasks yourself at your library. Next year I will probably let other staff members handle a lot of this since it fits in with our School Collection program that we already run. I just didn't want to load up their plates with my project before I knew if it would be successful.

Files for your use:
You have my permission to edit these and use them however you like. The Firefly Award makes its logo available for use in promoting this program.

• Firefly program guides and ballots are available at no charge on the Firefly Award website
• Bag labels designed to fit in 3" x 4 1/8" tag holders (Publisher file). These include the Firefly logo, but I took our library logo off. Feel free to edit. We placed barcodes between the two logos. 
• Book plate labels for inside the books (Word file) designed to work with Avery labels 5164
• The letter I sent to teachers (Word file). I emailed this to the teachers and preschool directors that I had contact info for and mailed it to other preschools and daycares in our area. 

Preschool Storytime: Sharks

We had the Shark Cart from the Newport Aquarium visit earlier this month, so to get the kids excited about it, I did a shark storytime the week before. This is one of those storytimes that I thought would be difficult to plan, but it turns out that LOTS of librarians have done shark storytimes and there was plenty of fun material to be had.

Here's what I did:

Opening Song: My Hands Say Hello

Book: Great White Shark by Deborah Nuzzolo (Pebble Books, 2008). I used this book because I wanted to use one with real photos and the Pebble Plus books are great for having large full-color photographs. We talked about lots of great vocabulary words in this book - predator and prey, nostril, and more. I was worried about real pictures being too scary, but it turns out kids are brave. I did warn them before the last spread of the shark jumping out with its toothy mouth open wide. ;)

Felt Rhyme: Two Little Sharks
(A variation on Two Little Dickey Birds)

Two little sharks in the deep blue sea
One named Leonard and one named Lee
Swim away, Leonard! Swim away, Lee!
Come back, Leonard! Come back, Lee!

Source: Sunflower Storytime

This is a traditional rhyme that helps children practice motor skills and following directions.

Action Song: Bubble, Bubble Pop




I adjusted the lyrics slightly:

One little blue shark
Swimming in the water
Swimming in the water
Swimming in the water
One little blue shark
Swimming in the water
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble
POP!

We repeated with different colors until the kids were ready to move on.

Book: How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran (Albert Whitman, 2015). This nonfiction book uses gentle rhyming text to describe one way that scientists study sharks: by tagging them and having robots follow and record what they are doing. I chose this one because it's a very simple introduction to some of the work scientists do.

Action Song: The Sharks in the Sea
(Tune: The Wheels on the Bus)

The sharks in the sea go chomp, chomp, chomp
Chomp, chomp, chomp
Chomp, chomp, chomp
The sharks in the sea go chomp, chomp, chomp
All day long

Repeat with different sea animals. We did fish/swim, lobster/click clack and then I turned it over to the kids and they suggested sea turtle/glide, octopus/wiggle, and dolphin/flap tail.

Source: Adventures in Storytime

Felt Rhyme: Sharks in the Bathtub

One little shark in the bathtub
Going for a swim
Knock, knock (clap twice)
Splash, splash (pat knees twice)
Come on in!

Repeat with two, three, four, and five. At the very end "They all fell in!" and knock the felt pieces off the board.

Source: The Storytime Station

Book: Shark in the Park by Nick Sharrat (Corgi, 2000). This is one of our department's very favorite storytime books. It's cute and has actions the kids can do along with it (looking along with their telescope). This is a great one for practicing directions (look up, look down, look left, look right) and it has a fun surprise ending that kids love.

Felt Rhyme: Five Little Fishies

Five little fishies, swimming in the sea
Teasing Mr. Shark "You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Shark, quiet as can be
And SNAPS that fish right out of the sea! (clap on "Snaps!")

Repeat: count down until there are no fish left.

Source: Never Shushed

We have a shark puppet and I love to use puppets with this rhyme.

Closing Song: Do You Know What Time It Is?

Preschool Storytime: Rain

I spotted the book Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre on a display and I was inspired to create a rain-themed storytime this summer. I did it during our last week of summer storytimes and this was a really fun one to go out on because I tried a new thing and it worked (yay!).

Here's what I did:

Opening Song: My Hands Say Hello (our standard!)

Intro: Okay, I was going to bring out our rainstick to show the kids so we could hear it and I could talk about how they are made. BUT I couldn't find it on the hectic morning of our storytime, so I skipped that. If you have a rainstick, it would be a fun thing to show the kids.

