Today at Outdoor Musical Storytime, we shared stories and songs about the letter L. As usual, I started by asking the kids to call out any words they could think of that started with L, and I wrote them on my whiteboard. They came up with lion, leg, lizard, and love. Then we drew upper and lower case letter L’s in the air together.
I did a variation of this storytime for my Family Storytime the following week, so here’s a combination of what we did for both:
Books:
The Little Kitten by Nicola Killen
Adorable book about a girl named Ollie and her cat Pumpkin who discover a little lost kitten. Ollie and the kitten have a great time playing together, until Ollie sees a bunch of posters showing that someone is looking for the kitten. After she helps him find his home, she realizes that she has accidentally left her own cat Pumpkin behind in the woods. Luckily, they find each other, and are soon snuggled up at home together. One of the parents mentioned that they enjoyed this book especially (it helps that it features shiny leaves and cut-outs on some of the pages).
Llama Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
I had to include this classic rhyming story about Llama Llama, who worries that his mother is gone, when all the time she is talking on the phone in the kitchen. This book does such a great job of capturing the big feelings that young kids can have, especially when they are alone in the dark, but it’s also a sweet story about the bond between parents and kids.
Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Hilarious story about a little boy’s attempts to earn his Lion Diploma, which requires him to learn how to roar, look fierce, sprint, pounce, and look after his friends. The kids LOVED roaring loudly and making fierce faces.
The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
I read this one instead of Lion Lessons for Family Storytime, which is in a smaller setting, so easier for the kids to see the illustrations. It’s one of my all-time favorite picture books, about a little bird who wonders why a lion’s tail is a different color every morning. It’s such a sweet, beautiful book, and the kids were mesmerized.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems
In this Pigeon story, Pigeon tries everything he can to convince the reader to let him stay up past bedtime. I read it for Family Storytime, and one girl adorably tried to explain to the Pigeon why he had to go to bed.
Songs:
Two Little Kitty Cats
We sang this to go along with The Little Kitten. I learned this one years ago from a Music Together class. I had the kids crouch down and pretend to be asleep, and then jump up and run in place. After we sang the kitty cat verse a couple of times, I asked them for other animals, and we wrote our own verses about two little sharks, two little race cars, and two little ducks.
Two little kitty cats lying in the sun (crouch down)
One jumped up and said, “I’d like to run!” (jump up and run in place)
Then said the other one, “I’ll run too!
Running, running, running, and I’ll play with you!
Meow! Meow! Meow!
Two little puppy dogs lying in the park,
One jumped up and said, “I’d like to bark.”
Then said the other one, “I’ll bark too,
Running, running, running and I’ll play with you.”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Let It Snow by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne
For Family Storytime, I had the kids grab handfuls of play scarves, and throw them all high in the air when we got to the “Let It Snow” line. Then we had a “snowball fight” with the scarves. We only sang the first verse.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful.
And since we’ve no place to go,
“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
Do You See the Color Red?
We sang this after Llama Llama, Red Pajama and before The Lion and the Little Red Bird. The kids had a great time calling out things in the library for each color. It’s to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man?
Do you see the color blue, the color blue, the color blue?
Do you see the color blue, right here in this room?
Do you see the color red… etc.
London Bridge is Falling Down
I sang this one with the parachute, and told them kids they could go underneath while the rest of us raised and lowered the parachute.
London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, Falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady!
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
We sang this as our instrument play-along at the end. The version I do is closest to the one sung by the Tokens in the video below.
[C] In the jungle, the [F] mighty jungle,
The [C] lion sleeps to- [G7]night.
In the [C] jungle the [F] quiet jungle,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
Near the [C] village, the [F] peaceful village,
The [C] lion sleeps tonight.
Near the [C] village, the [F] quiet village,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
Hush, my [C] darling, don’t [F] fear, my darling,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.
Hush, my [C] darling, don’t [F] fear, my darling,
The [C] lion sleeps to-[G7]night.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
[C] Wee-ee-ee-ee ee [F] ee-ee-ee-ee [C] wee-oh weem a-[G7]way.
Stay & Play: Paper Plate Lions
Before the storytime, I cut small strips of orange and yellow paper. For the storytime, I put out markers, small paper plates, googly eyes, the strips of paper, pom-poms, and glue sticks. All of the lions came out very differently, but the kids had a great time making them!
Do you have any favorite books or songs about the letter L? Please share them in the comments below.
The Loudest Librarian! 