Who Was Randolph Caldecott?

This is Not My Hat Collage by Geovanni

Every January, I try to do a series of storytimes related to the upcoming announcement of the newest winner of the Caldecott Medal. This year’s winner will be announced on Monday, January 27 at the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association.

This week, I read some of my favorite Caldecott Medal Winners from previous years, both for my Family Storytime, and to two classes of second graders. But before I get to those, it occurred to me that I had never thought to wonder who Randolph Caldecott was, and how the award came to be named after him. So I looked him up.

According to the Randolph Caldecott Society UK web page, Caldecott was a British artist, who lived from 1846-1886, and was known for his children’s book illustrations. Every year, he would select or write a collection of stories and rhymes, which he would illustrate and publish at Christmastime. The books were enormously popular, and brought him international fame. Like many of the best children’s authors and illustrators (Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, and Beatrix Potter to name a few), Caldecott never had children of his own. Sadly, he suffered from heart problems and gastritis, and died a few weeks before his 40th birthday, while traveling in St. Augustine, Florida.

I haven’t been able to find an explanation for why the American Library Association in 1937 decided to name the medal after Randolph Caldecott. After all, according to the guidelines, the award-winning artist “must be a citizen or resident of the United States,” and Caldecott was British. Why not name it after an American illustrator like Johnny Gruelle, Wanda Gág or N.C. Wyeth? My only guess is that it had to do with the quality of Caldecott’s illustrations, and the seamless way he integrated them with the text. Maurice Sendak is quoted as saying, “Caldecott’s work heralds the beginning of the modern picture book. He devised an ingenious juxtaposition of picture and word, a counterpoint that never happened before. Words are left out—but the picture says it. Pictures are left out—but the word says it.” And that is the quality that defines the best picture books.

I just learned about a new book by Leonard Marcus entitled Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing. I will have to check it out to find out more, especially after reading this intriguing conversation between Leonard Marcus and Brian Selznick, winner of the 2008 Caldecott Medal (I love to show kids Selznick’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which is not a picture book, but a 533 page heavily illustrated novel). In the meantime, you can see samples of some of Caldecott’s illustrations on the Randolph Caldecott Society web site.

But now, back to the storytime. After I explained the Caldecott Medal to the kids, and showed them the seal on the covers of the winning books, I read these:

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Amazon.com link) 2013 Caldecott Medal

It amazing the range of reactions I get whenever I read this book aloud. I remember sharing it with some second grade classes last year where some of the kids were very nervous. In one class, every time the little fish bragged about his certainty that the big fish whose hat he stole would never find him, this one boy would say, “No! Don’t say that! He’s going to eat you!” This year, though, all the second graders laughed. The Kindergartners at storytime, however, looked concerned. The fish is so shockingly naughty and brazen (although, of course, most of the best and most memorable children’s book heroes are naughty). The beauty of the book, though, is that the ending is unspoken. Klassen leaves you with the image of the big fish wearing his hat, and leaves the rest to your imagination. So when I asked my storytime group what happened at the end, they said, “The big fish got his hat back.” The second graders, on the other hand, said, “The little fish got eaten.”

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (Amazon.com link) 1996 Caldecott Medal

I think about this book every time I stand on a swivel chair, which I do often, in spite of this being in part a cautionary tale about that very thing. My only complaint about this book is that it’s really one you want to sit down with and pore over by yourself, to enjoy all the humor in the illustrations, and some of that gets lost in a storytime setting. But the kids love it anyway. At my family storytime, many of them exclaimed over it when they first saw me pull it out of the stack, so clearly they had heard it before (and hopefully had a chance to look at it up close). Officer Buckle’s safety speeches suddenly become a big hit at schools when he is partnered up with a new police dog named Gloria, until Officer Buckle discovers why. This is a wonderful story about a friendship and the importance of working together, and it has great safety tips besides.

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (Amazon.com link) 2005 Caldecott Medal

I remember being surprised the first time I saw this book, because the style was so drastically different from Henkes’ other books like Chysanthemum and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. But since then, this has become one of my favorite read-alouds (along with A Good Day, which is perfect for toddlers). The language in this book is so simple, and compelling: ”It was Kitten’s first full moon. When she saw it, she thought, there’s a little bowl of milk in the sky. And she wanted it.” The story is funny because of all of Kitten’s mistakes and accidents, but you also feel her frustration, so it is deeply satisfying when she comes home wet and exhausted to find her own bowl of milk on the porch. There was a little tussle over who was going to get to check this one out after I read it.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead; illustrated by Erin H. Stead (Amazon.com link) 2011 Caldecott Medal

I’ll admit, I hadn’t ever noticed the mouse and the red balloon that appear several times throughout this book, until one of the second graders pointed them out. And then I was instantly transported back to reading Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann with my son when he was small, and trying to find the red balloon and mouse on every page. It’s a subtle reference, but I loved it. The kids loved the pictures of the zoo animals packed into the bus to visit their sick zookeeper friend, and the idea of the owl being afraid of the dark.

SONGS:

1,2,3,4,5, I Caught I Fish Alive

B-I-N-G-O To go along with Officer Buckle and Gloria, I brought out the library’s St. Bernard hand puppet (who likes to lick people’s faces), and we barked the missing letters.

INSTRUMENT PLAY WITH A CD: Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Rufus Thomas from Sing Along with Putumayo (Amazon.com link) This rock-and-roll version of Old MacDonald is always fun.

CRAFT: This is Not My Hat Collage

For this craft, I cut out pieces for the kids to color and assemble the little fish from This is Not My Hat, and brought some plants from my yard for them to glue down.

I originally had a crazy idea for taping the fish to a piece of yarn, and cutting a slit in the paper, so it would look like the fish was disappearing behind the plants when you pulled the yarn. But I would have needed thicker paper, and it seemed to complicated for the short time the kids had to assemble the craft. Still, I mocked it up with my daughter, and even though we tried it with construction paper, which is flimsy, she still had a lot of fun playing with it.

I drew the fish shapes freehand, and they’re not great, but if you’d like the template, you can print it out here: fishtemplate

OTHER BOOKS:

Along with A Sick Day for Amos McGee and This is Not My Hat, I read these four books to some second grade classes this week:

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein (Amazon.com link) 2004 Caldecott Medal

This is one of my absolutely favorite Caldecott winners to read aloud, although I usually share it with older kids. In 1974, Philippe Petit walked, danced, ran, and lay on a tightrope across the Twin Towers. It was an illegal act, so he and some friends disguised themselves as construction workers, then carried the 400 pound cable up the elevator, and then up ten flights of stairs to the roof. Getting the wire across the gap was a harrowing experience all its own, and at one point, the cable fell, pulling Petit’s friends in the other tower to the edge of the roof. And then he stepped out onto the wire, a quarter of a mile above the ground. The illustrations in this book are dizzying. The kids are always transfixed. And even though Petit broke the law (yes, another naughty character, but a real one!), he did so ready to face the consequences. After he stepped off the wire, he held out his hands for the cuffs. He was sentenced to perform in Central Park for free. There is one line at the end of the book that says, “Now the towers are gone,” and always, always the kids ask why. The first year I read it, I wasn’t prepared, and in the pause while I tried to frame my answer, I could hear a bunch of kids exclaiming to each other the bits of information they knew. Fortunately, I knew that this year on September 11 the principal at the school had spoken to all of the classes in the school, explaining about the tragedy, and telling the kids that they should “remember the heroes.” So this time, when the question came, I was able to remind them of that, and, while I’m sure they still had questions, they seemed to accept that. That question is the only reason I haven’t read this book at my regular storytime, since I’m not sure how comfortable my storytime parents will be with whatever explanation I give, and the inevitable questions that will follow. But otherwise, this is an exhilarating book, and one of the best examples of a nonfiction picture book I know.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Amazon.com link) 1964 Caldecott Medal