Book: Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre (Bean Lane Books, 2015). I was drawn to this one for its photo illustrations, which are a little unusual in children's picture books and I think they're neat. This is a great book for introducing kids to new vocabulary because Sayre uses such a rich selection of different words.

Felt: Five Little Umbrellas

This simple rhyme helps kids practice counting down and you could use it to practice colors, too. I put it in here to break up my books a little bit and give them something a little bit active (they can count on their fingers as I go through the felt pieces on the board). You can use the names of the kids in your storytime or substitute Mom, Dad, Cousin, etc. or just say "Someone".

Five umbrellas stood by the door.
Riley took the pink one, and then there were four!

Four umbrellas, pretty as can be.
Ben took the blue one, and then there were three!

Three umbrellas with nothing to do.
Ollie took the green one, and then there were two!

Two umbrellas having fun.
Lincoln took the yellow one, and then there was one!

One umbrella alone in the hall.
Ashly took the purple one and that was all!

Book: Storm Song by Nancy Viau (Amazon, 2013). We talked about what happens when a storm comes - what do we see, what do we hear? And one kiddo mentioned that it's sometimes scary, which lead right into this book. A storm comes and the power goes out and this family observes the storm and finds things to do with the lights out. It's a book that depicts something that most kids are familiar with and it has a lot of interesting rhythm and sounds in the text.

Action Song: If It's Raining Outside, Wear Your Boots

(Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It)
If it's raining outside, wear your boots.
If it's raining outside, wear your boots.
If it's raining outside, then your boots will keep you dry!
If it's raining outside, wear your boots.

Repeat: raincoat, hat, umbrella, etc.

I asked the kids to tell me what we need to wear if we go outside when it rains, so feel free to turn this over to the kids and use their suggestions in your song! Doing action songs in storytime not only helps get some wiggles out and allows kids to then sit and listen more calmly, but singing songs helps kids hear that words are made up of smaller sounds.

Book: Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham (HarperCollins, 1976). It's a sunny day and Mr. Gumpy is going for a drive. All of the farm animals want to come, but none of them want to help push when it rains and the car gets stuck in the mud.

 

Book with Props: Rain by Manya Stojic (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2000). I chose this book because I wanted to use some props with it (this was the new thing I tried!). As a rainstorm starts on the Savannah, animals see lightning, hear thunder, and finally the rain comes down. I divided my group up into three smaller groups based on where they were sitting. The kids on the right got yellow and orange scarves for lightning, the kids in the middle got egg shakers for rain sounds, and the kids on the left got rhythm sticks for thunder. First, we each practiced our parts. The lightning kids waved their scarves in the air up and down like lightning striking. The rain makers shook their eggs. And the thunder beat their rhythm sticks on the floor.

Then as I read the book, each group chimed in when it came to their part in the story. I didn't read the whole book - after the rain came and then the rain stopped, I skipped to the end where it gets hot again.

The kids had a lot of fun with this and even though I was nervous of chaos with so many noise-making props, it turned out to be really fun. I like finding ways to get kids involved with the story in unusual ways! And in this activity kids practiced motor skills and following directions.

Closing Song: Do You Know What Time It Is?

Red, White, and Blue Storytime

I had a BLAST this morning with my Red, White, and Blue storytime! I wasn't sure if I would have many come - lots of families are on vacation and making this a long weekend - but we ended up with a great crowd and they were so into everything.

I wanted to do something a little related to Independence Day, but I don't like to do holiday storytimes, so I went with the theme of Red, White, and Blue. Not only does this tie into the holiday without being overtly holiday themed, but it gives a lot of flexibility in planning so you can choose your favorite stories, felts, and rhymes.

I wore a red and blue dress in honor of this storytime and realized that I was twinning our Spider Man mannequin.

Here's what I did: 

Opening Song: My Hands Say Hello

(Red) Book: The Little Mouse, the Red, Ripe Strawberry, and the Big, Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood (Child's Play, 1984). 

I love this book because of the humor and because kids really have to take in the illustrations to get the humor in the story (and it's a large book with big pictures that is easy for a group to see). There's a lot that you can talk about with kids in this book. I especially like pointing out the mouse's facial expressions and asking how he's feeling. This is a great way to model for parents how books can help you have a conversation about emotions. 

