Out of Business

I noticed that the B. Dalton store in the North Riverside mall is closing on January 9th. They had 40 % off. Check it out if there is anything you can't just live without!

RIP, Kirkus

Anybody else bummed out by the demise of Kirkus Reviews? I'm really going to miss their frequently snarky take on books. Yes, half the time I rolled my eyes at what I considered their anal-retentiveness and/or hyper-political-correctness, but agree with them or not, I could always count on Kirkus to have a blunt/sharp angle on things...boring, never. I kinda hope Booklist or HB or somebody steps up to fill the void they'll leave, by sharpening up their reviews and worrying less about offending folks.
This NY Times article sums it up pretty well:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/books/12kirkus.html

Are You Smarter Than An Eighth Grader?

Take a look at this eighth grade test from 1895 Salina, KS. Would you pass? At a glance, I could maybe get 50%. I haven't sat down to see if I can remember all nine uses for capital letters, etc, though.

O Tannenbook

I'm wondering...does anyone have any favorite Christmas or holiday books? Books that you might not be able to read in a public library storytime but you love to read to your own kids or give them as gifts or just love seeing on a display because you know some child is going to love it?

I've always loved the belated Christmas chapter in Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, but that doesn't really count as a holiday book. The Polar Express creeps me out. There are some great Nutcrackers out there but none spring to mind on their own. I did love The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, but again that's a chapter book. Any wonderful picturebooks out there I shouldn't miss?

Oh, yeah! I love this version of The Gift of the Magi.

go blog go!

Just a reminder, folks, that you can add "keeping it small at OPPL" to your RSS reader (like Google Reader) if you've got one. Then you won't miss a post!

And we all really like it when we all post, so thanks for every time you get something up here!

I just can't stop using exclamation marks for this short message!

Your favorite blog-pushin' step-boss,
Rory

World's cutest library

This is a very clever and cute idea. Take a classic British phone booth and convert it to a lending library! Shelley--think your new building manager would go for it? :)

Annoying things that patrons say

This list of annoying things that patrons say is really funny. I like messages 6, 12, 26, 34...well, we librarians seem to have a lot to say on this topic. Share you own grievances here--it will be cathartic. Just today in my ST, a mom moved my very obvious storyteller's chair (you know, the only one at the front, facing the group--duh) and was using it so I had nowhere to sit when I came in!

Best Picks

SLJ has their best picks of 2009 on their website. Looks like alot of good ones!

click here for the list

Books are Fun. No, Really.

Liz B reposted her essay about encouraging kids to read over at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy. I think she has some great ideas - it'd be nice if we created a little hand out called "Tips for getting your child to read" and it was all about sharing books and being excited about books and the futility of choosing books based on Lexiles, etc etc.

Well done, Naperville.

Next time we should consider choosing a living author for our Big Read.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=338299

(And one who writes for kids and adults, sorry Elizabeth Berg.)

Books for the Holidays

Something we're all thinking about as we attempt to sell our favorite books of the year in 30 words or less, right?

A mom on one of my listservs pointed out that a lot of kids don't like to receive "just" a book. (If they are friends with writers like these, I can't blame them. I don't want a book from them, either! Except maybe Sarah Waters.) So the Children's Book Review put together a list of titles along with toys and other things that go well together.

Not a bad idea, really. I wonder what we could suggest for some of our titles - When You Reach Me = diamond ring, clearly. Little Oink = cup of dirt. Rhyming Dust Bunnies = Little Tykes vacuum cleaner....

Holding On

I asked Danny to help me revise our "Death & Dying" bibliography. He did. And then he sent me this email, one of my favorites all year:

Hey Rory,

It's Danny. I have added some and subtracted some from the death bib. You may notice I only subtracted from the Pets section. I figured we didn't need two more books about cats dying when we could address different human situations like the loss of pregnancy. I also included some chapter books.

I didn't do an exhaustive search of all our death materials so if I missed something by all means add it. I thought about adding the chapter book "The Beloved Dearly," and I struggled with where to put it because the summary was about a boy who's dog's death helped him come to terms with his mother's death. Death of a loved one or death of a pet? But then I looked at the book and it appears to be a whimsical comedy, so I left it off altogether.

Anyway, just wanted to update you on the death bib and all the death related stories I have been reading. It turns out that if we carry the memory of someone with us they never are truly gone. And talking about it helps too. Also something about wind in the trees.

And now that I've been writing this email for so long I don't want it to end. I just want to hold on for a few more words before I hit the send button. I know that all emails eventually must be sent, but why now? When I needed the email the most? WE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SEE THE OCEAN TOGETHER. I NEVER PROMISED YOU A RAINBOW etc.

--Danny

Dystopian Goodnight Moon

Hilarious review of Goodnight Moon!

"Set in a dystopian future in which genetically engineered animals have devoured humanity, GOODNIGHT MOON is told from the perspective of a unseen, dying victim of the ravenous hordes. As he reflects on the scene with his last breaths, MOON provides a terrifying eulogy for the human race."