I shared this book with the second grade because I wanted to show them that they all knew at least one Caldecott winner. This book is so much a part of our popular children’s culture now (most of the kids had seen the movie too), but I also wanted them to stop and think about how revolutionary the book and the art were when it first came out. Max is the ultimate naughty character, fulfilling that fantasy all kids probably have of running away and going wild. I like to mention how controversial this story was, even down to the last line. In an interview, Sendak once talked about an argument he had with his editor, Ursula Nordstrom, “One of the fights I had with Ursula—and her whole office—though it seems silly now, was with the last line of the book [about Max’s dinner]: “and it was still hot.” It bothered a lot of people, and they wanted me to change it to “and it was still warm.” Warm doesn’t burn your tongue. There is something dangerous in “hot.” It does burn your tongue. Hot is the trouble you can get into. But I won.” We were lucky Sendak was always a bit like Max.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (Amazon.com link) 1970 Caldecott Medal

This was one of my favorite books as a child, and I still love it. Sylvester the donkey is thrilled to find a pebble that makes wishes come true, until he has a run-in with a dangerous lion, and accidentally wishes he were a rock. Steig really draws out the drama of Sylvester, helpless and alone on the hill as the seasons pass, while his parents worry and mourn. Of course, it has a joyfully happy ending, where the family is reunited, and they decide to lock the magic pebble away, at least for a while, realizing that now that they were together again, “they all had all that they wanted.” Before I read this book, I usually tell the kids that William Steig wrote the picture book Shrek, which, oddly, most of them have never seen, although most of them have seen the movies.

So You Want to be President by Judith St. George; illustrated by David Small (Amazon.com link) 2001 Caldecott Medal

I made the mistake of reading this book last to one of the classes, and it was a bit too long. Still, it’s a fun collection of facts about the presidents, both the traits that many of them shared, as well as the things that made each one unique. The illustrations by David Small are colorful and funny, and there are some great quotes scattered throughout the text. My favorite is from Ulysses S. Grant, about his own musical ability, “I know only two tunes: one of them is Yankee Doodle, and the other isn’t.” This is a great book to share on President’s Day or around Election time.

You can find the complete list of Caldecott Medal winners here. Please tell me your favorites, and more importantly, who do you think will win this year?

10Jan2014

Ringing in the New Year

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

I had so much fun at this week’s storytime, seeing most of my regular families, and some I hadn’t seen in a long time. Auld Acquaintances! But if there are any publishers, children’s authors, or aspiring children’s authors reading this, please take note: there is a desperate shortage of books about New Year’s.

I had pulled or ordered over every book I could find in our system on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. There weren’t many, not even on Amazon, and the ones I found were mostly too long to read at story time. There are LOTS of books on Chinese New Year, which I’m looking forward to covering in a few weeks. But publishers appear to have dropped the ball on New Year’s Eve, and I don’t mean the one in Times Square.

I ended up resorting to an odd mix of books about babies (in honor of Baby New Year) and parties and the year in general. Luckily there are a fair number of these. These were the ones I ended up reading:

The Night Before New Year’s by Natasha Wing; illustrated by Amy Wummer (Amazon.com link)

The only actual New Year’s book I read. It’s a rhymed book, and the meter is awkward in some places, but overall it meets my requirements for a good holiday book: it covers the major traditions without being dry, and tells a story in the process. In this case, it’s about a girl and her brother who want to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, but don’t quite make it. The kids enjoyed this one, and it was eagerly snatched up at the end. After the book, we all counted down from 10 and yelled, “Happy New Year!” It would have been fun to throw confetti too, except for the inevitable clean-up.

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos; illustrated by Joy Ang (Amazon.com link)

Okay, this was a stretch, but I justified it by mentioning Baby New Year. I had originally pulled this one because it was on a list of best picture books published in 2013 (a topic I will be covering soon). And the kids loved it! There was even a minor brawl over it at the end. When a baby is born with a mustache, the delivery nurse tells his startled family that they need to find out if it’s a good guy mustache or a bad guy mustache. The baby starts out taking on all kinds of good mustachioed roles: cowboy, Spanish painter, sword fighter, and man of the law. But then the mustache begins to curl on the ends… The illustrations are very funny.

Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel (Amazon.com link)

I read the first story in this early chapter book, partly because it fit the theme of a new year, and partly because there’s an Arnold Lobel exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, including a concert of songs based on his works on January 12. I also thought it would fun for some of the Kindergartners in my storytime to get to know Frog and Toad, who were favorite characters from my old childhood. In the story I read, Frog drags Toad out on a cold winter day, and gets him to go sledding.

Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park; illustrated by Matt Phelan (Amazon.com link)

Another stretch, but I justified it because it was about a party. Xander wants to throw a panda party, but since he’s the only panda at the zoo, he reconsiders and invites all the bears. When he finds out the koala isn’t really a bear, he extends his invitation to mammals, but rhinoceros insists on bringing his bird. In the end, of course, he ends up inviting every creature at the zoo, including the people. Cute rhyming story that the kids seemed to enjoy. It got checked out immediately too.

CRAFT: Decorated Calendars

Calendars decorated by Alyssa, Jonas and Sarah

I happened to be at Michael’s the other day, and picked up a bunch of small picture frame calendars for 60 cents each. The kids had fun drawing, stickering, and collaging on them with pictures I cut from magazines. A cheaper way to go would be to print out calendars (or even just the month of January) from CalendarLabs.com and have the kids decorate those.

OTHER BOOKS:

The Stars Will Still Shine by Cynthia Rylant; illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke (Amazon.com link)

This is actually a really sweet book, that would work well for New Year’s, even for toddlers. It’s a lovely poem about all the nice things that will remain the same: “…this new year/the sky will still be there/the stars will still shine/birds will fly over us/church bells will chime…we shall have peaches/we shall have pie/we shall have ice cream three scoops high” The illustrations are soft, colorful, and peaceful.

Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution by Pat Miller; illustrated by Kathi Ember (Amazon.com link)

This one was a bit too long for my storytime, but I liked that it addresses the idea of writing New Year’s Resolutions, which might have been a fun craft idea too. Squirrel is frustrated that she can’t come up with any resolutions of her own, but she ends up helping each of her friends keep theirs.

Shanté Keys and the New Year Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport; illustrated by Marian Eldridge (Amazon.com link) Submitted by Lindsey Tear

Grandma has made all the lucky foods for New Year’s Day, but she forgot the black-eyed peas. So Shanté Keys sets out to find some. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I’ve requested a copy for our library system. As a kid, we always had kidney beans, cornbread, and collard greens for New Year’s Day, a tradition that I miss, so I can empathize with Shanté Keys.

Happy New Year, Pooh! by Kathlein Weidner Zoehfield (Amazon.com link) Submitted by Lindsey Tear

This book is out of print, unfortunately, but it looks sweet. Winnie the Pooh and his friends are sad to see that the calendar has come to an end, until Christopher Robin tells them they have a whole new year ahead.

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel (Amazon.com link) Submitted by Barbara Bruxvoort

Another Frog and Toad book, but one that may be even more appropriate for New Year’s. It’s even referenced in this article on keeping your New Year’s resolutions. The two stories that fit best are “A List,” where Toad makes a list of things he plans to do, and “Cookies,” where Frog and Toad try to find the willpower not to eat all the cookies.

P. Bear’s New Year’s Eve Party by Paul Owen Lewis (Amazon.com link) Submitted by Neeru Penumella

This one isn’t in our library system either, probably because it’s only available in paperback, but it looks like fun. The book uses the arrival of each of P. Bear’s friends to demonstrate counting and telling time.

Are there any great New Year’s books I’m missing out on? Please share them in the comments.

23Dec2013

Christmastime is Here!