One of my preschoolers pointed out at the end that we never saw the bear in the book, so we talked a little bit about how we heard about the bear and we were maybe a little afraid of the bear, but we never actually saw the bear.

Rhyme: Five Little Apples

I use a bear puppet with this rhyme and he "eats" the apples off the tree. Children can play along with me by using their five fingers as the five little apples. Hearing rhymes helps children hear that words are made up of smaller sounds. This rhyme also practices counting down. 

Five red apples, sweet to the core.
Bear came and ate one and then there were four.

Four red apples, sitting in a tree. 
Bear came and ate one and then there were three. 

Three red apples, one for you and you and you.
Bear came and ate one and then there were two. 

Two red apples, shining in the sun.
Bear came and ate one and then there was one. 

One red apple, left all alone. 
Bear came and ate one and then there was none.

(White) Book: It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw (Harper & Row, 1947).

This classic picture book shows lots of different shapes - many different shapes a cloud could be. I found it fascinating that during my reading, lots of kids called out possibilities of what "it" was. Slime! Water! Play Dough! But no one guessed a cloud until the very end. 

Action Song: "Jump Up, Turn Around" by Jim Gill from his album "Moving Rhymes for Modern Times"

At this point, everyone was a little squirrelly, so we all stood up for an action song. I like to sing in storytime, but sometimes it's nice to use recorded music in order to expose families to new songs and artists. This song is not only fun and silly, but when dancing to it, children are practicing gross motor skills (jump up, turn around) and following directions (a school readiness skill).

Felt: Red, White, and Blue (Source: Mel's Desk!)

For this felt, you just place shapes on the board and say their color. "This heart is red. This fire engine is red. This apple is red." And THEN... "This snowflake is red..." The kids will immediately howl with laughter and correct you. Then you continue on the next line, and so forth. The very last piece will go with any line since it is red AND white AND blue!

Oh man, the kids LOVED this one. They laughed and laughed when I said the wrong color and they were happy to jump in and correct me. This is the perfect age (3-5 year olds) to do this felt with! It's fun, but it also helps them practice colors and it gives them a sense of empowerment when they know better than the librarian (hey, librarians don't know EVERYTHING). 

(Blue) Book: One Little Blueberry by Tammi Salzano (Tiger Tales, 2011).

The rhythmic, rhyming text of this picture book describes groups of bugs chasing one little blueberry as it rolls down a hill. It's a cute book to share in summer or spring when you're seeing a lot of bugs (and/or berries) around. Again, rhyming text is great for helping kids hear the smaller sounds in words. And this book counts up from one to ten as more and more bugs join the chase. A surprise ending lends a little whimsy to the tale. 

Scarf Activity: Fireworks!! Because I had planned a fireworks craft station for afterwards, I wanted to incorporate fireworks into the storytime somehow. Scarves were the perfect fit. I passed them around and we did our usual warm up activities (wave high, low, fast, slow) and we waved them in the shapes of lines and shapes (helping to practice or introduce this knowledge, which helps with letter recognition later on). Then I told them we were going to make our scarves into fireworks. 

I had them scrunch their scarves into little balls and then we tossed them up in the air and yelled "BOOM!" We did this several times and then I asked them to look and notice what color scarf they had (they will take a minute to shout out the color to you, just wait). And then I called for the fireworks one at a time by color. After that, we all did our fireworks together one last time for a grand finale!! And then I called them to bring me their scarves by the color so we could put them away.

This was a really simple, basic activity, but the kids had a lot of fun with it! We made a connection between our activity in storytime and an activity they may be doing with their family later tonight (watching fireworks). We also practiced gross motor movements, following directions, and identifying colors. 

Play Stations: 

• Blocks (we always have this one available) 
• Scarves (I dumped the scarves out onto  the floor so kids could interact with them)
• Color sorting boxes
• Firework craft!

Source: The Kindergarten Connection

I don't always do a craft, but when I can think of a simple, fun craft I like to offer it. I searched on Pinterest for non-messy firework crafts (no paint or glitter for me!) and found this easy craft that uses solid color cupcake liners to make fireworks. All the kids had to do was cut along the ridged part so it would spread into a firework shape and then glue onto black construction paper. Thanks, Pinterest!

This is a great craft for practicing scissor skills and I really encouraged the parents to try to let their little ones do the cutting. Here's another connection from storytime to watching fireworks with family (our town's firework show is tonight!).