New ST books

So I did 2 brand new picturebooks in my preschool STs this morning, both of which worked well.

The Foggy Foggy Forest (Sharratt, of Shark in the Park fame) uses vellum/wax paper (or something like that) to great effect. The recto shows a silhouette (in the "fog") and asks, "what can this be in the foggy, foggy forest?" The verso then reveals a funny image with an accompanying rhyme ("Goldilocks with a candy box"). This book turned out to be very interactive, and a lot of fun to do.

Wow! Said the Owl (Hopgood) is a quieter story about a young owl who takes a nap at night so she can stay awake all day. She is wowed by all the colors present in the world during sunlight hours, seeing leaves, sky, clouds, butterflies, and (of course) a rainbow, among other things. The illustrations are the best part of the book, suitably wowing in their depictions of the wide-eyed owl and his world. This story worked ok for 3-5 year olds, but I think it would be perfect for 2-3 year olds.

Proud Mama

I read Roald Dahl's "The Enormous Crocodile" to the Book Buzz kids and they stayed with me through the whole long story! It helped that Rosie held a copy of the book up while I read from another copy, otherwise I would have had all those kids in my lap looking at the pictures!

Newbery contender?

I'm almost done reading "When You Reach Me" and you're right, it's very good and if it wins will be deserved but I did read another good book that has gotten alot of buzz. "When the Whistle Blows" is told in 7 vignettes all on All Hallows' Eve and the main character, Jimmy Cannon's father's birthday. Set in West Virginia in the 1940's Jimmy loves the big steam engines that are the life of his small hometown but change is a comin' in the way of Diesel engines

and the relationship between Jimmy and his father. Each story is complete on it's own and also adds to the general story line that unfolds throughout the book to it's climatic end.

It sort of reminded me of my grandparents town where I spent two weeks out of every summer when I was a child and every Memorial Day for the last twelve years or so, celebrating my Grandmother's birthday. This town was also very dependent on the railroad and has been dying ever since the railroad pulled out.

You're rooting for Jimmy to graduate and get out of this town!

I think this would be a great book for older boys, Rory has it on hold next so I'll be anxious to see what other's think of it.

Course, we knew this already...

Even more reasons to promote our graphic novels--they're great early reading tools! Course, we knew this already.

Take that NY Times! And that! And this!

I found this reaction on Mimi Smartypants really good (and funny, of course). Sharing here at Heather's request :) She's a Chicago blogger with a voracious 6 year-old reader - maybe we need to invite them to peruse our collection since it sounds like they sometimes come up short locally.

http://mimismartypants.com/2009/10/26/three-minutes-for-your-teeth/

READERS AND YELLERS
I have a mixed fascination with this New Yorker article about current trends in children’s books. On the one hand, the author definitely has a grumpy undercurrent of “kids these days,” which always makes me knee-jerk cranky. On the other hand, he is sort-of kind-of on to something there.
Really, I am not a fan of the “behavior books” in general. If you’re having a problem with tantrums or whining, I suppose seeking out picture books about it is one tactic, but there is something a little backhanded about seeking to instruct your child about basic behavior expectations through literature instead of through, you know, parenting. I’d feel like Chairman Mao or the Thought Police if I relied on books to convey all my attitudes about correct behavior. Books should be more fun than that.
Not to mention that the wrong book at the wrong time could give them Ideas. When Nora was a toddler, some well-meaning but misguided person gave her a book about not biting, which I promptly put in the giveaway pile because Nora had never bitten anyone in her life. Why would I read that to her? Pssst…guess what? If you get really mad you can BITE MOMMY!
On the other hand, this part of the article really resonated with me:
It’s possible to find something sinister in the effort to hide half your emotional spectrum from your children. Sometimes it might be a good thing for a kid to hear, instead of polite evasions, an honest, full-throated “Cut it out!”
Indeed. The few times in my life I have resolved to be extra-special Cartman’s-mom sweet to my kid, I have ended up losing it worse than if I had just reacted normally. I don’t think I’m all that unusual in that regard, either. And which is scarier: sugary-syrup mom who suddenly goes BATSHIT RAGEFUL, or a mom who gets irritated sometimes? You know, like a human?

regifting

Don't forget (and this is mostly full-timers and librarians, though everyone is welcome to contribute titles!) that we're meeting THIS MONDAY, the 9th, to discuss our picks for the 2009 gift bib.

I love that we do this every year because (besides the latest DOAWK) many people might not have the first idea about what kind of books to buy their favorite children.

My latest find...What's Wrong With My Hair? Kids can actually put their faces in the cutouts and see what they look like with Lionel's latest 'do. We don't have it, though...we should!

Fly Away

Scroll down about half the entry to find one librarian's response to the initial Balloon Boy reports: Kids Who Fly

I'm trying to decide if it's incredibly tacky or marvelously creative. We just sat around and laughed in horror, she did something with it...

oh, those Baby Dunce DVDs...