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Paper plate angel by Sarah

My last Family Storytime of 2013. It was a cozy one with just two families, so I sat on the floor and shared some longer books than I usual would have, and it was wonderful. These were the ones I read:

Little Porcupine’s Christmas by Joseph Slate; illustrated by Felicia Bond (Amazon.com link)

I actually just happened to see this one on display right before storytime, and fell in love with it. Little Porcupine wants to have a part in the Baby in a Manger play, but the other animals make fun of him, calling him a “Spiky Stick Ball.” His mother comforts him, telling him he is “the light of her life,” and, although he is sad not to be in the play, he runs the lights and manages the stage. In the middle of the play, everyone suddenly realizes they don’t have a Christmas star, and Little Porcupine saves the day. Such a sweet story, and it was eagerly snatched up at the end.

Dragon’s Merry Christmas by Dav Pilkey (Amazon.com link)

My daughter and I love all of the Dragon books. In four short chapters, Dragon: decorates a Christmas tree (outside his house because he can’t bear to chop it done); makes and devours a candy wreath (only eating the pieces that “fall” off); loses his mittens (and his coat); and buys some Christmas presents for himself. In the last story, he gives away all of his presents to animals who need them more, and goes to sleep thinking he hears angels singing (they are really the grateful animals singing outside his house). Lovely collection of stories that are both funny and sweet. One of the girls checked this one out, and every other Dragon book we had on the shelf. Storytime win!

Merry Un-Christmas by Mike Reiss; illustrated by David Catrow (Amazon.com link).

For anyone who ever wished it could be Christmas every day, this book shows that you can really have too much of a good thing. Noelle lives in Christmas City, where everyday is Christmas, except one: Un-Christmas Day. Noelle loves Un-Christmas Day, when she doesn’t have to open any presents or eat five kinds of pie. Best of all, she gets to go to school. I’ve read this to several different age groups, and they all loved it, especially the second graders.

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry (Amazon.com link)

I learned about this one from my friend Kerri’s blog, What Is ML Reading? Mr. Willowby has a perfect Christmas tree, except that it’s a little too tall. His butler cuts a bit off the top and gives it to the maid, who uses it as her own Christmas tree, but it’s a bit too tall for her mantel. So she cuts off the top… Fun, rhyming story with a treetop that just never seems to run out. The kids enjoyed this one too.

INSTRUMENT PLAYALONG WITH A CD: Linus and Lucy from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi (Amazon.com link). This was so much fun! Even my coworkers were humming the tune after story time.

CRAFT: Paper Plate Angels

Paper plate angel by Sophia

Once again, my wonderful coworker, Gail Benjamin, handed down her leftover craft supplies from a holiday program she did the previous weekend. You can find printable instructions from Enchanted Learning.

Basically, you cut the plate along the lines, and tape or staple it together. Then the kids draw a face, and decorate it with glitter. (I put another paper plate underneath to catch the extra glitter). Gail says her daughter made one years ago in preschool, and they still use it to top their Christmas tree.

OTHER BOOKS:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Amazon.com link)I read this to a second grade class the other day. I was worried that they would be bored because I know they have all seen the cartoon and the movie a million times, but they were mesmerized. It’s so much fun to read too.

Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood (Amazon.com link)

By the creators of The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. In this story, the little mouse is guarding his Christmas presents from the big hungry bear, until he learns the bear has never gotten a present. Bravely he sets out on his sled in the snow to bring the bear a gift. The illustrations are adorable.

What are your favorite Christmas books?

13Dec2013

Winter Wonderland: Stories about Snow

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Q-Tip snowflake by Jonas

Winter storytimes in the San Francisco Bay Area are always a bit confusing because we never get snow. At least not here in Pacifica. A few years ago I drove my son up to La Honda, where there was a patch of snow on the side of the road about the size of a bathmat. I pulled over, and we had what was probably the world’s tiniest snowball fight. So, although most of the kids here have probably seen snow somewhere, their idea of Winter is probably a lot different from the idea portrayed in most picture books.

But this week it’s actually been cold here, at least by our standards (I know, I know, it’s hard to complain about our 36 degree weather, when friends in Minnesota are saying that the temperature is going “all the way up to -1!”). But it felt enough like Winter for me to pull out some books about the season. Here are the ones I read:

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

Funny story about a squirrel, a hedgehog, and a bear who are waiting for snow. All they know is that snow is “white, wet, cold, and soft,” and they each set out to find something fitting that description. Hedgehog finds a toothbrush, and imagines bunches of them falling from the sky. Squirrel finds a tin can, and bear finds an old, smelly sock. My daughter loved this story, and it got laughs from the little girl who was the first to show up at storytime (the other families arrived a bit late). I was sad to discover that this book is out of print, and very expensive even to buy used on Amazon. If you live in San Mateo County you can check it out from the Peninsula Library System by clicking on the title above. To search for it from other libraries, try putting your zip code in this search box on WorldCat.

Rabbit’s Snow Dance by James and Joseph Bruchac; illustrated by Jeff Newman (Amazon.com link)

One of my favorite picture books from last year. The story is based on a traditional Iroquois tale about a rabbit who makes it snow in the summer by singing and playing a special song on his drum. It’s a longish story, but it works well even for preschoolers because of the repeated chant and song. I shared this with two second grade classes last year, and was pleased to hear them marching through the halls of the school afterwards chanting, “I will make it snow. Azikanapo!” It would work well for themes about the seasons or Native American tribes.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London; illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz (Amazon.com link)

All the Froggy books follow the same basic pattern, but the kids love them. They anticipate the repeated cry of “FROGGY!” which is great, because the word is always written in big, bold, colorful letters that you can point to (studies have shown that pointing out words on the page is important for helping kids learn to read later on). The kids love this book in particular because Froggy forgets his pants, his shirt, and, oh yes, his underwear! Big laughs all around.

Milk and Cookies by Frank Asch (Amazon.com link)

I hadn’t originally planned to read this one, but it was in my stack, and one of the kids was drawn to the cover. A young bear who wakes up in the middle of the night at his grandparents thinks he sees his grandfather feeding a dragon in the basement. This leads him to a terrible nightmare, where a hungry dragon eats all the milk and cookies in the house. Of course, when he wakes up, he learns the dragon is really his grandfather’s woodstove. I love all of Asch’s bear stories, and the kids seemed to enjoy this one too.

Mooncake by Frank Asch (Amazon.com link)

One day, Bear wonders what the moon tastes like, and decides to build a rocket ship to find out. But by the time his rocket is built, it is Winter, and he falls asleep in the middle of the countdown. Waking up in a snowy landscape, he assumes that he has landed on the moon. There are several Bear and Little Bird books, including Happy Birthday, Moon, Moonbear’s Dream, and Bear Shadow, and I love them all, although I find it helps to make sure the kids understand the underlying principle (shadows, echoes, dreams) before I read the story. In this case, I asked the kids if they knew what bears did in the Winter, and we talked very briefly about hibernation. I was surprised that some of the kids remembered me reading it a long time ago, and were excited to hear it again.

SONGS: Five Little Snowmen

There are lots of different version of this song, but I learned this one years ago when I was working at a music school. I wish I knew who wrote it. I made a rough recording, so you can hear the tune:

Five little snowmen standing in a row, (hold up five fingers)
Each with a hat (touch head), and a brightly colored bow (adjust imaginary bowtie).
Five little snowmen dressed up all for show.
Now they are ready,`
Where will they go?

Wait! (hold out hands in a “Stop!” motion) Till the sun shines. (hold up your arms to make a circle over your head)
Wait! Till the sun shines.
Then they will go
Down through the fields
With the melting, melting snow (“melt” all the way down to the floor, then pop up for the next four snowmen).

Mitten Song

I didn’t get to do this song, but it’s an easy one for toddlers and preschoolers. Here’s the tune:

Thumb in the thumb’s place,
Fingers all together. (Hold up your hand with your four fingers close together and thumb extended)
This is the song
We sing in mitten weather.