And I put up a display of red, white, and blue books for checkout:

All in all, the kids had a fun time and I had a blast! If you don't like or don't have the books mentioned here, feel free to substitute books of your choice! 

Preschool Storytime: Construction

I did preschool storytime for a packed house earlier this week and it was a great crowd for Construction storytime! I had done a construction storytime theme previously, and there are so many great books to choose from that I chose all new ones. When I do storytimes in the summer, I make sure to mention that children of all age can do the Summer Reading Club and earn prizes. I also grab some of our paper reading logs and encourage families to take them. Ideally they will create their online account and sign up, but if it's easier for them to keep track on paper we can catch them when they come in to collect prizes and have them make their account.

So, storytime! Here's what I did:

Opening Song: My Hands Say Hello

Book: Tap, Tap, Bang, Bang by Emma Garcia (Boxer Books, 2010).

This book has such fun sounds and bright, colorful pictures. Garcia puts a sound effect with each tool and she includes basic tools like a hammer and a screwdriver and also some that kids may not be familiar with like a vise and a level. This is a great storytime choice for including vocabulary words and it has a great rhythm and word sounds to it, which help kids hear that words are made up of smaller sounds.

Rhyme/Fingerplay: Five Little Nails
Source: Mel's Desk

Five little nails, standing straight and steady.
Here I come, with my hammer ready...
Bam, bam, bam that nail goes down
Now there are just four nails to pound.

I used my prop and had the children hold up their fingers as their "five little nails" and use their fist as a hammer to gently hit the nails in. Some were able to join in on most of the rhyme as we kept repeating and everyone LOVED shouting out "Bam, bam, bam!" together. This rhyme helps children practice counting down and it exposes them to rhyming words, which help them hear that words are made up of smaller sounds.

Book: Billions of Bricks by Kurt Cyrus (Henry Holt, 2016).

As soon as I saw this book last year, I knew I wanted to use it for a program during our Build a Better World Summer Reading Club. It has a really great rhythm and rhyming words and uses a lot of great vocabulary words. Before I started reading it, we talked about the word "Billions" and whether it meant just a few things or a lot of things. The complete text was maybe a tiny bit long for my group and I would probably shorten it a few spreads if I did it again for this age group. I think this would also work well with school age kids, particularly in conjunction with any kind of building or engineering program.

Song: "Dump Truck" (to the tune of "Ten Little Indians")

Bumpity-bumpity goes the dump truck,
Bumpity-bumpity goes the dump truck,
Bumpity-bumpity goes the dump truck,
Duuuump out the load!

(Credit: Pre-K Fun via Storytime Katie)

Because I was doing this with a preschool audience and we definitely had some wiggles to get out, I had everyone stand and bounce or jump along. After we did this once, we did it again SLOW (like we were carrying a reeeeally heavy load!) and then FAST (like the dump truck was empty and we were whizzing down the street!). 

Book: Dreaming Up by Christy Hale (Lee & Low, 2012). 

So, I ended up skipping this one because I had a huge crowd and although I love this book I wasn't sure it would hold their attention for long enough. Featuring a diverse cast of kids, each spread shows children building or creating and then a photo of a real architectural structure in the same style. It has a lot of interesting illustrations that would be fun to talk to kids about. This is another one that I think would work with older kids, too. I just had too many squirrelly kids for two books at the end and I thought Rex would hold their attention better.  

Book: Rex Wrecks It by Ben Clanton (Candlewick, 2014). 

When his friends build creations, guess what Rex does? That's right - he WRECKS THEM. Until, that is, they all discover that they can have more fun working together. This is a fun story about something that's familiar to kids - it's fun to wreck the things you've built with blocks and it can be very tempting to knock over others' creations, too. We talked a bit about emotions with this book - how do Rex's friends feel when he wrecks their buildings? How does Rex feel when they build without him? Talking about and identifying emotions helps children start to learn how to regulate their own emotions. Pointing out these talking moments in storytime helps model for parents how they can use books to start these conversations. 

Closing Song: Do You Know What Time It Is? 

Play Stations:

We got out lots of building stations this week! I always get out our wooden blocks. Today I put out shapes on the felt board for kids to "build", Duplo Legos, and two of our previous Engineering Table activities (building with pool noodles and the Billy Goats Gruff set from Lakeshore Learning).