Pre-K Library Storytime

Hi, wonderful parents! Over the years I've been asked by a lot of parents to help find books for their children. For children who are eager readers and not so eager readers, children who want a certain thing or just have to read 20 minutes a day. I can't always be there for you, so I've created this website, with lots of tips and links, to help you with this important job. Secrets to Finding Books for Kids Good luck! Ms. Travis

I've had a lot of people ask me where I got my alphabet stamps and alphabet ducks. I used to get them from Oriental Trading, but I've found them even cheaper at Amazon. I've been doing some end-of-the-fiscal year shopping, and here's my resource round-up:  abc-for-kids  You'll be seeing the puzzles soon at the library for check out, but if you choose to purchase stuff for yourself -- knock yourself out! I'll get a % from Amazon if you order through  abc-for-kids . While we're on a totally different subject, I want to tell you wonderful parents about this new book I just read.  Paul Tough has been looking at some psychology studies and reports back to us. In the first part of the book, he talks about rat specialist Michael Meaney. He did a little experiment on hundreds of rats that went like this: the baby rats were taken out of their cages, handled, which they hated, and then put back in. Either their mothers rushed over to them and licked and groomed them t...

Books:  Oh, No, George by Chris Haughton. I am so in love with Haughton's Little Owl Lost that I grabbed this book as it came in this morning & decided not to wait for the "appropriately themed" storyhour to share it.  Sooooo cute! Poor George means to be a good dog, but that cake... that dirt... that cat. How is George to resist? Well, he doesn't. There's plenty of George in all of us.   G iraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. I don't know why  this book always falls a bit short of being a crowd pleaser.  Maybe my Madeira Beach crowd is too young or too familiar with the "everyone's different but everyone can dance" theme. Spunky Little Monkey  Bill Martin Bounce by Doreen Cronin. We got up and bounced around with this book. Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton. This book has a nice rhythm to it so with just a little prodding, the moms all clapped along. But, truth be told, my preference would have been Dinosaur Stomp, but I neglected to or...

So what happens when you read Mo Willems' delightful Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! with your child? Your child, who may or may not deep down have been wanting to drive that metaphoric bus (Motor Boat, motor boat!!!), realizes that Every Pigeon wants to drive buses. Your child also realizes that other Every Pigeon nags too, still doesn't get to drive the bus, but still doesn't give up trying.  And all in 159 words with great pictures.  That's quite a package.  Not convinced? Well, what happens when you read Eric Litwin's life changing  Pete the Cat? I'm smiling while I think about it: Pete the Cat is here to tell us that no matter what we step in, "It's all good."  What a great mantra. A heavy helping of optimistic outlook plus a little color theory on the side.   I love the way moms hold their tiny babies before me and urge them to say thank you to me, even when they can only sign it, by touching their fingertips to their lips. Having g...

Sheep storytime Visit here for complete sheep booklists, activities, songs and crafts:   Sheep Storytime

Please monkey around with me at Squidoo Monkey Storytime for a Monkey Booklist with readaloud tips, monkey songs & activities, and a monkey craft. We MONKEYED AROUND this Friday at monkey storytime!   Book:   Gorillas by Derek Zobel, easy reader.   Book: Yummy, Yummy, Food for my Tummy! by Sam Lloyd.  Book: The Seals on the Bus by Henry Holt.   Book: Chimpanzees by Derek Zobel. The younger chimps at storytime were a bit out of by now, and this book didn't reel them in.  We had to sing several choruses of my favorite song, Alligator Pie, to bring them back. The Itsy Bitsy Monkey climbed up the coconut tree. Down came a  COCONUT  and BOPPED  her on the knee. OUT came a  lion  shaking a great big mane And the Itsy Bitsy Monkey climbed up the tree again. Book:   Elmer and the Rainbow by David McKee.   Next Year:  Two Little Monkeys by Mem Fox       We got to craft AND eat junk food this morning. W...

Props: Toys!!! I brought balls, clown noses, musical instruments, teddy bears, and a jack in the box. The jack in the box was a particular hit.  Book:   Knuffle Bunny Too by the great Mo Willems. In this exciting Knuffle Bunny episode, a terrible switch is made in pre-K by accident and Knuffle Bunny's owner comes home with the wrong rabbit! Even worse, she doesn't discover this tragedy until 2:30 am, and her parents -- and the other set of parents -- have to act fast to set things to write.  Book:   Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley.  This wonderful book kind of is this storyhour.  I propped the Big Book up on a chair and we clapped our hands and stomped our feet happily. Song: Five Little Monkeys misbehaving on the bed. Book: Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat. Even though I love the opening joke of the story, "One afternoon Jonathan's parents announced, "You're getting too old for a stuffed animal. So we traded your bear for a toaster," the book ...