INSTRUMENT PLAY ALONG WITH A CD: Frosty the Snowman (sung by Bing Crosby) from the Best of Christmas Cocktails album (Amazon.com link)

CRAFT: Q-Tip Snowflakes

Q-Tip snowflake by Lily

I got this idea from one of my favorite kids craft websites: Busy Bee Crafts. I had broken up a number of Q-Tips ahead of time (I found out the hard way that if you try to cut Q-Tips with scissors, they not only hurt your hands, but also shoot across the room like little cotton-tipped missiles. But they break very easily. Go figure!)

The idea was for the kids to glue the Q-Tips pieces to blue construction paper in snowflake patterns, and then sprinkle them with glitter. A funny thing about kids crafts though: they sometimes evolve into something else entirely. During the instrument time at the end of the storytime, I had scattered paper snowflakes for the kids to pick up and take home. Several of the kids decided to glue the paper snowflakes onto the construction paper and decorate them with glitter paper instead of making Q-Tip ones. It’s always fun to see their creativity at work. Every snowflake was truly unique!

Other easy Winter crafts I’ve done in the past are paper snowflakes (I prepare the folded paper ahead of time, so the kids just get to cut pieces out of it with kids’ scissors and open it up to reveal their snowflake. Here’s a page of instructions on how to do the folds from Instructables.com). Mittens are also easy and fun. You have the kids put their fingers together like they would if they wearing a mitten, and trace the shape of their hands on paper to make mittens. Then they can color and decorate them, or even cut them out and tape a piece of yarn between them. Or, for a fun food craft, try these marshmallow snowmen.

OTHER BOOKS:

There were lots of other books I didn’t get to. Here are just a few:

The Mitten by Jan Brett (Amazon.com link)

The classic story about a boy’s lost mitten, which ends up becoming a shelter from the snow for a bunch of different animals, including a bear! It’s a brilliant book, because Jan Brett uses the sidebars to tell three different stories at once: the little boy hunting for his mitten; the main story of the animals crowding into the one he lost; and the new animal who will become part of the main story on the next page. Jan Brett has a wonderful web site, full of activities to accompany each of her books. For The Mitten, she has masks you can print out, coloring pages, and even an activity where you can glue the different animals onto the mitten (it might be fun to print this out on cardstock, and put magnetic strips on the back of each animal and stick them on a cookie sheet, then have the kids put the animals “in” the mitten.)

Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kahara (Amazon.com link)

My daughter loves this one. It’s a fantasy story along the lines of Frosty the Snowman, about a little boy’s adventures with Jack Frost over the course of one fun winter. Jack Frost tells the boy that he must never mention anything warm in front of him, or he will disappear. They have a wonderful time together, until the boy finds a snowdrop flower blooming in the snow, and Jack Frost disappears, whispering, “See you next year.” The white illustrations on blue background are stunning.

Tippy-Tippy-Tippy-Hide! by Candace Fleming; illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Amazon.com link)

In this sequel to Muncha Muncha Muncha, Mr. McGreely is determined not to share his warm house with the three little bunnies. But the bunnies find their way inside anyway: through the mail slot, down the chimney, and even through the front door. The kids enjoy the repeated lines, especially: “Tippy-Tippy-Hide!” And the page where Mr. McGreely wakes up to find “bunny drops” on his pillow always get appreciative “EEWWs!”

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Amazon.com link)

This classic picture book and winner of the 1963 Caldecott Award is such a simple and colorful celebration of the joys of playing in snow, and coming in out of the cold. Even thinking about it makes me nostalgic for the few snow days I had as a child in Georgia.

The Runaway Giant by Adelaide Holl; illustrated by Mamoru Funai (Amazon.com link) Recommended by Erik Moore

A squirrel, a bear, and a crow, and a rabbit are panicked by reports of a giant in the woods, but decide to team up and scare it away. The giant turns out to be a snowman, who melts away. I didn’t know this book, but I found it for free on Open Library, and read it to my daughter, who demanded to hear it again as soon as I finished it. The story is very similar to A Stranger in the Woods, which features beautiful photographs of forest animals by Carl R. Sams, but I think I like the text of this older story better.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz (Amazon.com link) Recommended by Barbara Bruxvoort

When the first two snowflakes fall, no one believes anything will come of it, but a boy and his dog know that the big snow is coming. Fun read aloud for any age that captures the hope of a snow day.

No show

What are your favorite books about winter?

7Dec2013

We Are Family!

Posted in Rhymes and songs, Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Paper doll by Lilyanna

Since it’s the holiday season, I decided to do a storytime about family. It was a great, big, lively, fun bunch of kids tonight, and a wide mix of ages, so I ended up doing some of the shorter books. Luckily, they were some of my favorites. Here they are:

Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Amazon.com link)

Adorable story about a little girl’s efforts to put her Mommy to bed. Of course, Mommy asks for five more minutes…and an extra story…and a glass of water. Both the parents and kids loved this one, and there were several kids asking to check it out at the end. I love Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Her book Exclamation Mark (Amazon.com link) is probably my favorite book of the year.

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks: and Other Funny Family Portraits by Hanoch Piven (Amazon.com link)

Perfect book for storytime or classroom themes about families. When her teacher asks her to draw a picture of her family, a little girl complains that a picture doesn’t tell the whole story. Her father is as playful as a spinning top, for example, and her mother is as bright as the brightest light. So her new pictures feature her dad with a top for a nose, and her mother’s nose as a lightbulb. This would work great for a lesson on similes, or as the lead-in to a collage project with different objects or magazine pictures. The kids loved this book too.

Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig (Amazon.com link)

Okay, I do this one a lot, because it works well for almost any age. When Pete’s dad notices his son looking miserable, he decides to make him into a pizza. He spreads him on the kitchen table and starts kneading the dough, and stretching it, and whirling it in the air. Then it’s time for toppings, including tomatoes (they’re really checkers), and cheese (it’s really pieces of paper). In a lap sit storytime for toddlers or even babies, parents can act out the kneading and stretching and tickling. For older kids, I like to mention that William Steig wrote the book Shrek (Amazon.com link), and also that they can play this pizza game with their parents, or even with younger siblings.

No More Kissing by Emma Chichester Clark (Amazon.com link)

Another favorite for both toddlers and older kids. Momo the monkey hates kissing, especially when people kiss him. He tells his family he wants “No More Kissing!” but of course, it makes no difference. Then his baby brother is born, and everybody kisses him. When Grandma asks him to help his brother stop crying, Momo tries everything, but nothing works until he does the one thing he never thought he’d do. Sweet, funny book about siblings, and a good one for kids with a new baby in the house.

SONGS:

Brush Your Teeth by Raffi This is a favorite song of mine. We all pulled out our finger toothbrushes and I asked the kids what flavor toothpaste they had. I add in an extra verse that my son invented, “When you wake up in the morning at a quarter to six, and you feel like you’ve been beaten with sticks…” (Which is exactly how I feel at a quarter to six, although I tend to go for coffee instead of toothpaste.)

B-I-N-G-O I brought out my dog puppet for this one (he likes to lick the kids faces), and we barked the missing letters.

Silly Pizza Song by Rachel de Azevedo Coleman, from Signing Time volume 3 (Amazon.com link) We did baby sign when my son was little, and the Signing Time videos were my favorite. This is a fun song, where the kids get to suggest different toppings for their pizza.

INSTRUMENT PLAYALONG WITH A CD: Who’s That? by Laurie Berkner from her Under a Shady Tree album (Amazon.com link)

CRAFT: My Family Paper Dolls

Paper doll by Jonas (of himself)

I cut out blank paper dolls from the template provided on the Family Crafts About.com page. The kids colored the dolls with crayons and glued on different colored pieces of yarn for the hair to make them look like members of their family. Most of them only got one doll done (a lot of them made themselves or their moms), but they were all adorable.

OTHER BOOKS ABOUT FAMILY:

There were so many books I didn’t get to read at storytime. Here are just a few:

The Family Book by Todd Parr (Amazon.com link)

I wish I had gotten to this one at the storytime. It’s a celebration of every kind of family, with the message that every family is unique and special in their own way. The illustrations are colorful and fun.

