Storytimeland

This week in storytimeland...

We dove into the tub and read about baths.

Yes, baths are kind of an odd subject for storytime, until you realize that there are a lot of great bathtime books out there.

Our first bubbly story was about Tiff, Taff and Lulu by Eva Montanari.


Okay, it isn't strictly a bath story, but it does begin with a bath. Also, since I had just fallen down and injured my leg over the weekend*, I thought it was funny that the mother in this story does the same. A cute little story that kept the kids attention. Maybe not their favorite, but they seemed to enjoy it and empathize with it.

Next was one of the very cute Huggly (The Monster Under the Bed) stories by Tedd Arnold. Huggly Takes a Bath.


The kids thought this one was hilarious, and rightly so. It has a great little punchline. The kids also really loved it (well in that carthatic way) when he eats some soap.

Our last story was Tub Boo Boo by Margie Palatini.



The one was a huge hit. I mean huge hit. I mean one kid told me after storytime that this was, and I quote, his, "New favoritist book." It is a very funny story about a kid who gets his toe stuck in the spigot and when his mom tries to help him she gets her fingers stuck and then dad comes in, tries to help and get stuck too... you get the idea. Just good, silly humor, and a great use of rhythm and language.

I have something sad to admit now. Since I've been behind on my writing, I have to admit, I've forgotten the song we used, or if we even used one. It seems like we would since I almost always show a movie or do a little ditty, but I've simply forgotten.

And as for the craft... well there really wasn't one. I wasn't in any position to help the kids (leg injury*) so we just colored some bath pictures and glued them on paper. Hey, as long as they get to use the glue and the scissors, they don't care.

*Yes, it was pretty bad. I've dislocated my kneecap and I'll be in therapy for weeks. The kids, however, found the giant bruise I got on my arm as I was falling very fascinating!

This week in storytimeland...

We celebrated my birthday!

I know it sounds a bit narcissistic, but really it was just a good excuse for a fun theme and some cupcakes.

Our first birthday book was from the Backbeard the Pirate series by Matthew McElligott. This installment is called Backbeard and the Birthday Suit.


It isn't what you think, you dirty people! It is a story of how the dirty, unwashed, tattered pirate captain becomes the most stylish pirate to sail the high seas when he goes to buy a new suit on his birthday. With a name like Backbeard, you know there is plenty of lowbrow humor for good laughs in this story and it doesn't disappoint. Although, I flatter myself that without my fabulous pirate accent, the book would not have been as successful.

Then we read a bit about Martha Moth on her birthday in Martha Moth Makes Socks by Cambria Evans.


This, I have to admit, kinda bombed. I loved the illustrations and though the story was clever, but the kids had no idea that moths eat clothes, which is sort of the central premise of the story. They did find it kinda funny when Martha keeps "testing" and eating all of the food she is supposed to be making, but all in all they really didn't get it. Oh well, they are my birthday stories and I liked it.

Our third story was the simple and bold A Birthday for Cow by Jan Thomas.


This one was fun to read, requiring a lot of acting and movement. This one played to the crowd really well and got lots of laughs from both parents and kids. (I recommend her book What Will the Fat Cat Sit On as well. Jan Thomas really has it going on.)

Normally I like to sing a little and although we had a song this time, I didn't require anyone to sing it. That's because it was a song that had "Happy Birthday" in, if I'm remembering correctly, 15 languages from the CD Bridges Across the World.


I wrote down all the ways to say it, so the kids could see how they were spelled and we listened while I handed out the cupcakes. I'm not positive about the song, but I know the cupcakes were a hit!

Crafting was, I think, really cool. We made Pop-Up cards!

It's kinda hard for me to explain how I made these, so I'm going to show you later instead. I promise.

This week in storytimeland....

We talked about teeth.

The genisis of this storytime came about when my supervisor came back from a meeting with a neat kit provided by our insurance company. The kit included a few books, a DVD, a tape, and (best of all) a giant tooth model and two large toothbrushes.

I wasn't so keen on the books included in the kit, which seemed better for either an educational setting or one-on-one time, so I supplemented the kit with my own ideas and voila!

My first choice was, naturally, Doctor De Soto by William Steig.


This classic tale (and Newbery honor book) was pretty well-received. Maybe not as many laughs as I'd hoped for, but nonetheless amusing.