This takes me back a year or however long it's been since we talked about what to do with this niche of our AV collection:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6704221.html

Christmas Genie

Ellen and Sue from River Forest PL just sent an email with some cool news.

Apparently Dan Gutman's new book The Christmas Genie is set in Oak Park's very own Lincoln Elementary School. Sue sent him an email asking why he chose OP, and was thrilled when he responded almost immediately:

Hi Dan-

I am the Children’s Librarian in River Forest IL—the smaller village due west of Oak Park, IL. I just ordered a copy of your new book forour library collection. I live in Oak Park and attended LincolnSchool in Oak Park as a child. I am curious how you came to choose Lincoln School as the setting for your book? It will generate a lot of excitement and questions among our patrons. Your website lists NewJersey as your home, but I am wondering if perhaps you have relocated to the Chicago area? Please give us the lowdown--librarians love to be in the know. Thanks!

--Sue Quinn

Sue,

Thanks for sharing my books with kids. I still live in New Jersey,but I have an old high school friend who lives in Oak Park IL. I got together with him in Chicago this past summer, and I guess that was on my mind when I needed a setting for The Christmas Genie. If I recall,I went on the Internet to get the name of a school in the town. I hope the folks in Oak Park are pleased. Do you think I should have asked permission?

Cheers!Dan Gutman

Buzz Buzz

I'm most excited about reading Charles and Emma (Darwin) and Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - I've heard great things about both of them. I think I will grab them off the shelf as soon as I'm off desk!

I've already read When You Reach Me and loved it, although half the fun was coming up with a quantum physics based theory on how the story worked. (You have your fun, I have mine, all right?)

Based on the summary, I will not be able to stand Also Known as Harper (Writing poetry helps fifth-grader Harper Lee Morgan cope with her father's absence, being evicted, and having to skip school to care for her brother while their mother works, and things look even brighter after she befriends a mute girl and a kindly disabled woman.) Life always looks better after those super angelic disabled people show you how much worse your life could be, right? Gag.

What are you looking forward to?

Fancy That

Things Librarians Fancy: Stereotypes, too close for comfort or something in between?

(::kicks tote bags under her desk:: Nothing to see here, move on along....)

Whee!

I don't know what the "Roto-Whip" is, but why don't we buy it for the Children's Department? Kiddieland stuff is getting auctioned off!

Stitches

I just read this book (Stitches by David Small) and found it stunning in every sense of the word. It has just been nominated for the National Book Award in the Young People's Lit. category. Some people are in a lather because they think it isn't appropriate for kids-- or even teens. Personally I didn't find the subject matter any tougher than Alexie's Part-Time Indian. For those who have read it, what do you think? (And for the rest of you-- it's definitely worth a read!)

Egg-credible

I've been having great success with "egg magic" in my Terrific Twos and and Family Opens (which should really be called, this season, "Pretty Much Terrific Twos, Too"). I've done stuff like this with the scarves and hand-out puppets, too, but it's all come together with the egg shakers.

I hand out an egg to all the kids, let them shake them for a few seconds to get their silliness out, then say we are going to play an imagination magic game.

First, I ask the kids to pretend like they're eating the egg, yum yum yum. Then, I hold my egg in a way they can't see it when I hold up my hands, palms toward me, and announce mine is all gone. This amazes them. Then I show them where it is and ask if they want to make their eggs disappear, too. Of course they do! So we hide them under our arms (two-year-olds are adorable when discovering their own armpits, hee), between our knees, and under our bottoms (when I say we're imagining we're mama hens). I encourage them to say "ta-da!!" and to get their grown-ups involved.

Afterwards, we try balancing the eggs on our heads and shoulders, knees and toes (and guess what song this ties into?) and then sometimes sing "Wiggle Fingers" but swap eggs for fingers. And then we do the Milkshake Song. All this takes a good six or seven minutes and is adorable and a great way to engage a big group of kids age 2-5, really. And you don't have to memorize much--just come up with little "magic" challenges for them on the spot.

Lately I've been reading Charlie Chick and Hurry, Hurry (both featuring a chicken or egg) to bookend my ovum fun--both are terrific for 2s!

A Season of....Insensitivty?

Has anyone read Richard Peck's latest, A Season of Giving? I got a copy signed at ALA, but haven't read it yet. A week of back and forth commenting has been going on at SLJ's Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Blog on the meaning, intentions and ramifications of two chapters, specifically.

Don't Throw the Popcorn

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Lifting the Veil

Racially Insensitive

Take Two

Please Read the Peck

Wendy asked, "If a book is racially insensitive, does that affect its distinguishedness?" In this day and age, should insensitivity effect award nominations? Thoughts?

Awfully Wonderful

Hah! Remember that fabulous book Andy and I found and bought together at Waukeegan's Friends' bookstore? My boyfriend couldn't help but scan the cover and send it into the Awful Library Books blog and here it is! I knew it was a gem.

3-Library Field Trip Notes!

The Children's Services department visited three libraries on Friday, September 18: Waukeegan, Warren-Newport (which we always just called Gurnee), and Skokie.