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant; illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Amazon.com link)

This book, with its colorful illustrations by Stephen Gammell, captures all the apprehension, chaos, and exuberance and love of a large family gathering.

Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins; illustrated by Tomek Bogacki (Amazon.com link)

A little girl who lives with her parents and two cats counts her family’s traits in a variety of ways. There are four grownups, and one child; three with orange hair, and two with gray; three who don’t like taking baths; five who loves birds (but not in the same way); etc. A unique counting book, and a fun way of exploring similarities and differences.

Families by Ann Morris (Amazon.com link)

Lovely book of photographs depicting all different types of families from around the world.

Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers; illustrated by Marla Frazee (Amazon.com link)

For baby lovers everywhere. This book shows all the day to day experiences of babies of every kind of family and race. Adorable.

The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norman Juster; illustrated by Chris Raschka (Amazon.com link)

A little girl describes all the fun and adventures she has at her Nanny and Poppa’s house. The story, by Phantom Tollbooth author Norman Juster, is rich with childlike details. The colorful, abstract illustrations by Chris Raschka depict a happy, multiracial family. A lovely celebration of grandparents.

Have any other favorite family stories? Please share them in the comments.

22Nov2013

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah! (Or Chanukah)

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

This week we had a special guest for storytime: Esther Goldman from Chabad, a Jewish outreach organization in Daly City. She brought some of her favorite books to share for Chanukah, and we alternated reading them.

In the past, most of the Hanukkah books we had at the library seemed to be either too long, or too dry to hold the interest of the kids at my storytimes. Happily now there are a lot of fun stories for different age groups, but I was still really grateful to have Esther’s recommendations. These were the ones she chose to share:

A Chanukah Story for Night Number Three by Dina Rosenfeld; illustrated by Vitaliy Romanenko (Amazon link)

A little boy whose birthday falls on the third night of Chanukah hopes to celebrate by making the biggest latke ever. Funny, rhyming story that the kids enjoyed. Esther brought her own copy of this book, which had a slightly different title, so there may be alternative versions.

I Have a Little Dreidel by Maxie Baum; illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Amazon link)

An extended version of the traditional song describing a family Hanukkah celebration, with nice, large illustrations. I had the kids join in on the chorus, and I heard them singing it after the storytime too. Esther kindly brought little plastic dreidels to hand out to each child at the end.

The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser; illustrated by Nancy Cote (Amazon link)

A little girl hopes to persuade her neighbor, Mrs. Greenberg, to join them for a Hanukkah dinner by borrowing different things to make latkes. Sweet, happy story that made everyone hungry for latkes.

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah! by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov (Amazon link)

Lovely, illustrated version of the traditional song. Several kids wanted to check this one out. Perfect for any age group.

INSTRUMENT PLAY WITH A CD: Su-sufganiya by Yaffa Yarkoni from The Feast of Chanukah album (Amazon link)

This is a great CD with music in English and Hebrew. One of the moms said it was the best one she had found.

CRAFT: Craft Stick Menorah

Paper and Foam Craft Stick Menorah from Jonas

Initially Esther had wanted to make flame hats, which would have been fun, but we didn’t end up having enough time to coordinate, so I threw this craft together. I had picked up some colored craft sticks from Michaels, assuming they were the usual wooden ones. To my surprise, they were actually foam. They were super stinky when I first opened them, but they worked out great for the candles on the menorah because I could cut them in half.

For the base of the menorah, I just cut out strips of blue paper in three different sizes. The kids glued them onto white card stock with glue sticks, then glued on the craft stick candles. They made the flames with yellow dot paint, then decorated with stickers.

But OOPS! I just realized I never accounted for the Shamash candle in my craft, which was a huge oversight!! Wow! I apologize for that. I should have had a longer foam stick for each child. Here’s my daughter’s menorah with the Shamash candle in the middle.

There are some other really nice menorah crafts online. If I had more time, I would have loved to have done this handprint menorah from All Kids Network.

OTHER BOOKS:

The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket (Amazon link)

This is still my personal favorite Hanukkah book. Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) does a brilliant job of incorporating the history of Hanukkah into the story of a disgruntled latke who is sick of Christmas decorations who assume he’s part of their holiday. Plus the kids get to scream on every other page. There’s a funny twist at the end, and, unlike all the turkey stories we read last week, the protagonist of this book does get eaten. I’m looking forward to reading this to some second grade classes after Thanksgiving.

The Chanukkah Guest by Eric Kimmel; illustrated by Giora Carmi (Recommended by Sapphira Edgarde) Amazon link

Bubba Brayna is an old woman whose hearing and eyesight are failing, but she still makes the best latkes. When a hairy visitor shows up at her door, she assumes it’s the rabbi. Bubba Brayna entertains him, feeds him, and sends him on his way with a new red scarf, never realizing that her guest is actually an enormous hungry bear. This is a funny story that I plan to share with the second graders too. Thanks to Sapphira for the recommendations and for pointing out that the book has recently been republished with new illustrations by Mike Wohnoutka under the title, The Hanukkah Bear (Amazon link).

Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah by Sylvia A Rouss; illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn (Amazon link)

This is part of a series of books where Sammy Spider learns about different Jewish holidays. In this one, Sammy envies Josh Shapiro, a little boy whose family gives him a different colored dreidel for every night of Hanukkah. He longs for a dreidel of his own, but his mom tells him spiders spin webs not dreidels. This is one of the shorter Hanukkah stories, and it also doubles as a book about colors and numbers. San Mateo County Library patrons can read and listen to an animated ebook version of Sammy Spider’s First Shabbat on Tumblebooks through the library web site (you have to search for the title. There’s a wonderful assortment of books there, including many by Robert Munsch, who does his own narration).

What Do You See? on Hanukkah by Bracha Goetz

Esther had brought this one for babies and toddlers, but didn’t end up reading it. It’s a board book with colorful photographs to introduce very young children to the holiday. Unfortunately we don’t have a copy in our library system, so the link above goes to the Amazon page.

I’d love to get more recommendations. Please send me your favorite Hanukkah book titles and I’ll add them to my list.

14Nov2013

Wattle We Read Next? A Thanksgiving Storytime

Posted in Rhymes and songs, Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Thanksgiving is a frustrating holiday for picture books. Sure, there are some entertaining books, but 90% of them seem to be about a turkey trying to escape being eaten. I don’t mind reading one or two of these, but too many gets a bit old. Also, I can’t help but wonder if it’s just going to make kids feel bad about their Thanksgiving Dinner, aka The One That Didn’t Get Away. That being said, I did read a couple of Turkey Escape books for this week’s Family Storytime (I did the Thanksgiving theme a week early because Chabad, a local Jewish outreach organization is coming to next week’s storytime to present a Chanukah theme). Here was my Thanksgiving line-up:

A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman; illustrated by Jeff Shelly

Every year, just before Thanksgiving, all the turkeys of Squawk Valley seem to vanish (actually they climb into hot air balloons and fly away to a tropical island). But this year the town has a plan: they will post fliers asking for a turkey to model for a turkey-themed Arts and Crafts Fair, and trick a bird into becoming their dinner. But of course, the turkey ends up being smarter than they thought. This is a longish rhyming story, but the kids loved the illustrations of all the turkey crafts: turkeys made of potatoes, and oatmeal, and even soap. There was a lot of clamoring to check this one out at the end.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Allison Jackson; illustrated by Judy Byron Schachner One of my Thanksgiving standards. A clever parody of The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, about a woman who eats WAY too much: a turkey, a pot!, a ten-layer cake. The kids liked the twist at the end, when she becomes a big balloon float for the Thanksgiving parade. Great read-aloud for any age group.

