STORYTIME: Christmastime

Books:
It's Christmas David! by David Shannon -  Shannon's lovable problem child is back and this time he wants Christmas!  The huge humorous illustrations paired with simple text is so much fun to act and read aloud with all ages.  A few pages may go over the preschool age kids heads but the parents are sure to enjoy.

STORYTIME: Baby, Baby, Baby

Books:
I Kissed the Baby by Mary Murphy - Huge black and white pictures, large enthusiastic writing! There is everything to love about this clever upbeat fun read aloud.

The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee- Humorous and fun read aloud for kids and their parents about how a baby could really be seen as a high power executive!

Five Little Chicks by Nancy Tafuri - Five little chickies want to each eat something different. All a little bit too much for them to handle. Thats when mama steps in and teaches babies to scratch, scratch, scratch. Very charming illustrations with a simple story that can teach kids about how farm chickens find food. (well on a free range farm that is)

Overboard! by Sarah Weeks - Naughty little baby bunny keeps throwing things from his crib, booster seat and anywhere else he happens to be. Cute pictures and a fun to read aloud story make this a hit. Have the kids all shout "Overboard" together on each page.

What Shall We Do With the Boo-Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell- Some farm animals are taking care of a baby (naturally!) when the baby starts to cry. They try several things to get the babe to stop from crying finally settling on putting him to bed. A short charming book with pretty adorable illustrations.

STORYTIME: In the Kitchen

Books:
Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington - Simple bright drawings adorn this simple text picture book about the process of a baker making and selling cookies. The text make this a good book for early readers with short easy to read sentences.

Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont - Mama kangaroo asks everyone if they are the one who ate the cookie dough. A funny book with lots of repetitive rhyming that doesn't get old and a cleverly placed lift the flap feature at the end.

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges- A funny spin on the traditional Little Red Hen story. My kids know the story form a flannel board I do with them so they can appreciate the changes in the story. The tale is changed just enough so that there is an element of surprise for the listener. The illustrations are amazing and so much fun to look at. Plus, a really good education on what pizza is made out of and how to assemble one.

Chopsticks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal- Like her popular book "Spoon" this book introduces kids to the uses of chopsticks. I especially love this book because many toddlers have never even heard of a chopstick. I have a box of leftover chopstick packages from a previous sushi library program. I plan on giving each child a pair to take home and showing them how to use them. Of course at this age it is going to be hard for them to master the coordination but I will encourage them to try and eat at least one food using their chopsticks (anyway they can figure to) this week.

STORYTIME: Move it!

Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting - A delightful quick read aloud with bold beautifully executed illustrations. All the animals need to rush to witness the hatching of the new chick on the farm. Can be read to create some real anticipation for the end reveal of the story.

See Me Run by Paul Meisel- A great book for early readers. Especially funny ending where a pack of dogs dig up the bones of a dinosaur and the skeleton proceeds to chase the dogs around.

Brontorina by James Howe- Brontorina wants to be a ballerina. She enrolls in dance school and truns out to be a very graceful dancer indeed. This book uses some dance terminilogy. Have the kids stand up and try doing the 4 or 5 ballerina dance moves with you so they can see what Brontorina does when she dances.

Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont-A small fast read but fun none-the-less.Get a polka cd out of the library collection and have the kids dance around a little.Make feltboard pieces of some of the instruments being played.

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh - Illustrated with simple constriction paper figures this is a nice basic intro into the concept of balance for young children. Two little mice make a seesaw but other critters want in on the fun (as usual.) These mice have to be pretty creative to figure out how to balance the stick while still letting their friends play.

The Best Picnic Ever by Clare Jarrett- A really lovely story featuring a darling cast of animals that play with a little boy in the park before they all site down to a picnic.

Hurry Up, and Slow Down by Layn Marlow - Really nice classic style illustrations. Features the tortoise reading a picture book to the hare at the end. A great story to keep your audience interested.

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andrea- Large format book about a giraffe that nobody in the jungle has faith can dance.

You Are a Lion! and Other Fun Yoga Poses by Taeeun Yoo- I always do 5 minutes of yoga with my kids to close storytime. This book is a fun visual to try out too. Have a parent read the book while you go through the poses with the kids.(too hard to read and do yoga at the same time!)

STORYTIME: Winter

The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson - Great clear, large illustrations. A bear is hibernating in his cave for the Winter when a whole bunch of different animals seek refuge from the cold and in the process throw a little party. A little bit of a longer book so I would recommend this as your intro book at storytime. A nice, repetitive warm story.

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by Il Sung Na - During Winter some animals migrate, some store food, but when the snow melts everyone knows that Spring is here. A simple fast read with beautiful illustrations. A good book to use for a Spring themed story time.

When it Starts to Snow by Phillis Gershator - Ever wonder what animals do when it snows? This book is cute with a simple repetitive rhyming scheme.

One Mitten by Kristine O'Connell George- A really fun book about all the great ways you can use your imagination with a mitten.

A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann- Super adorable illustrations!!!! Four kittens are eagerly anticipating their first snowfall in this sweet and simple story. A real delightful read.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats-Captures the magic of snowfall to a young child. A fun look at all the great things you can do outside in the snow.

Duck Skates by Lynne Berry- Little ducks get dressed and play in the snow...nuff said

When it Starts to Snow by Phillis Gershator- Goes through what different animals do and where they take refuge when it starts to snow. Cute pictures.

Whose Footprints? by Molly Coxe- A great guessing game to play with kids. Before you read this book print out the footprints of the animals featured in the book and a picture of the animal. Put them on a feltboard and see if the kids can match the track to the animal. Then read the book and see if they can again match up the animal with the print, only this time it is a track in the snow.

The Mitten by Jan Brett- A classic with rich, beautiful illustrations.

Storytime Performed On:

1/24/2012

Developmental Tip: Syllables

Language and Literacy- Phonological Awareness and Alphabetic Knowledge

Helping children hear the smaller sounds in words, the syllables, by clapping them out is one way to develop their phonological awareness.  Children can hear the syllables more easily than each sound in words.

From the book: The Early Literacy Kit by Betsy Diamant-Cohen

Developmental Tip: Moving to Music

Physical Development-Gross Motor Development

Moving to music, dancing, swaying, running, and jumping help young children feel rhythm and begin to understand how their bodies work.  Such movements also help them gain muscle control and improve balance. All of this contributes to a child's gross motor development.