Much fun was had (we ended the loooong day at Superdawg!) and a lot of good ideas were gathered. Here are some mish-mashy notes we cobbled together.

Check out all the pictures Shelley took for us, too!

Ear Buds
Everyone agreed that if we sold inexpensive ear buds to the patrons at the circulation desk and branches, it would save us some money (no replacing headphones), would be more sanitary, and would be much less time intensive for staff. Patrons would soon learn to bring their own from home, too. Waukegan sells them for $1.50/set.

Early Literacy Center (ELC)
Waukeegan had a sensory tub filled with foam letters, plus rotating hands-on search and find objects. (We could get more sensory/special needs toys in Story Stop.) Drop-in art activities at any time, included wonderful benches and low tables and lots of materials for spontaneous projects. Bulletin board space to display kids’ artwork. Listening station preloaded by staff and attached to the wall. Soft, enclosed play space for crawlers. Offer more science and math inspiration stations year round (giant calculator, sound tube). Story phones were cool, although clunky and heavy.

Signage
Magnetic signs highlighting popular authors within each section. Easy books had pictures of the characters—e.g. Pigeon, and fiction books had popular series marked with protruding shelf signs—e.g. Harry Potter. Gurnee had hanging brighter blue signs that were large fonts, very visible from every angle. Hanging flags of the world denoted foreign language materials. Slatwalls for acrylic holders (flyer in one, small take-home postcard/mini brochures right next to the highlighted program flyer). I liked the shelf signs for popular series, and noting popular authors on the end caps. BIG and obvious “Check out Here” at self-checks, with case removals.

Collections
Books in Braille, pop-ups for in-library use only. Face-out shelving at Warren-Newport. I liked the best sellers for kids list they had up, and where to findthem. New books: no reservations, no renewals, strict fines, first come first serve. Love it. End cap shelving for cool displays and more space. I don't think we have the room, but I like the idea. Video game collection (Skokie).

Café
Gurnee had a beautiful and large café space. Allow snacks in certain areas of the library, with trash cans and signage about not leaving a mess? All Aboard is more cramped and has a convenience-store, rather than café, feel.

Computers
Family computer rooms separated out for caregivers with young children under age of 8. Skokie had a computer center just for kids in a separate room that was fully staffed, had posted behavioral rules, was quiet, and offered homework assistance! Both adult and children’s labs were monitored. Mandating that parents sit with kids younger than 8 on the computers. Some summer days, I wish we had a two hour PERIOD limit on the computers. It makes sense and would cut down on a lot of behavior issues.

Security
Greeter who was on her feet, dressed in business casual, offered to help us find anything. Wonderful, warm staff member who also was on alert.

Storytime Room
Hidden from rest of department and more private. Parents were given “beepers” for when storytime was over. Shades or curtains in our current ST room? Skokie’s story telling area was cuter than W-N's, but without headphones,it would get annoying fast. Still, I like the idea.

Décor
Skokie had lots of plants, and gigantic chess sets. Warm colors on walls (Waukegan), natural light (Gurnee).

YA
Special space for gaming and projects. “Story Stop” for tweens/teens. Needs to be staffed (volunteers?)

Book Drop
Gurnee had the same one as ours, but a green light indicated when patrons should add another item. Large signage at Waukegan “Book Return”. A nicer returns sign, with handy visual cue. Love. Gurnee also had a super-cool 24 hour holds in lockers and secured room. And they put books on hold spine down for privacy.

Friends Bookstores
Open year-round. Gurnee is on the honor system and not staffed (patrons put money in a secured slot in the wall). Waukegan’s was staffed, even!

Rave reviews

This title has been garnering lots of attention, starred reviews and such. It's a collection of comics from the 1930's through the 1960's. The focus here is squarely on comic comics, nary a superhero in sight. Booklist says "If there's a word with more urgency than essential, then that's what this comics cornerstone is for libraries".

Ban the Dictionary!

A 1979 ban request.

And then there's Wendy's perspective over at Six Boxes of Books: Would you ever challenge a book?

I'm curious about Daniel Boone and Amos Freeman, now - I never read either, and we own them both.

The Whine of Miss Jane Brody

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/health/29brod.html?em
Does anyone else find the tone in this article a tad condescending? Of course these are important points, but the "back in my day..." descriptions really irritated me.

Switcheroo

Hey y'all! This Saturday I super-heavily weeded the nonfiction VHS (hellooooo, book sale!) so that the collection could fit into three bays instead of five. [Many thanks to Danny for help canceling all those suckers.] The next step is to switch where the nonfiction DVDs and the nonfiction VHS currently are--giving the NF DVDs more space to grow and moving the VHS toward their natural destiny (to be withdrawn completely within the next couple of years). I'll make sure to change the signage and, eventually, the department maps, too. Feedback welcome--thanks!

ST books for preschoolers

A.K. Rosenthal's latest is lots of fun, but maybe 1 spread too long...

