Story Window Storytime Blog: July 2007
Peek inside for storytime ideas! Wilmette Librarians share suggestions for age-appropriate books, rhymes, songs, and crafts.
July 30, 2007
Animals Are Cute
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
Animal stories are a bit hit with my storytime kids. James Warhola, nephew of Andy Warhol, has cute illustrations of animals dancing in their zoo in the classic song book, If You're Happy and You Know It. Kids enjoy guessing games, so Flappy Waggy Wiggly, by Amanda Leslie provides good fun as flaps cover animals and kids guess which animal is under each flap. The big book, I Love Animals by Flora McDonell, is another interesting exploration of animals we enjoy. A favorite flannel board is "How Do I Put It On?", by Shigeo Watanabe, because the kids laugh in great amusement as the bear gets it all wrong when he dresses himself! Dressing is very hard for this age group!
Posted by Sue at 8:26 PM | TrackBack
July 26, 2007
Monster Madness
(For 3.5-5 Year Olds)
It was a wild rumpus at storytime this afternoon! Happily, all of the monsters at storytime--literary and human--were of the friendly variety.
Laura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with your Monster is a humorous look at monster care. For instance, did you know that monsters love chewing gum? The kids picked up a number of other important tips for keeping monsters happy.
Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems, tells the tale of a monster who wants badly to be scary. Instead, he makes a friend.
Where the Wild Things Are continues to be a favorite. Some of the kids already knew the story, but they were excited to hear it again.
I found some fun monster action rhymes. The kids seemed to like pretending to be monsters--showing off their claws and horns and roaring ferociously.
We decorated monster claws. These were claw-shaped paper cut-outs with flaps to attach on feet or hands. The kids really wanted to wear them--I was happy to find that some of them still had monster claws after storytime.
Posted by Janet at 4:59 PM | TrackBack
July 25, 2007
Beach Time
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
My storytime kids really enjoy the adorable picture book series about Otto the dog. Otto wears brightly colored, goofy clothes and is always trying to do some activity in a silly way. In Otto Goes to the Beach, by Todd Parr, Otto looks for a friend to have fun with at the beach. In Kitty's Cuddles, by Jane Cabrera, Kitty looks for the perfect creature to cuddle with and finds this with her baby brother. Cabrera's brightly colored picture books are a big favorite with my group. The fantastic Eric Hill series about Spot the dog, is always a big hit, especially when I use the big book version of Where's Spot? Turtle Tale by Frank Asch has become an adorable flannel board story, very enjoyable to show to the kids, who enjoy watching the turtle's head go in and out of his shell!
Posted by Sue at 12:29 PM | TrackBack
July 18, 2007
Counting Time
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
Counting is so much fun! We counted together as we watched the numerous kittens get into mischief in Nine Naughty Kittens by Linda Jennings. Jane Cabrera, a popular writer who uses bright illustrations in her books, has another winning book in Ten In the Bed. New lyrics are added to this classic fun song, with cute cuddly animals falling out of bed! The funny big book Pig in the Pond by Martin Waddell depicts a farm full of hot animals who really enjoy a dip in the local pond, and even the pig and farmer get a good splash. We counted together with the flannel board song, "Five Little Owls".
Posted by Sue at 10:47 AM | TrackBack
Transportation
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
Many of the storytime kids are truck fans and can easily name different types of trucks! This nice counting book, Construction Countdown , by K.C. Olson is for these kinds of fans, for each truck is identified, along with a brief description of the kind of work it does. In The Bridge is Up by Babs Bell, a long line of brightly illustrated vehicles wait for a bridge to be lowered so they can cross over a river. I sang the classic song from our big book collection called, Down by the Station, which is a favorite for our storytime group. The children are interested in the parts of their own faces, so they pointed out where their eyes, ears, etc. are along with the flannel "Two Little Eyes".
Posted by Sue at 10:05 AM | TrackBack
Happy Birthday America!
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
Our storytime theme today was about the upcoming 4th of July holiday which kids and grown-ups alike enjoy. Watching parades and looking at fireworks is always fun. In honor of this special holiday and to celebrate our nation's birthday, I read Parade, by Donald Crews and Hats Off For the Fourth of July, by Harriet Ziefert. Both books are brightly illustrated and depict the various elements of a town parade, including the floats, band, etc. In conclusion, we had our yearly spirited march around the room with instruments, to the song "Stars and Stripes" from Celebration of America.
Posted by Sue at 9:23 AM | TrackBack
July 10, 2007
Summertime Storytime
(For 3.5-5 Year Olds)
It's officially beach weather, and there's no shortage of books on the subject. Here's what we read:
- Sink or Swim, by Valerie Coulman, illustrated by Rogé. Ralph the cow won't accept that "cows don't swim." His gradual solution is hilarious in this cutely illustrated book.
- The Pig in the Pond, by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Jill Barton. On a hot, hot day, Neligan's pig makes a big splash. What will Neligan do when he gets home? Why, strip down and jump in, too! Lots of opportunities for animal noises, and a giggle-eliciting mention of "underwear"!
- Harry by the Sea, by Gene Zion. Kids still love this classic about Harry getting covered by seaweed at the beach, inadvertently fooling everyone into thinking there's a sea monster on the loose!
Posted by Lisa at 12:42 PM | TrackBack
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