STORYTIME: AHHHHHH CHOOOOOO

Books:
My Cold Went on Vacation by Molly Rausch- Funny illustrations as a young child wonders where their cold came from as they very literally believe a cold is a little being that travels around. A fun way to introduce what a cold is to kids.



If Beaver Had a Fever by Helen Ketteman- A little long so you may want to paperclip some pages but overall a decent book for the theme.

Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson-Our friend bear is back but this time his friends have to help take care of him while he is sick.

Boo Hoo Bird by Jeremy Tankard- Bird gets bonked on the head and all the forest animals try to comfort him in their own way.

STORYTIME: 1/25/11

1. Welcome Song "The more we get together"

2. Book: The Problem with Chickens by Bruce McMillan

3. Rhyme: Itsy Bitsy Spider

4. Book: Chalk by Bill Thomson

5. Standing Up: I'm a Little Teapot

6. Book: There are Cats in this Book by Viviane Schwarz

7. Standing-up: Zoom Zoom Zoom 

8. Book: The Boy Who Cried Wolf by B.G. Hennessy

9. Yoga

STORYTIME: 1/4/2011

1. Welcome Song "The more we get together"

2. Book: The Best Place to Read by Debbie Bertram

3. Rhyme: The Wheels on the Bus

4. Book: Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett

8. Standing-up: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

9. Book: The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson

10. Standing-up: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

11. Book: A Splendid Friend Indeed by Suzanne Bloom

13. Yoga

STORYTIME: Autumn

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall- A lovely collage illustrated book that follows an apple tree and it's inhabitants through the four seasons. Well written with a great introduction to seasons & change for toddlers.

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri - With brilliant illustrations Tafuri follows the journey of a a busy squirrel who doesn't have time to stop and play with the other animals because he is too busy collecting food to store for Winter. Introduces kids to the habits of animals in the book aside from the squirrel. Also a great read about the changing of the seasons and what animals do to prepare.

Ouch! by Ragnhild Scamell- A really fun story about a hedgehog who starts out having an apple stuck on his back and then progresses to more and more things getting stuck on him. Very very cute.

Acorns Everywhere by Kenvin Sherry- So adorable! I am planning on using this book without the text to let the kids tell the story. Huge colorful and simply adorable illustrations make this book an instant hit.

Apple Pie ABC by Allison Murray-Such a lovely ABC book. A dog so wants this fresh baked apple pie he is just about ready to do everything in the alphabet to get a taste of it. Lots of fun, very creative.

Storytime Performed on 10/18/2011

STORYTIME: 12/21/2010

Book: Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Fingerplay: 5 Little Peas
Book: I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric A Kimmel
Standing-Up: The Elephant
Book: Let's Count Goats by Mem Fox
Action Rhyme: Jack-in-the Box
Book: Martha Doesn't Say Sorry! by Samantha Berger
Yoga


Special treat halfway through, live piano and guitar sing along to Frosty The Snowman, and Jingle Bells

STORYTIME: Wolves

Books:
The Boy Who Cried Wolf retold by B.G. Hennessy - A good retelling of the popular fairy tale and a good lesson for toddlers. Not too much text plus no gruesome wolf eating sheep at the end.

Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen- A little bit longer but a real fun book for storytime. The illustrations are big and bold as well.

Wolf Won't Bite! by Emily Gravett-A great quick read, funny with brilliant illustrations.

STORYTIME: Here Piggy, Piggy

"Eat" Cried Little Pig by Jonathan London - A Little piggie's first word is "Eat" and as he yells it he makes a huge mess while doing so. A fun read aloud because you can do some really funny voices for the pig and his family. Be careful to get the comic timing of this one down before you read it with your kids.

Z-Z-Zoink! by Bernard Most - Boy does the pig in this story snore! He can't seem to find acceptance anywhere on the farm.

Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson- I am not super crazy about this book but I think it would work fine with 2 year olds. The text does nicely wrap throughout the story becoming part of the illustrations. This could also be used as part of an Autumn themed story time.

Pigs to the Rescue by John Himmelman- A great refrain that kids will have a blast shouting out loud.

STORYTIME: Friendship

Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley - A sweet story about a little bear who tries to find a four leaf clover and ultimately meets a little mouse who helps.

Squish Rabbit by Katherine Battersby- Cute simple black line drawings with bold color blocks. A sweet story about a rabbit who makes a new friend. Good for the youngest readers.

Watch Out! Big Bro's Coming! by Jez Alborough - A little mouse warns that his big brother is coming to visit in the jungle. In the end his big brother only turns out to be a slighly larger mouse and all the animals worry was for nothing.

Penguin by Polly Dunbar - A little boy gets a penguin as a gift but it won't talk to him despite the crazy attempts he makes at getting the bird to talk.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood - A little mouse tries to hide his strawberry from a bear.

Together by Jane Simmons - A cute story about two dogs who do everything together but are sad when they find out there are some things they cannot do together.

You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown- Follow up to his adorable first picture book with the little brown bear character. This book has excellent comic timing that I fear may be wasted on some young children, but hopefully their parents cna get some of the humor.

A Splendid Friend Indeed by Suzanne Bloom - Polar bear seems to want to just be left alone but persistent duck just can't stay away. A touching simple beautifully written quick read.

Little Beauty by Anthony Browne - A gorilla at the zoo needs a little friend so the zookeepers give him a kitten. In the book the gorilla does some sign language. This is an excellent chance to teach some basic signs to the audience.

Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers - A little bit longer story so use it as your opener. The text and story is simple enough for toddlers as well as pre-schoolers to enjoy. Little penguin wants to learn to fly but his wings really weren't built for it. He figures out a way to fulfill his dreams of flight but at he expense of losing his best friend, a little boy. Will he be able to reconnect with his friend, and will his first flight be a disaster? A cute story all around.

STORYTIME: Spooky Storytime

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman - Follows the format of the Russian Folktale "The Turnip."

Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks - A little spider wants to show a family that he would be the best pet ever. But the family really ain't hearing it!

Boo, Bunny by Kathryn O. Galbraith - Really wonderful illustrations and artful use of text. Lots of sound effects that can be used, a fun read aloud.

Boo to You by Lois Ehlert- I just love her style. A funny book featuring 2 mice who don't want a black cat around. The collage art in this book features all autumn colors, sometimes using pictures of different gourds and pumpkins. Have the kids look a the images and see if they can identify some of the vegetables and objects she uses in the collage. Possible follow up craft could be make a collage using leaves and other outdoor materials. Bring some of the gourds featured int he book and let the kids handle them.

STORYTIME: Robots & Outter Space

Books:

If I Had a Robot by Dan Yaccarino

Hello, Robot by Bob Staake- I really love this book. The illustrations are a little abstract and his colors pallet is so bright. This story about 4 robots is a crowd pleaser.

Here in Space by David Mailgrim - A little boy tells of the wonders in the world he lives in in outer space which sound suspiciously like our own world.

I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton - Big bold black outlined images tell the story of a person wanting to go into outer space. A fast read.

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman- I like this book because it has a narrative yet is still a good read aloud for toddlers. I get this question a lot from teachers looking for books that are good for that age group but have character development and plot. A great not too long, but humorous book.

If the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks - A soft gentle story with illustrations that kids can enjoy from afar as well as up close. Would recommend using this as an opening story as the plot is told in a slow and steady pace.

STORYTIME: Birds

I'm a Turkey by Jim Arnosky

Baby Bird by Joyce Dunbar - This book contains comic book style panel illustrations with the simple text along the bottom of the page. This could be used to teach children the concept of reading panels from left to right.

Don't Copy Me! by Jonathan Allen- So funny! From the guys who brought you "I am not Cute!" A puffin is followed by 3 small puffins and they follow him and copycat him all day. How annoying!

Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert - Birdies explore all the different things they can find in trees to eat.

Birds by Kevin Henkes-A really lovely book. Great illustrations and wonderful blend of imagination and education in the text. Can really make an impression on how we think of birds.

More by I.C. Springman- Wonderful illustrations by Brian Lies. A simple tale with minimal text that teaches kids that less is more in a very elegant manner.

Hungry Hen by Richard Waring- I was not especially impressed with this book. That said I think it could work okay for a story time book. It is a quick read and the illsutrations take up the whole page. The twist at the end I thought was a little weak but perhaps kids would find it funny. The irony however may be lost on them.

Performed on:
3/27/12

STORYTIME: Smelly Stories

 Books:

Idea and some content from Awesome Storytime
Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup
I Stink! by Kate and Jim McMullan

STORYTIME: Monsters

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Go To Bed, Monster! by Natasha Wing- A little girl draws a monster with crayons who comes to life and turns out to be more demanding than she bargained for. Drawn in the style of children's crayon drawings this is a sweet and funny story for all ages.Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas

The Foggy Foggy Forest by Nick SharrattThere Was an Old Monster by Rebecca, Adrian, & Ed Emberley

How to Potty Train Your Monster by Kelly DiPucchio

If You're a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberly- Reworks the words to "If Your Happy and You Know It." Could be turned into a feltboard or sung without the book.

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex

The Monster Book of ABC Sounds by Alan Snow

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice SendakMonsters Don't Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks- Colorful detailed illustrations and simple funny text. This is a nice book for the middle of storytime.

Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott- A little boy offers all kinds of monsters haircuts in his Dad's shop after everyone has gone to bed. The humor may be lost on your youngest patrons, but the great illustrations just may be able to hold their interest.

Do Not Build a Frankenstein by Neil Numberman - A boy warns his classmates not to make a Frankenstein and lists all the reasons why. A funny book for a little bit older crown, but toddlers may also have some interest.

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters by Jane Yolen- Very little text and really sweet pictures written by the amazing Jane Yolen.

Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer- A book about being yourself even if you are supposed to be a scary monster

My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck - Funny and sweet story about a boy monster and all the things he does with his mama. Kids and parents should get a kick out of this book.

The Monster Returns by Peter McCarthy- Follow up to Jeremy Draws a Monster. McCarthy's drawing style is so refreshing with his well shaded colored pencil illustrations that still stand out on the page.

Jeremy Draw a Monster by Peter McCarty- A little boy draws a monster who turns out to be quite rude. Great pan and ink illustrations.

If You Ever See a Monster Song
Monster Hokey Pokey

Storytime Performed on:
10/25/2011

STORYTIME: Animals

Books:

I Don't Want a Posh Dog! by Emma Dodd
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - A wonderful book about the contrast between the animal or plant before/after it hatches/blooms. Has cutouts in the book which add interest.
Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope -  A little caterpillar has to get to Mexico where she will become a Monarch butterfly.
Guess What I'll Be by Anni Axworthy
Little White Dog by Laura Godwin - A great search and find book where animals are depicted in bold flat planes of color which blend with their surroundings.  A fun way to introduce negative space in illustrations.  Children enjoy trying to find the animal on each page.
Pouch by David Ezra Stein
Birds by Kevin Henkes
My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

Activities:

The More We Get Together Song
5 Little Monkeys Song and Fingerplay
Open Them Shut Them Fingerplay
My Little Caterpillar Fingerplay