...and Horacek's 2008 "oblivious goose in trouble" tale worked very well, except for the 3 year old who kept insisting that the titular fowl was "a baby!"...dunno 'bout that one.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover

I'm busy planning the Stuffed Animal Sleepover Party for Dole. Thanks for all the helpful advice--I'm going to read stories about animals on the loose: Corduroy, Duck on a Bike, Where's My Teddy?, and Duck's Not Afraid of the Dark. We'll end with a rousing game of "Librarian Says" and Rockabye Your Bear. We're making blankies, and the kids will tuck in their friends and say goodbye. Then, I'll madly try to photograph them in interesting poses like this: www.slideshare.net/elancolibrary/stuffed-animal-sleepover
Wish me luck!

Historical Field Trip!

Brooklyn Public Library Children's Room, 1941:



My friend Alison works there now. She says that it was recently remodeled, but the windows and reading "easels" are still the same. What a great space! I think I'm most jealous about the balcony - except for the inevitable projectiles.

Click through to view much larger - great details.

via shorpy.com

Guesting at Dole

So I subbed for Lori this AM at Dole, for a Family Open ST. I took along lots of stuff, so I'd be ready for whatever ages showed up. As it turned out, I did the same exact books and stretchers from my 2s ST yesterday, and it went very well. Seriously, there were 18 kids, and I'd say 2 of them were 1 years, 2 were 4 year olds, 2-3 were 3 year olds, and all the rest were not-so-terrible 2s. Anyway, here's the books I did:

They all were received well, but the biggest hit was definitely Walking through the Jungle. And even though JN was gagging at the cheesiness of the rhyme when I briefly showed it to her yesterday, the "5 Little Mice" flannel was a lot of fun to do - I hammed up the ending, having all the mice running for shelter while the kitten chased them around, until only their tails were showing, at which point the kitten tickled those tails with its whiskers. Finally, the biggest bear puppet continues to be a golden ending, with kids coming up for bear hugs and kisses. Muy cute.

Later, Levar!

PG-13 rated, and perhaps slightly inappropriate. however, very funny.

http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/my_living_nightmare_of?utm_source=facebook_1

Not So Terrible

Well, not to blow your minds or anything, but it turns out the 2-year-olds really aren't the malicious, meandering, librarian-munchers I always thought they were. They're mostly doll-faces, and it's not difficult to get excited about story-timing for them. Even the grown-ups were more into it than I expected and I think that's partly because I ditched the red chairs (I mean, HID THEM IN THE STORAGE CLOSET) so the kids are still sticking to their caregivers a bit, especially in the beginning.

I've settled on a new opener--bye-bye "Thumpkin"--"Clap Your Hands" from Wiggleworms. Oh, and a new closer: "Kitty Kat, Kitty Kat," which is, of course, just "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" with my buddy Schnorgle. I borrowed something from Lori and have started using Schnorgle to give the kids farewell kisses/hugs.

I'm still struggling with book selection for 2s because they're just so in-betweeny, so if you know of any sure-fire hits, I'd love to hear about them.

Babar moving

We are moving the Babar books over to favorite friends.

New session, new book

Well, my fall ST session kicked off this morning with a fun and good-sized (25 kids) group of 2s. I took a (lazy) chance and left all the red chairs in the storage closet, after hearing Rory's rationale for not using them with her 2s, and actually liked it that way - no big problems, and kids (mainly) kept in their own spots on the rug.

Besides doing 2 classic titles (Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Do Pigs Have Stripes?), I tried a new picturebook right off the new title cart. I have never done Wiggle or Bounce in STs, but I thought this lastest one by Cronin had potential. I knew Stretch was too long for 2s, so I just read 3/4 of it. I should have read about 2/3 of it, as it did start to, um, stretch on for too long. However, the kids definitely liked most of it, and it would probably work very well for 3 and 4 year olds....so, I'll use it with my Preschool group on Friday and let you know how it goes.

Who Would Go First?

I suspect this was funnier before September 1, but I think we can still relate.

Shelf Check 353: I Had A Dream.

via under the covers

Hilarious, or just sad?

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/oakbrook/news/1759764,oak-brook-dogdance-091009-s1.article

I propose that Andy hire the dancing dogs-- that, or maybe some singing cats?

And Sometimes We Love You Back

That is a large frog.

http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/2009/09/big-frog-cant-fit-in-sizzle.html

In non-frog related news, Longfellow school's author night on September 23 will feature John Sciezka and David Shannon reading from their new book Robot Zot and signing! Across the street from my house! Cool.

Gennie

Road Trip!

I'm excited about our upcoming road trip to Waukegan Public Library. For those of you who can't make the trek, here's a virtual tour for you: http://www.waukeganpl.org/kids/elc.html. We might have time to visit one other library on our way, so send in your votes for your favorite destination.

1. Warren-Newport PL in Gurnee (closest)

2. Des Plaines PL

3. Park Ridge PL

4. Skokie PL

5. Evanston PL (might be a little too far east?)

6. Deerfield PL (isn't this where Kate is?)

7. Arlington Heights PL (might be a little too far west?)

I tried to pick ones that were close to either 294 or 94.