Our second tale was Madlenka by Peter Sis.


Madlenka is a little girl who has just gotten her first loose tooth (very appropriate for my age group) and runs around her neighborhood in NYC showing all of her international neighbors her loose tooth. I love this book, but, I must admit, it didn't go so well. One little girl was as fascinated as I was by the artwork. Everyone else just looked bored and confused. This may be better for a parent with a lap.

Non-Fiction is always a little risky, but The Tooth Book: A Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums by Edward Miller was a perfect choice for my little group.


I just grabbed my tooth model, got down on the floor, and shared the information with them. Non-Fiction reading is a very different process for me. I like to point at the pictures, discuss the information, prompt questions, and generally skip around a little bit.

The tooth model was great fun as I pointed out the names of the teeth, showed how we use each kind, and then let the kids show me how to brush them. What a blast!

I skipped the song the kit came with (it was very silly and I'm not fond of children's "rap," truth be told), but the movie, Arthur's Tooth was welcome.


Not my favorite episode of the Arthur show, I think, but cute enough, and the kids always like a little moving treat.

For craft time we made lovely smiles-on-sticks.



Okay, mine isn't so lovely. I gave it a missing tooth. We decorated some with cavities (while we ate candy! Ha! Good time to lecture about moderation and brushing after sweets!) and I colored some an ugly brown to show what soda, coffee and tea can do to your teeth.

(Thankfully, nobody commented on how brown my teeth are, although I did confess that I am going to the dentist tomorrow!)

This week in storytimeland...

We read all about kitties!

Odd that as a cat person, I've done storytimes about dogs, but never cats! I'm glad I've rectified this serious issue.

We started off with a favorite of mine (it's been known to make me cry), The Grannyman by Judith Byron Schachner. She is obviously a cat person and also writes the Skippyjon Jones books.

The "Grannyman" is Simon, an old cat who has new life breathed into him when the family brings home a little kitten. Nothing grand or over the top here, just a sweet, understated little tale. However, it has its moments of humor and got laughs at all the appropriate moments.

Then we read a newfound favorite by Kae Nishimura, Dinah: A Cat Adventure.


Dinah is a loved (and large) cat called, "Princess" by father, "Baby," by Mother, and, "Friend," by the boy. However, when she rolls out of a window one day, Dinah discovers she is none of these things to the outside world. An old woman thinks she is a raccoon, a vendor thinks she is a watermelon, and a shepherd thinks she is a tiger. A dog correctly identifies her as a cat, but then tells her he chases cats! Luckily poor Dinah hears her family and knows who she is and that she is loved.

This story had a great balance between sweetness and humor. The part where the vendor mistakes Dinah for a watermelon was especially funny to the kids.

Drat that Fat Cat by Pat Thomson rounded out our cat choices.


I thought this book was pretty hilarious, and I'm glad to report the kids did too. It is a build up type story in which a fat cat keeps running into things, eating them up, and has the refrain, "But was that fat cat fat enough? No, he was not!"

Finally he gobbles up a bee, who stings the kitty and all the other animals (and the old lady) he's eaten come tumbling out. Children's stories can be weird sometimes!

We also had a film based on Let's Give Kitty a Bath by Steven Lindblom.

Another live-action cutie with no dialogue or narration, this one's about as funny as it sounds. My kids seem to love these almost silent films, calling out what's happening, or what they think is going to happen. Definitely a winner.

For crafts, we made these adorable cat noses.



While they require a little grown-up help (poking the holes for the pipe cleaners can be tough) they made for a great craft.

This week in storytimeland....

We fell back on that "no idea" idea and shared some new shiny books.

I always make sure to tell the kids that the books are new, and shiny, and no one has colored in them or gotten them sticky yet. And the first new book was a real charmer by Nick Bruel, Who is Melvin Bubble.


I'm lucky to have a small group, so I knew I could share this one with them, but I'm not so sure how it would work with a larger group. With the little group I had today, I got right down on the floor with them, so they could see the illustrations, which are very detailed. It maybe got more smiles from the parents than the kids, but they smiled a few times on their own. Especially when Marvin's Dog answers the question, "Who is Melvin Bubble?"

Then I read the very jazzy Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen.


The rhythm here is great and the repetitions of, "Blub, Bluuub, Bluuuuuub" got lots of giggles. The kids loved the silly ending and me making fishy faces.