Sometimes It’s Turkey, Sometimes It’s Feathers by Lorna and Lecia Balian

My daughter loves this book. Old Mrs. Gumm is excited to find a freckled egg hidden in some leaves. She takes it home, and sure enough, it hatches into a baby turkey, who eats and eats and eats. My daughter especially loves the lists of what the turkey eats: caterpillars, inchworms, pea gravel, and cat food, among other things. In November, Mrs. Gumm is ready with her hatchet, but by then the turkey has become a good friend who ends up joining her for Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, this is another book vilifying the turkey dinner, but the writing is full of warmth and wonder, especially when the egg hatches, and the illustrations are sweet. The kids all seemed to enjoy it too, since several of them asked to check it out.

The Dumb Bunnies’ Easter by Sue Denim; illustrated by Dav Pilkey I am currently living with Dumb Bunnies. We own the first book, and have the other three checked out, and my daughter insists on hearing at least one of them every day. And yes, they are dumb. But funny. This book is a crazy mishmash of almost every holiday, which is kind of the way I feel this time of year. The bunnies chop down an Easter tree, hang up Valentines, and carve a turkey like a jack-o-lantern. I wasn’t originally planning to read this one, but I had to bring my daughter with me to storytime last night, and she saw it in my pile. I was happy I did though, because the book is shelved in the Easter section, even though it covers several holidays, and we happened to have 6 copies for the kids to check out. It felt like Christmas when I handed them out at the end.

SONGS: The Turkey Jerky (To the Tune of the Hokey Pokey)

You put your left drumstick in (left leg)
You put your left drumstick out
You put your left drumstick in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Turkey Jerky and you turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

Repeat with right drumstick, left wing, right wing, waddle (chin), and tail feathers.

I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly (with puppet)

We sing the song with the old lady puppet, and the kids take turns feeding her different animals. I have a big spider puppet I pull out for repeated line “It wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,” and I tickle the kids with it (usually they make a big game out of backing up out of reach, and saying, “It didn’t get me!”) At the end, our old lady dies, but we take her to the hospital and resuscitate her. Clearly, she needs counseling.

INSTRUMENT PLAYALONG WITH A CD: Rhubarb Pie by Laurie Berkner from her Under a Shady Tree Album

CRAFT: Paper Bag Turkey

Paper Bag Turkey by Ramona

I owe this craft to my coworker Gail Benjamin, who did it for a pajama story time at our other branch a few weeks ago. She had several turkey “kits” left, all ready to go (gotta love leftovers!), with instruction sheets and all the turkey parts in paper bags. Gail had pre-glued the googly eyes to the plastic spoons for the heads, and also glued the wattle to the bottom of each beak (these were made out of construction paper).

I handed out sheets of newspaper for the kids to crumple. They stuffed the paper inside their bag, then fastened the bag shut with rubber bands (the parents helped with this). Then the kids glued the construction paper feet and bowties on. We helped each kids poke their spoon handle head into the bottom of the paper bag. Then they glued the beak and wattle onto the spoon. The tail feathers were thin strips of colored paper.

Gail had recommended that the kids put glue inside the “tail” end of the bag, then arrange the paper feathers inside (she even gave me small containers of Elmer’s glue, which are perfect for small hands). That worked well, although if you want a slightly less messy approach, the mom of Ramona (whose turkey is pictured above) stuck her paper strips through the rubber band that separates the body from the tail.

OTHER THANKSGIVING BOOKS:

The Firefighters’ Thanksgiving by Maribeth Boelts; illustrated by Terry Widener

This is actually one of my favorite Thanksgiving books, and I would have done it if I hadn’t read it to the same group for my firefighter storytime a few weeks ago (I was going to do it anyway, if my daughter hadn’t seen the Dumb Bunnies book). Firefighters at a busy fire station try their best to make Thanksgiving dinner, but they keep getting called away to fires. Luckily, while they are on their last call, people from the community bring dinner to the station as a thank you. The text is rhyming, and simple enough to hold the interest of very young children.

The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

I didn’t get to read this one either, but it’s perfect for Thankgiving. With Todd Parr’s characteristic brightly colored, whimsical illustrations, this book lists many things to be thankful for every day: music, reading, bathtime, nature, and, of course, underwear!

‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey (Recommended by Heidi Locicero)

Another runaway turkey book, but a funny one. Eight kids on a field trip to Farmer Mack Nugget’s farm are horrified to find out what he plans to do with his adorable turkeys. Luckily for the turkeys, the kids hatch a plan of their own. My daughter loves this one almost as much as the Dumb Bunnies.

BREAKING NEWS! I found the best Thanksgiving book for elementary grades! (Actually, I stole it from my boss, Thom Ball, who had been planning to read it at Musical Storytime but went with something shorter). I read it to two second grade classes and they loved it. They kept asking, “Is this a true story?” And it is! The book is Thank You Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner. It’s the story of Sarah Hale, the woman who wrote thousands of letters over the course of 38 years and finally succeeded in making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Anderson portrays Sarah Hale as a true superhero, who fought for lots of important causes like schools for girls and the abolition of slavery, and also wrote the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” She explains the context of Sarah’s cause, and her hopes that Thanksgiving would help unite a country torn apart by the Civil War. The caricature-like illustrations are funny and eye-catching, and it’s an excellent lesson in perseverance, democracy, and the power of words to bring about change. Highly recommended for libraries and classrooms.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving books?

26Oct2013

Scary Stories!

Posted in Books for Second Graders, Rhymes and songs, Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Q-tip Skeleton by Sophia

I love Halloween. The only thing that frightens me about the holiday is that I know the instant it’s over, it will be Christmas. And not just in the stores, because Christmas has already begun its red and green invasion across our local Rite Aid. No, I mean, that as soon as October ends, that whole eight weeks between November 1 and December 25 will vanish like a pepperoni pizza in a room full of teenagers.

But for now, I get to enjoy the huge variety of great picture books about monsters, witches, pumpkins, and ghosts. The only challenge is gauging the scariness level for the wide range of ages I read to. This week, I did Halloween-themed storytimes for two groups of toddlers, two groups of preschoolers, two second grade classes, and my family storytime group (mostly Kindergartners). This post is mostly about my family storytime, but I’ll list some of my favorites for the other age groups below:

When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor and Nick Sharatt

“When a monster is born, there are two possibilities: either it’s a Faraway in the Forests Monster or it’s an Under Your Bed Monster.” This book explores all the different things that might happen with each decision a monster might make, each with hilarious twists: it might eat the principal, it might meet a kitchen girl and fall in love. The kids love joining in on the repeated line, “There are two possibilities.” This one was quickly snatched up by one of my family storytime kids. The parents enjoyed it too, especially the line, “Hey, I’m a monster. You’re a monster. Let’s get married!”

The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein and Matt Faulkner

I love this book. It’s rare to find a long story in rhymed verse that reads so well all the way through, and is easy for the kids to follow. When a boy doesn’t want to eat his peas, a horrifying monster appears to offer a trade: he’ll eat the peas in exchange for the boy’s new soccer ball. The boy accepts, but the next time he has to eat peas, the monster returns asking for his bike. I had read this to two classes of second graders the morning before my family storytime, and I thought it was really interesting that, when I asked them if the boy should give up his ball or his bike, most of the older kids said, “Yes.” (The Kindergarten kids at family storytime said, “No” every time.). But when the monster demands the boy’s puppy, all the kids were emphatically against the deal, and also worried about what was going to happen to the dog. Luckily, the boy decides to eat the peas himself, and the monster disappears in a deliciously satisfying ending. A couple of the Kindergartners thought this one was scary, which surprised me because I remembered reading it to them a year or so before. But then I know from my own kids that they find different things frightening at different ages. The second graders loved it.

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger; illustrated by Dan Santat

This one was recommended by my friend Kerri, on her blog What is ML Reading? It’s a fun read-aloud because the kids get to make that Frankenstein “Mehrrr!” noise all the way through. It describes all the things that can turn a normal kid into Crankenstein: waiting in long lines, running out of maple syrup, getting ready for school, and bedtime. It would pair well with another of my favorite books: What are You so Grumpy About? by Tom Lichtenheld. This one got snatched up too.

