Pre-K Library Storytime

Books: Shape by Shape   by Suse MacDonald.  A bit like Big Green Monster, i.e., aDORable.  But don't forget to hide the cover!!! And don't forget the intro: this is a guessing game, and it's being read by the brachiosaurus, so be a brachiosaurus! Deep voice.  I made the kids really work at naming the shapes, and they liked that. Triangle by Mac Barnett. Triangle goes off to play a sneaky trick on his friend Square, hissing like a snake to scare him.  Congrats, Mac Barnett, on still owning a two-year-old self. Perfect for this group.  Let's Play  by Herve Tullet.  Let's see -- a big yellow pom pom and a piece of string?  They really liked this, it was so interactive.  We did it without the pom pom, having the kids do as much pointing and counting as possible. Nuts Keep Rolling by Eric Litwin.  Maybe this book isn't a conceptual perfect fit for Shapes, but it was such a charmer and the kids loved the rhythm and rhyme of it.   Ti...

I begin  by explaining that there are different kinds of manners for different kinds of places. (Playgrounds vs. Libraries) Then I talk about the manners people should be using in storytime. Now's your chance to eyeball offenders and get down and dirty , as well as reminding moms you need them too. Good manners means making other people feel good, and when people talk when you're reading a story, it hurts your feelings. You think they don't like it. Rub it in.  P l a y s We always sing our hello song, but there are so many ways to say hello.  In some countries, you always bow.  Here, we sometimes slap hands, but I like fist bump.  B o o k s Excuse Me by Karen Katz. "I read this to the babies this week, and they didn't know ANY of the answers. Show me how many answers you know." They weren't 100% sure, so we repeated the EXCUSE ME! I'M SORRY! etc. in chorus. That's Mine!  by Zeveren The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems. Read in two voices, an...

What is more magical than planting a seed? Books My Garden   by Kevin Henkes.  Henkes once again speaks truly to how we all feel -- we all want jellybean bushes and chocolate rabbits in our gardens, and to be able to plant seashells if we want to grow seashells. So delightful a read. Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson.  Soooo interactional.  Tap the magic tree, turn the page, and see how your tapping made the leaves grow, the flowers blossom, leaves change.  A beautiful book, perfect for a small storytime. I used it as the conclusion. I had a small, and very young, group, and it worked very well. This year I had a large active group (12), and inviting 12 two-year-olds to tap a book on each page just doesn't work. I tried telling them to tap the air, but those who knew this book all wanted to touch.  Maybe skip for a big group. The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli.  Plant a seed, yes, but what happens when you accidentally SWALLOW one? Before I rea...

We'll be searching for eggs in the library again this year, so bring your baskets!   You know what I love best about Easter? When all my alumnae come to visit me on their spring break and I get to see how  SMART and GROWN UP everyone is. 2016: This year's Easter Storytime was THE BEST!!!  We had so much fun, and I got to see so many old friends. Eggs were hidden, eggs were found, balloons were blown up.  It was great. I was late for storyhour so I rushed in garbed in white plush but without my bunny ears. I was carrying my bag with all my hats, and after I apologized, I started trying them on.  "Is this the right hat?" I asked, and pulled on my witch's hat.  "Nooooo!"  I went through a Cat in the Hat hat (NOOOOH!), a pirate hat (NOOOOOO!), and a crown (NOOOOO!) before I pulled on my ears.  Ham I am! Books: Across the Stream BIG BOOK.   Too Many Bunnie s by Matt Novak. I had so much fun with this goofy old favorite! I had five little beanie ...

Oooh, ducks & chick ens & geese -- & foxes! We read some great tales and painted eggs. How could storytime be be tter? Books Across the Stream by Mirra Ginsburg. (Big Book -- good for audience interaction) Chicken Little   by Rebecca Emberly. Great retelling, funny, colorful illustrations. The Perfect Nest  by Catherine Friend.  Kids always are amazed when I use my  my bad French, Spanish and Western accents on this one. Little White Duck by Walt Whippo  Margaret Wise Brown classic: The Golden Egg Book  by Margaret Wise Brown.  AND I have a golden egg, a bunny, and a chicken puppet! All the grandmas go ahhhh when they see this one. Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore Chicken Story Time by Asher Songs 5 pretty Easter eggs, that’s what they are. Mother ate the blue one , now there are 4. Now 4 little Easter eggs, that’s what you see. Daddy ate the pink one , now there are 3. 3 little Easter eggs looking at you. Sister ate the yellow one , now ther...