Story Window Storytime Blog: January 2009
Peek inside for storytime ideas! Wilmette Librarians share suggestions for age-appropriate books, rhymes, songs, and crafts.
January 28, 2009
Pretend to Be an Animal
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
It is fun for the storytime kids to pretend to be an animal and make animal noises! We made some loud animal sounds along with Can You Growl Like a Bear? by John Butler. We had another opportunity to make animal sounds with Can You Moo? by David Wojtowyez. The children responded with great delight to the classic large book version of the beautiful farm story Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown. Her illustrations are a delight. We always enjoy singing along with the exciting Mother Goose magnets!
Posted by Sue at 11:22 AM | TrackBack
Very Cold Outside - Brrr!
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
It was very cold out today so I picked a beautiful Ukrainian folktale called The Mitten, by Jan Brett, a wonderful wintertime illustrator. A boy loses his mitten in the snow and various animals find it and decide that the mitten makes a nice shelter from the cold. Kitty explores how various animals cuddle in Kitty's Cuddles, by Jane Cabrera. Tiny is actually a very large dog who looks for missing kittens in the funny Tiny on the Farm, by Cari Meister. With snow still ever present, we enjoyed seeing the "Let's Build a Snowman" flannel.
Posted by Sue at 9:42 AM | TrackBack
January 21, 2009
Shapes and Numbers
(For 3.5-5 Year Olds)
For my two groups this week, I read books about shapes and numbers. I warned them that the books were more about ideas than stories, which didn't seem to bother them at all. First, Round Like a Ball, by Lisa Campbell Ernst, a guessing game book with cutaway pages and a surprise ending (that a few of them guessed). Then, Christopher Counting, by Valeri Gorbachev, one of my favorite storytime authors. Christopher is a rabbit who simply likes to count things. This describes his obsession with counting everything in sight, at home and out in the world, and ends with a satisfying bedtime at home with mom and "one kiss." The last book, by Dayle Ann Dodds, was The Shape of Things. Simple verses show how shapes can be arranged to make various pictures (trains, ferris wheels, etc.) And this led into the art project, using scissors and paper and glue to make shape pictures of their own. We also sang BINGO to add some letters to the shapes/numbers theme. Normally I'm a big fan of plots and characters and a little bit of dramatic tension. This was a nice change and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves.
Posted by Lyn at 4:46 PM | TrackBack
January 15, 2009
Snowman Storytime
(For 2.5-3.5 Year Olds)
It seems like whenever I've got a snow-themed storytime planned, we don't actually have snow on the ground. Not so last week!
Snow Party, by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Mark Jones. There isn't much to this story (which is really just a newly illustrated edition of Ziefert's Snow Magic), but the illustrations are something really special. Quiet but nice.
Snow Dude, by Daniel Kirk. A take-off on the classic gingerbread boy story. I find some of the verse a bit awkward, but it's still a fun read.
Snowbaby Could Not Sleep, by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Jim Ishikawa. A pretty typical bedtime story, but terrific for winter bedtime and snowman storytimes. I absolutely love the illustrations in this one.
We did our "Five Little Snowmen" flannel board rhyme and this fingerplay:
I made a little snowman
He had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny
Looking for some lunch
Ate the snowman's nose--
Nibble nibble crunch!
Posted by Lisa at 3:18 PM | TrackBack
January 12, 2009
Snowing Again!
(For 1.5-2.5 Year Olds)
It snowed again, bringing excitement for the storytime kids! Lois Ehlert creates an unusual snow family in Snowballs, utilizing colorful everyday items to decorate each snow creation. A Winter Day, by Douglas Florian depicts a family during a typical snowy winter day. Ezra Jack Keats wrote the Caldecott Medal winning story, Snowy Day, a favorite of mine, in which Peter depicts many fun activities kids do with snow, such as making snow angels, footprints, and throwing snowballs. We counted and identified colors with the flannel board story, "10 Warm Mittens". Mittens are necessary for snowy days.
Posted by Sue at 1:56 PM | TrackBack
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