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by Peter Brown

Always a hit! As I told the kids: this one’s only scary if you’re a rabbit. But it has all the hallmarks of a horror movie: dark shadows, creepy breathing, things that aren’t there when you turn around. In this case, the monsters are three creepy carrots, who stalk poor Jasper Rabbit until he decides to take matters into his own hands. It’s a fun read, with a funny twist at the end, and it works for a wide range of ages.

SONGS:

Jack-o-Lantern (For the tune, click here)

Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern,
You are such a spooky sight!
As you sit there in the window
Looking out at the night.

You were once a yellow pumpkin
Growing on a pretty vine.
Now you are a jack-o-lantern,
Let your candlelight shine!

1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Witches

1 little, 2 little, 3 little Witches (hold up three fingers)
Fly over haystacks, fly over ditches (fly your hand around)
Fly over moonbeams without any hitches
Hey ho! Halloween night! (Clap!)

1 little, 2 little, 3 little witches
Flew over barbed wire, tore their britches
Had to go home and get some stitches (mime sewing)
Hey ho! Halloween night! (Clap!)

On Halloween (to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)

The ghosts in the house go, “Boo! Boo! Boo!”
“Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo!”
The ghosts in the house go, “Boo! Boo! Boo!”
On Halloween!

The witches in the house go “Hee hee hee!”…

The bats in the house go “Eee eee eee!”…

The kids at the door say “Trick or treat!”

I asked for suggestions from the kids for other spooky Halloween things, or things they plan to be for Halloween.

Five Little Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins sitting on a gate (hold up five fingers)
The first one said, “Oh my! It’s getting late!”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air!”
The third one said, “But we don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!”
The fifth one said, “It’s Halloween fun!”
Then “OOOOOOH” went the wind,
And out went the light! (Clap)
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight. (roll hands)

Q-Tip Skeleton by Olivia

CRAFT: Q-Tip Skeletons

I am grateful to the Crafts Ideas website for including a printable template for the skull. I cut those out ahead of time and broke up the Q-Tips into different sizes. One thing I learned the hard way: it’s much easier to break Q-tips with your hands than to cut them with scissors. With the scissors, I was wearing out my hands, and Q-tip bits were flying across the reference desk like tiny cotton missiles!

The kids used glue sticks to glue their skeletons to black paper. If you do a search for Q-Tip Skeletons online, you’ll see an astounding variety of styles. Some of them get pretty elaborate, and include fingers and toes.

OTHER HALLOWEEN BOOKS (with recommended ages):

Babies and Toddlers:

Halloween Countdown by Jack Prelutsky; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

Wonderful counting rhyme in a board book format. The ghosts are adorable, and there’s a “Boo!” at the end. This one really works well for any age.

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino

A classic board book of the fingerplay, Five Little Pumpkins (see above). Most of the kids knew this one already.

Tucker’s Spooky Halloween by Leslie McGuirk

Tucker is an adorable white dog who would like to be something spooky for Halloween, but his owner has other plans. Simple, cute story in a board book format.

Preschool:

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman; illustrated by S. D. Schindler

A witch grows a pumpkin for pumpkin pie, but is unable to pull it off the vine. One by one, different Halloween creatures try their hand until a bat suggests the solution. Fun, repetitive story with great illustrations.

Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

When Duck gets his head stuck in a pumpkin, his friends Mouse and Pig think he is a monster. Short, funny read-aloud with a lot of visual humor. This is one of my daughter’s favorites.

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo is a terrible monster. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t scare anyone, until he meets Sam. This is a sweet story, and perfect for storytime because of the large pages with lots of white space. You have to take a big breath when you get to the page where Sam explains why he’s crying. I love everything Mo Willems writes.

Elementary Grades:

The Skeleton in the Closet by Alice Schertle; illustrated by Curtis Jobling

Another wonderful rhyming story. I have actually read this one to younger kids, but I point out the cuteness of the skeleton and tone down the spookiness in my voice. A skeleton climbs up the stairs of a little boy’s house, saying it’s “Coming to get some skeleton clothes!” In the end, it raids the little boy’s closet and comes out fully clothed.

Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Scott Campbell

I’ve read this one for Valentine’s Day too. Poor Mortimer tries everything to meet the girl of his dreams: giving out chocolates (full of worms), hearts (the organ kind), and even diamond rings (with the finger still attached). But nothing works until he places a personal ad in the paper, and meets Millicent, who loses her shoe (and her foot) at the ball. This one got lots of appreciative “Ews!” and “Yucks” from the second grade, both for the gruesome bits and the romantic ones.

The Book that Eats People by John Perry; illustrated by Mark Fearing

The second graders and I had fun acting scared of this book, because IT EATS PEOPLE! Deliciously gruesome, but not for younger kids unless they have a high tolerance for horror.

Next week I will be doing Halloween books again, probably sticking with the lighter, funnier ones. I would love suggestions, so please send me your favorites and I’ll list them below.

18Oct2013

You Be the Judge! The California Young Reader Medal

Posted in Books for Second Graders, Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Star Wand by Ramona

This week I read the nominees for the 2013-2014 California Young Reader Medal for Primary Grades. Every year, a committee composed of members from four different reading and literacy organizations selects five books in five age categories: Primary (grades K-3), Intermediate (grades 3-6), Middle School/Junior High (grades 6-8), Young Adult (grades 9-12) and Picture Books for Older Readers (grades 4 and up). Kids all over the state have all year to read or listen to the books and vote for their favorite before the winning books are announced on May 1.

I had shared these books last week with two second grade classes, and was curious to see if I got the same result from my evening storytime group, which has a number of Kindergarteners. They enjoyed all the books, and they scrambled to check them all out at the end, but there was definitely a clear favorite.

The five books were:

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

When a bear named Lucille finds a little boy in the woods, she names him Squeaker, and begs her Mom to let her keep him. But Squeaker proves to be a challenging pet, especially when he disappears. Although this one only got one vote, the kids enjoyed it thoroughly. I love the author’s note on the back jacket, where he says that as a kid he found a frog and asked his mom if he could keep it. She asked him if he would like it if some animal took him home to be it’s pet. His reply, “Absolutely!”

Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies

Great book for baseball fans. This is a rhyming story about a baseball game between two rival teams of bats. The illustrations of the bats are adorable, and the writing conveys the tension of watching a close game. This one didn’t get any votes from my storytime group, but a couple of the second graders chose it as their favorite.

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee

This is a quiet book about the wonder of stars of all kinds: stars in the sky, stars in moss, snowflakes, pumpkin flowers. The illustrations are large and lovely, and the language is beautiful. I love the idea of keeping a star in your pocket, just to know it is there, for days when you don’t feel so shiny. It’s a different style of book from the other four, and even though none of the storytime kids chose it as their favorite, several of them clamored to check it out, and it did get a couple of votes from the second grade.

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

This one was the big winner with my storytime group, as well as with one of the second grade classes. It’s one of my favorite read-alouds. Little Chicken won’t go to bed without a story, and she promises her father not to interrupt. He caves, and reads her Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Chicken Little, but every time he gets to the most exciting part of the story, Little Chicken can’t help jumping in to save the main characters: “Out jumped a little red chicken and she said, ‘Don’t go in! She’s a witch!’ So Hansel and Gretel didn’t. The End!” This would be a great book for fairy tale units as well.

