Tag Archives: picture books about worms

Bugs and Slugs and Other Creatures: A Storytime About Creepy Crawlies

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Last week, we had a fun time celebrating the little creatures we see around us (worms, bugs, slugs, etc.) for both Outdoor Musical and Family Storytime. We have a collection of large toy insects that are popular with kids in the library, so I brought those out for the kids to look at during Stay & Play at the end.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley

This book was so much fun to read aloud, especially because I got to try out my “worm voice” (I made it slightly squeaky). A friendly worm offers to make you a sandwich. All he needs is some garbage, which is not for your sandwich, but for him to eat, and then he will poop (the poop is not for your sandwich either) and help make compost to create dirt (also not for your sandwich) to grow a tomato (which IS for your sandwich). Such a cute, funny way to share the importance of earthworms, with tips at the back about composting.

Slug in Love by Rachel Bright; illustrated by Nadia Shireen

I shared this book largely because one of my regular storytime kiddos comes to the park before storytime every week in order to count the banana slugs. Although this book doesn’t feature a banana slug, it is about a lonely slug named Doug, who desperately needs a hug, but no one wants to hug him, until he meets a friendly lady bug.

A Good Place by Lucy Cousins

Sweet, simple, colorful book about four insect friends looking for a safe place to live. But every place they find comes with problems: the flowers are on a busy sidewalk, the puddle is on a car-filled street, the plant is sprayed with something that makes them cough, etc. Finally, a butterfly leads them to a beautiful garden owned by a boy who loves insects.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

I had to include this one, because it’s such a classic, and the kids always get excited when I read a book they have at home. The story of a caterpillar who eats a variety of foods all week in order to become a beautiful butterfly.

Songs:

The Butterfly Song

I learned this song from my former coworker, Angela, and it’s become one of my favorites, especially because somewhere along the way our library acquired a really cool Life Cycle of the Monarch puppet from Folkmanis, which allows you to switch between the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. You can also sing it with play scarves, as described below.

First comes a butterfly (Wave scarf or move your hands like a butterfly)
Who lays an egg. (Make a circle with your thumb and index finger).
Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle your finger like a caterpillar)
With lots of legs.
Now see the caterpillar spin and spin (Spin the scarf),
A little chrysalis to sleep in (Bundle scarf up in a ball in your hand or make a fist).
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see…
Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my!
Out comes a beautiful butterfly! (Open up hand and wave scarf).

Shoo, Fly!

There are lots of different versions of this song, but the one I use is closest to the one in this video by Greg and Steve. I asked the kids for suggestions of what animals they would like to be. For Family Storytime, I passed out the play scarves before we sang it, and we waved them in the air on the “Shoo, Fly” line.

CHORUS:

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me! (Wave hands as if shooing a fly)
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me!
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me,
I’ll tell you what I want to be.

I wiggle, I wiggle,
I wiggle like a wiggling worm.
I wiggle, I wiggle,
I wiggle like a wiggling worm.

CHORUS

I roar, I roar, I roar like a lion…

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

We did this as our instrument play-along at the end. There are lots of different versions of this song, including the gruesome camp version where the poor bumblebee gets squished. The version I do is closest to the one in this video by Dr. Jean. I had the kids suggest different animals, and we created new verses on the spot for them, which is always a bit of a challenge: I’m bringing home a baby elephant, won’t my Mommy say, “Oh, no! I can’t!” etc.

I’m [C] bringing home a [F] baby [C]bumblebee.
[G7] Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
‘Cause I’m [C] bringing home a [F] baby [C] bumblebee.
[G7 ]Ouch! It stung me!

I’m bringing home a baby elephant…

Stay & Play: Fun with Stamps

This was the simplest Stay & Play, but the kids LOVED it! I just put out white paper, ink pads, and our large collection of stamps (which include a number of bugs and other animals) and the kids had a blast covering their pages with different pictures. One little boy kept saying, “I made a picture!”

What are your favorite picture books or songs about small creatures? Please share them in the comments below.

Bookworms: A Storytime About Worms

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I love to do storytimes about things kids are likely to see in the world outside, especially since one of my storytimes is in a local park. This week, we had a good time celebrating earthworms.

Here’s what we did:

Books:

What About Worms? by Ryan T. Higgins

One of the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading books, this one features a tiger who is not afraid of anything, except worms. When his fear of worms leads him to drop his flower pot and an apple, and leave a book that appears to be about worms (but is actually about tigers), he gains the gratitude of a bunch of worms who are eager to give him a “worm hug.” I love to do silly voices when I read, and this one provides lots of opportunities to voice different worms.

Here are the Seeds by JaNay Brown-Wood; illustrated by Olivia Amoah

A rhyming book about two kids planting a garden, but running into problems along the way: not enough water, too much water, etc. The kids liked guessing what the different problems were.

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin; illustrated by Harry Bliss

Funny picture book diary that captures the daily struggles of an earthworm, but also highlights the important role worms play in helping plants grow. The part about the worms only being able to “put their head in” when they do the Hokey Pokey got a big laugh.

Ear Worm by Jo Knowles; illustrated by Galia Bernstein

Cute, cumulative story about an earthworm who is trying to figure out who got a song stuck in his head. Along the way he meets a number of other animals who share their own earworms.

Songs:

Shoo Fly

There are lots of different versions of this song, but the one I use is closest to the one in this video by Greg and Steve. I asked the kids for suggestions of what animals they would like to be.

CHORUS:

Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me! (Wave hands as if shooing a fly)
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me!
Shoo, Fly, don’t bother me,
I’ll tell you what I want to be.

I wiggle, I wiggle,
I wiggle like a wiggling worm.
I wiggle, I wiggle,
I wiggle like a wiggling worm.

CHORUS

I hop, I hop, I hop like a kangaroo…

The Worms Go Wiggling

We sang this with the parachute. I put two pipe cleaners I had curled up like worms on the parachute so the kids could make them bounce up and down. It’s to the tune of The Ants Go Marching.

The worms go crawling all around,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The worms go crawling all around,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The worms go crawling all around,
The have a party underground.
But they all go crawling out of the ground
When it starts to rain.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Wiggly Wiggly Worms

We sang this with the play scarves, pretending they were worms crawling up and down our bodies. I used the tune to Hickory Dickory Dock.

Wiggly, wiggly worms.
Wiggly, wiggly worms.
Climbing up and climbing down,
Wiggly, wiggly worms!

The Hokey Pokey

We sang this to go along with Diary of a Worm, which makes a joke about the song.

[C] You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out.
You put your right hand in,
[G] And you shake it all about!
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That’s what it’s all [C] about!

Stay & Play: Paper Circle Worms

I found this easy activity on At Home With Zan.

Before the storytime, I cut out a bunch of circles out of different colors of paper (it helps that we have a circle cutter for our button machine).

For the storytime, I put out white paper, the paper circles, markers, dot markers, and gluesticks. The kids had fun assembling their worms (some just glued the circles together without putting them on the white paper), and decorating them.

Do you have any favorite books or songs about earthworms? Please share them in the comments below.