Any suggestions on where we should eat around Waukegan?

Wuv the Ones

Jenny found my teddy bear flower puppet! Yippee!! Thanks to Gennie, the bluebird puppet is functional and I sang "Bluebird on my shoulder" two times. I like doing "Beehive" with the monkey mitt, but not with the bee hand puppet (too realistic probably). Lori's Baa Baa Black Sheep flannel rocked the house and the Where's Spot? big book never lets me down. Other thumbs up: Giddy Up-Let's Ride, The Baby Goes Beep. Thumbs down--Penelope the Piglet. Grownups like it, but kids really seem indifferent. Charlie the Chick is much better.

Since I haven't posted in so long--here are some surefire books for 2's: Who's on the Farm? lift-the-flap, Where's Your Smile, Crocodile, and Let's Play in the Forest (while the wolf is not around).

success with 2 new books, 1 old one

For an outreach ST for 4s and 5s this afternoon at Anderson Center, I grabbed 2 brand-new titles off the cart, and both worked really well. The first one, Are You a Horse? is kind of long, but the kids were really into it - the story features a rather clueless cowboy (Roy, of course) who receives a saddle for his birthday, but needs to find an equine partner to fully partake of his gift's possibilities. Unfortunately, he has no idea what a horse is. So, narrowing it down, step by animal step, he finally finds a trusty steed...but there's a great twist at the end that the kids really liked.

The other new book I tried, with similar success, was Harry Hungry. The titular baby develops one serious appetite; he starts with a small snack and quickly moves his way on up to the top of the food chain. After eating his father's car, the neighbors' house, and other delicacies, Harry is stopped only by an overwhelming need to nap. The illustration style is rather retro and idiosyncratic (Heather's not a big fan), but it is very colorful and the pictures show up well at a distance. The kids had no problem suspending belief for this monster baby book, and also didn't seem to have any issue with Harry instantly shrinking in size after burping.

Finally, I tried a book that's been around for a few years, but I had never done in a ST before - Little Pea. I had always liked the story, but had been concerned about the art being too small and plain to work in a ST setting. Well, the group was on the smaller side - 12 kids - and I could scoot up close to them to pan, and thus ensure a decent view for all. And it worked! The kids seemed downright stunned by a world in which a youngster has to finish his candy before he can dive into his dessert of....spinach! They were sort of quiet after I finished, until I asked, "Do you eat candy for dinner?" and they all kind of exploded with "NO!"s...

Dino-success!

Big props to our ST outreach interns, Amanda and Mandy, for doing a great job with their special Dinosaur storytimes at the 3 branches this past week. At Maze on Monday they had a total attendance of 47, and at Dole on Tuesday they had a total of 61 kids and adults. As good as those numbers are, though, they paled to the scene at Main on Wednesday...As you can see in the picture, the room was PACKED! I've never seen the ST room that full before, and I counted at least 90 people leaving at the end! Amanda and Mandy did a fantastic job with the huge crowd, and only made 1 child cry. ;-)

Saturday Open

Boy, this was a young crowd! Now, I'll need training for two's though I guess that's coming up. Dead silence for helping to sing or any refrains. I tried to do Jennie's hat but had prop problems. The hat at the end turned out cute though and I had children try it on and gave them baby bird kisses. The bravest was about a 1 1/2 year old. She tried on the hat, got baby bird kisses numerous times and a sticker! I think I'll try it out on the 3 year olds next Friday but act it out after reading the story. That's all folks! See you in April!

Babies

OMG! What a baptism by fire this morning. We had 30 tots and 30 adults (& probably more). I did my previous storytime for ones but just read the read-along because I didn't think there would be enough copies to go round. It sure helped to have done it twice before but I still need to do rhymes twice because the time flew! I did mention that I was nervous and needed their enthusiastic support which they gave. Lots of participation on the grown-ups part. I think I did O.K No surveys though, I didn't know where to find them. Thanks to Rory, Heather and everybody for their time and good comments.

Behbehs!

Mad props to Rory for all her time and energy working with Jenny and I on the baby/1s storytimes, not to mention how well she's trained these parents - they're all attentive and love to participate. Sometimes they don't even need me - on our read along of Bow Wow Hears Something this week, two of my pages stuck together and they didn't even notice! They just kept reading aloud without me. I love it.

Rory had some excellent tips, such as splitting up a longer book I found (What Do We Do With the Baby, by Rick Walton) into two, doing half each week. It's a sweet book, very easily divided, and they seemed to enjoy the continuity. That's Not My Puppy was such a hit that I got asked by two caregivers who the author was so they could get their own copies.

At the end, a dad asked me about CDs for babies with more traditional songs, "You know, like the Noble Duke of York that you tried to do." Tried? Nolan's Dad, you're looking a lot less adorable to me right now.