However, they were still a little quiet! I told them all they looked like Pout Pout fishes, so it was time to get up and have a little fun. We did a sort of action "song" or really a chant that I remember fondly from my own childhood.

Sorry, I'm still here and I know I haven't posted the past several storytimes. There's a problem with my blogging software right now that makes posting such image intensive posts really difficult. I've got stuff lined up and ready to go and can't wait to let you know what's been going on in storytimeland!

This week in storytimeland....

Ms. Sunny did a victory dance because it is back-to-school time! Her kids weren't quite excited, but still enjoyed this special storytime.

We started out with a little humor in the form of What Do Teachers Do (When You Leave School) by Anne Bowen.


This one did only so-so, partly because at least half my audience was home-schooled! This isn't the case every week, it just happened to be the makeup of this particular audience. They did laugh at a thing or two, though, so all was not lost.

Morris Goes to School by B. Wiseman was always a childhood favorite of mine, so I was really looking forward to reading it!


The kids really liked this one. Timeless, I suppose. It was very easy to have a lot of audience participation with this book, which was a pleasant surprise.

We finished up with a little Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for School? by Barney Saltzberg.


While I suppose this one is a little "young" for my group, I tried to increase the interest by making sure they interacted with the book. They seemed to think it was the funniest thing ever, so I suppose it worked!

I was musically uninspired this week, but did have a special video in.


I've always loved the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and this video narrated by Meryl Streep was perfect. While not directly about school, it is about interactions that happen at school, and I think it is a great back-to-school story.

For crafts we made something of my own invention -- these really cool pencils.




Pretty simple really. We wrapped a feather (or two) with the end of a pipe cleaner, strung on a few beads, twisted the whole thing around some cool pencils et voila! Cool pencils. We each made a few. Don't forget you can slide the pipe cleaner off the pencil and put it on a new one once the old one starts to wear down.

Finally, I sent them all off with some "gift bags" made of a few freebies we had laying around like some plastic rulers, bookmarks, cool character paperclips, and, of course, some snacks.

Hope they are having a good school year. I'm certainly enjoying the quiet for now!

This week in storytimeland....

We got angry!

I was inspired by a video that came in Thursday morning to change from my planned theme of monkeys. Maybe we'll get around to those next week.

Our first angry story was Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith.


The story isn't nearly as great as the illustrations. Biddlebox is a witch who wakes up on the wrong side of her bunk one morning, and while drinking her "dark and bitter" tea (I loved that detail) comes up with the idea to bake the bad day into a cake. Of course, since cakes are sweet yummy things, it brightens her day.

This went over just about how I'd expected. It's cute, in rhyme, and the illustrations captured attention, for sure.


The nest story was the obvious choice, When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry... by Molly Bang.


This was probably a bit on the young side for them... but I couldn't resist. And they didn't appear to hate it, so there. It provides a good way to talk about coping techniques for anger, as well.

In my ever-futile goal to work things like non-fiction and poetry into my storytimes, I read a selection from Beatrice Schenk De Regniers' The Way I feel... Sometimes.


And it went over surprisingly well. Of course, it was a very expressive poem about anger, so it was good material to work with.

The last story was also irresistible, Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney.


The llama books are just soooooo cute, aren't they? My favorite line in the books involves "llama drama," but the kids liked it too. It got lots of laughs and reactions. If you've never checked out the previous book, Llama Llama Red Pajama, you should.

Next up was a little Jim Gill (of course).



Jimhelpfully provided me with a song called "I'm So Mad," which lends itself to audience participation. They weren't so keen on "I'm so mad I could growl." (I think they were still getting into it.) However, they loved, "so sad I could cry," because they kept laughing at my cries!

Then, finally, the video. A live action version of Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.


The kids were excited, because it is a story they are all familiar with. And the little kid that played Alexander was just too precious. He had an irresistible pout.

For crafts we mad Angry/Happy two-sided, paper plate masks.


The principle is simple. Decorate two plates, staple a popsicle stick to one, tape the two plates together (and maybe an extra staple to help secure the second plate to the stick), and you've got an easy and fun craft.


One sweet little girl didn't want to make an angry face. She made two happy faces. Aw. A little boy got creative and made a dog face and a cat face. I love what these kids come up with. They are far more creative than me.