Press Here by Herve Tullet

This one surprised me. I had read it before, but never shared it with a group of kids. They LOVED it, especially in the second grade, where it was the overwhelming favorite with the first class, and a close contender in the second. It got a few votes from my storytime group too. It’s a simple, interactive book that reads a lot like an iPad app (and in fact, there is an app based on it). Each page shows a series of different colored dots, with instructions like “tap five times on the yellow dot,” or “turn the book to the left.” The instructions appear to change the dots in different ways, causing them to move, change color, or multiply. Towards the end, it instructs you to clap once. The dots get bigger. Clap twice. They get even bigger. In both the second grade classes, the kids were practically screaming each time I turned the page to show the bigger dots. They were so excited! It was astonishing and hilarious, and I had such a good time reading it with them. I could imagine lots of ways to use this book in a classroom, to accompany lessons on color, number, pattern, or direction. It would also be fun to have kids experiment with making their own dot books.

CRAFT: Star Wands

Star Wand by Claire

I have very forgiving coworkers. The storytime ended just before the library closed, and there was glitter everywhere! But it couldn’t be helped. We had to make the star wands described in the book Stars, because if you wave a magic wand, you might see a wish come true. Who could pass up that possibility?

I cut out stars on yellow card stock ahead of time, and gave each child a chopstick and some tape to make the wand. They decorated their stars with glitter (of course!), as well as stickers and markers. Each one was unique.

Which book would you vote for? This year’s California Young Medal Award winners won’t be announced until May, although the nominees for 2014-2015 will be revealed in February. To learn more about the award, visit: http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/

4Oct2013

Going to the Dogs

Posted in Storytime themes by worldsloudestlibrarian

Envelope Dog Puppet by Olivia

I decided to do a dog-themed storytime this week. For once I was faced with the problem of having too many great books to choose from! The kids loved the four I read, and they all got checked out at the end, but there were so many others I didn’t get to:

How Much is That Doggie in the Window? by Iza Trapani (based on the song by Bob Merrill)

This is my daughter’s current favorite book, and one of my all time favorite read-alouds. Parents often ask me if it’s the full version of the original song (which actually hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 1953). It’s not. The original song is about a woman leaving on a trip to California, who wants to buy a dog to protect her sweetheart from burglars. The version in this book is by Iza Trapani (author/illustrator of the classic, The Itsy Bitsy Spider). It’s about a little boy who hopes to raise $60 to buy the adorable puppy in the pet shop window, but ends up spending all his money to help his family. The illustrations are adorable, and I still get choked up at the happy ending. This one is always a hit. Tonight it got snatched up immediately!

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

Poor Hally Tosis, a cute, friendly dog with horrible breath. When Mr. and Mrs. Tosis decide to find her a new home, their kids try everything they can think of to solve her bad breath problem. Nothing works, until two burglars creep into the house one night. Can Hally save the day, along with her place in the family? Filled with groan-worthy puns, and lots of visual jokes, this one appeals to both kids and adults. It was quickly claimed by one of the kids as well.

The Doghouse by Jan Thomas

Jan Thomas is a master of storytime read-alouds, always finding some way to interact with the audience. In this one, several animal friends lose a ball IN THE DOGHOUSE!! One by one, they venture inside to get it…but never come out! The story is short, suspenseful, and funny, and the kids loved joining in on the phrase “IN THE DOGHOUSE!”

Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar

Bertie has always wanted a dog. A blue dog. He wants one so badly that he often pretends to be a dog himself. But then a real dog shows up: a perfect, beautiful, spotted dog who needs an owner. But the new dog isn’t blue at all. This is a sweet, funny story with Polly Dunbar’s characteristic quirky surprises. (I also love her book Penguin).

SONGS: I did B-I-N-G-O with a dog hand puppet, who licked all the kids faces. We barked the missing letters instead of clapping them.

CRAFT: Envelope Dog Puppets

Envelope Dog Puppet by Joaquin

I found this craft on the Twiggle Magazine web site, and was very happy because the instructions included a template you could print out for the ears, eyes, and nose. Basically you fold a business-sized envelope in half down the middle, then cut it along the fold (I found it worked better if I sealed the envelope first). Then you tape the inner halves of the cut envelope together (on the side where the seal is), so that you can slide your hand into the outer part of the envelope to make a puppet. I cut out the ears, eyes, and noses ahead of time, and the kids glued them on, along with some wiggle eyes. I gave them crayons to add spots and other decorations. It’s always fun to see how differently everyone’s craft comes out.

OTHER BOOKS

Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman

I wish I could have gotten hold of this one in time. When Sarah Ann brings home three adorable kittens, her dog Katie loves them so much she can’t help but howl, scaring the kittens and upsetting her owner. The illustrations in this book are priceless, and the howling makes it so much fun to read.

Harry, the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham

This one of my childhood favorites, about a dog who gets so dirty, his family no longer recognizes him. I read it often at storytime.

Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack

I remember my grandmother reading this to me, and I still have the copy she gave to me on my birthday when I was 3. Angus is a curious Scottish Terrier who wonders about a strange noise he hears on the other side of the hedge, until one day he gets the rare opportunity to explore. The illustrations are wonderful, and I’ve always loved the way Flack uses sound effects, capital letters, and pacing. Great storytelling.

Bertie Was a Watch Dog by Rick Walton and Arthur Robins

One of many, many dog books about pets thwarting burglars, but this one is a lot of fun. Bertie is a Watch Dog, but not because he is big, or mean, or scary. It is because he is the size of a watch. But of course, he still finds a way to save the day when a nasty burglar comes to call. I can never read this book as well as my boss, Thom, who portrays the burglar with an hilarious heavy Cockney accent. But I still love it as a read-aloud because the kids get to join in on all the barking.

Chewy Louie by Howie Schneider

Love this one, and not just because my own black lab ate not only the siding of our house, but also my 11th grade teacher’s copy of The Epic of Gilgamesh with all of her teaching notes inside. As a puppy, Louie eats everything: sticks, toy trains, his dog dish. His family hires several trainers, but nothing seems to work, and they fear they’ll have to give Louie away. Of course, it all works out in the end. The wry sense of humor is what makes this book, but the illustrations are hilarious too.

The Hallowiener by Dav Pilkey

Recommended by Thom Ball, branch manager of the Pacifica Libraries. I wish I had remembered this one, since it is also perfect for Halloween. Oscar the dachshund has enough problems with being called “Wiener Dog!” by the other dogs, and then his mother expects him to spend Halloween night dressed as…a hot dog. Filled with Pilkey’s characteristic puns and visual humor, this is one of my favorite October read-alouds.

Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Yard Sale by William Kotzwinkle

Recommended by local Mom Ria Tajbl. When Walter ruins the family yard sale by driving away all the customers, his owner sells him for $10 to a clown with a secret plan to use Walter’s gas to inflate noxious balloons he plans to use to help him stun guards so he can rob banks. Gotta love Walter! Ria also recommended the classic easy reader Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman.

Stanley’s Party by Linda Bailey

Recommended by school media specialist Linda Anderson. When Stanley the dog discovers that he can get away with lying on the forbidden couch while his people are out, he wonders what other liberties he can take. Soon he is throwing a wild party with all the dogs in town!

Old Mother Hubbard by Jane Cabrera

Recommended by Christina Olson, who says it was one her kids read to pieces. Funny extended version of the classic nursery rhyme with bright, whimsical illustrations.

Carl’s Afternoon in the Park by Alexandra Day

Recommended by Tanya Scoville. The Carl books are sweet, beautifully-illustrated, mostly wordless adventures about a baby and a kind Rottweiler. In this one they spend the day in the park together, riding on a carousel and going to a zoo.

No Roses for Harry by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham

Recommended by Barbara Beyer. In this sequel to Harry, the Dirty Dog, Harry tries desperately to get rid of his new present from Grandma: a sweater with big roses all over it.

What are your favorite picture books about dogs?

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Category Archives: Storytime themes

Who Was Randolph Caldecott?

Ringing in the New Year

Christmastime is Here!

Winter Wonderland: Stories about Snow

We Are Family!

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah! (Or Chanukah)

Wattle We Read Next? A Thanksgiving Storytime

Scary Stories!

You Be the Judge! The California Young Reader Medal

Going to the Dogs