I think both weeks went really well, no parents cried or begged for Miss Rory's return, so I think the next session is going to be great. :) I really need to up my repertoire of rhymes and songs, though - I'd love to hear everyone's favorites.

Duck, Pig, Cow and Mouse FTW

With a one year break in between storytimes, I was a little nervous for Monday's family open. It went well, though - fun books, enthusiastic kids. My favorite to read was Jan Thomas's The Doghouse, which I had come across while doing a clean-up the week before, and the kids got into it. Lots of kids wanted to share lots of stories, which meant I did lots of redirecting during and then listening after the storytime, but they were pretty cute about it.

Saturday's storytime opened with a child running in and stopping short with a horrified look on his face. "Oh, no, where's Mr. Andy??" Thanks, kid; I think you're awesome, too. I did a very similar program for the open storytime, minus The Doghouse - Leslie had also tried to read it the week before, but Andy had done it the week before that. Book stealer. It skewed pretty young - mainly two-year-olds with a smattering of three and four year olds. Rory's Three Little Penguins was definitely the hit of the morning.

Salmontimes

I just wanted to give a shout-out to my special "storytime interns," Jenny and Shelley. They've both improved, like, 1,000% (and that's after starting off strong!), especially in the fields of confidence, presence and planning power. Observing them both this morning--what a treat to watch my storytimes instead of doing them!--made me proud as a mama bear watching her cubs catch their first salmon. Or something.

I'll let them blog about the actual storytimes ....

More Like Tanka Tanka Skunk!

Can anyone suggest more books like Tanka Tanka Skunk! that would work well with playing the bongos or rhythm sticks? I have used the sticks with Tikki Tikki Tembo in the past, but need some new ideas.

Rough going

It's been quite a while since I had a ST as rough as this morning's 9:30 1 year old group. It wasn't that the kids were loud and psychotic, or that the parents were loud and inattentive. The kids were kinda squirrely and rather unresponsive, but I've certainly seen much worse. No, the trouble was that I was lacking any kind of spark. I was not having fun, and kept thinking, is this thing over yet? Ouch. I know I've talked to most of you before about putting on my "game face" when I'm not really feeling it, but I felt like this was the first time that the face/mask kept slipping. At this point I thoroughly agree with Heather about 8 weeks being the longest period of time a ST session should run, with 6 weeks being preferable - this current 10 week session is really burning me out.
Thankfully, I drank some more coffee, made a couple of changes (including the insertion of more jokes directed at the parents), and the 10:30 ST went much better: much more fun for kids, caregivers, and me.

Game Stretchers

I really want this blog to survive and even thrive, but I've done very little lately to contribute to it--apologies! Maybe if we all try to post at least once or twice more before this session and re-evaluate whether we wanna keep it for the spring schedule?

Anyway, I thought I could share a couple of things that always work for me, especially in a mixed-age grou. First is "The Rhyming Game" (fancy name, huh?). I usually read the kids a rhyming book (this time it was the excellent and relatively new "Rhyming Dust Bunnies") and ask them if they know how to rhyme. When they inevitably insist that YES THEY DO! I ask them to stand up and repeat after me...

Me: Say 'red'...
Them: RED!
Me: And touch your...head! Now, say 'jelly'...
Them: BELLY!
Me: And touch your...belly! Wow, you really are good rhymers!

Of course, I'm always pointing to the body party I'm asking them to guess while I say the first word. Even then, it takes a few rounds for kids to use the hints. But it's the sort of stretcher you can make as long as you want (they don't seem to lose interest) and just make up as you go along. I always end by asking them to say "belbow," which gets a laugh, because even 3-year-olds know that's not a real word.

Another game I like to use as a stretcher is "Librarian [instead of Simon] Says"--the Pajama Storytime kids dig this. I try to make it library-relevant by asking them to "read a book" or "point to your grown-up" or "wave at the librarian" or whatever. Younger children don't really get the elimination aspect of the game, nor do older kids like the elimination aspect, so I...yeah, generally ignore it. Right at the end I'll shake my head NO emphatically and tell the kids to do something without first saying "Librarian says..." and cheerfully ask them all to sit down. Because they're all out at that point.

oral telling

I was inspired by Lori's most recent post (and the fact that I'm running out of ST books) to do a bit of oral telling yesterday for my in-house STs for 1 year olds. Obviously, the "plot" was really simple for 1s - I used a stuffed monkey and just said, "monkey is hungry - what do you think he wants to eat?" and a couple of older siblings said "a banana!" So then I walked monkey around looking for a banana. He meets his friends: rooster, cow, and horse. "Hello" says monkey, and they cock-a-doodle, moo, and neigh, respectively. Monkey then asks "do you have a banana for me?" and they all answer "no." Monkey finally runs into his ol' pal gorilla, and whaddyaknow, gorilla's got the goods. I used a real banana, and wrapped the monkey's long arms all around the fruit, hugging the banana because he was so happy. I then put on the monkey-eating-a-banana hat and said something like "ooh, bananas taste so good"...yeah, not exactly Nat'l Book Award material, but the kids liked it, and it offered plenty of opportunities to make animal sounds...so, success.

Rubba Dub Dub

To address the large crowds I've been getting at the branch storytimes, I've been looking for ways of doing more storytelling rather than reading. This week I made a flannel board based on the book Rubba Dub Dub and got a surprising round of applause when I was finished, so I think I'm on the right track.

I modified the book to include animals I could actually cut out of felt--two penguins, a snake, a turkey, a butterfly and a rubber duck. When the penguins feet came unglued during the story, I told them I scrubbed to hard (that ought to induce a nightmare in a kid or two).

Before putting each animal in the tub, I put it on the board covered with white felt to resemble soap and said scrub a dub dub, now who's getting in the tub, then revealed the animal underneath. The animals I used made for some good ad libs. I had the turkey scootch to the side when the snake came in. I had the butterfly fly above the tub, so as not to get its wings wet.

At the end, elephant comes and the kids all yelled spontaneously that he wouldn't fit, but instead of trying to get in; he drinks up all the water, and the bath is over. Super simple, but a crowd pleaser.

Baby party!

So there were hundreds of people in my 11:00 Babies/1s ST this past Saturday. Well, I counted at least 28 kids and 26 adults, which felt like hundreds. Amazingly, it went pretty well - I was prepared for it to be chaos, but it wasn't.

Older kids can be fun too

Well, you know how I love my twos, but the family open at Maze was full of three and ups this week and I really enjoyed myself. I got to read longer books, The Gruffalo, Ain't Gonna Paint, Max's ABC. They sang the ABC song, loved the 3 little monkeys in the tree prop with oral story, but especially got into the Two Little Blackbirds flannel when we did it as a fingerplay.

Heather taught me the additional verses awhile back.....and I used a couple, two little blackbirds sitting on a cloud, one named Quiet and the other named Loud, and two little blackbirds sitting on the grass, one named Slow and the other named Fast. I knew twos liked this, but the older kids really joined in, and found it hilarious.

Miss Genevieve's First Storytime!

And I survived!

I went with kind of a half monster theme and used my homemade monster dolls as props, which I think the kids dug.

Read: My Monster Mama Loves Me So (which a parent came up afterwards to get the name of), Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Tickle the Duck, Pig in the Pond (big book) and Dinosaur vs Bedtime.

Songs: Wiggleworms-style Good Morning to you song (sang it, not the CD) and ended with "Good morning to the monsters!", pulling them out from behind me, which the kids seemed to like. Also, 2 Little Monsters (Blackbirds), 5 Ugly Monsters Jumping on the Bed, If You're Happy and You Know It (monster stuff like gnash your teeth, wiggle your horns...) and closed with Ralph Covert's "Driving in My Car."

We had a good turnout despite the snow and *I think* the kids all dug it! They were a pretty sedate bunch, but at least their parents applauded a bit :) The monster stories seemed to be the most popular; I don't think they really "got" Dinosaur, which bummed me out a bit. They definitely liked when I tossed the monsters to bump them on the head and most wanted to pet / cuddle the monsters at the end when they came up for stickers.

Nice little adrenalin rush and it felt natural, not nerve-racking, so, yay!

Pig Pig Grows Up

If you haven't used this book in a family open storytime yet, you must give it a try. It never fails for the three and ups and the punchline always gets parent and child laughs. Amazingly, Adam, an 18 month old, sat for it also.

The branch STs were mostly packed. I had 24 kids at Dole which was a surprise. The room was super hot and I had a heavy sweater on, but we did Ralph Covert's Driving in My Car with the paper plate steering wheels anyway. I think parents like this song as much or more than the kids.

Cutest baby ever!

From our Babies storytime this morning...

Actually Written by Miss Rory, Posing Shamelessly As Miss Lori

My Wonderful Ones were kind of exhausting this morning. Lots of running laps, too many weary nannies, and several cases of the grabbies (when kids just want to take anything that's in my hand out of my hand) but we prevailed.

I think some of the grown-ups have been in other storytimes where they don't have to sit on the ground, and they're sort of rebelling by pulling up the bigger chairs. I do not condone this, but with such a large group it's hard to convince them it'll be easier for everyone if they "find a spot and squat," as my step-mom used to so elegantly say. Besides, a couple of these grown-ups are pregnant or grandmotherly.

I read George's Book! and that went over well, though I abridged several middle pages. The kids almost laughed when I put the book on my head like a hat--and almost laughing is exactly like laughing for one-year-olds.

We tried another read-along with Elmo's SO Big, or whatever it's called. The book has a bit too much text so it was a pretty wobbly few minutes. The kids do love the end, when Elmo pops right out.

I had better luck with Lori's octopus puppet--I wiggled it around and most of the kids waved back. I sang "This is the way we wash our hair/bellies/backs...on a Tuesday morning" and then used one of its tentacles to brush my teeth. More almost-laffs.

BTW, I need some suggestions of new stuff to do with the shakers...the Milkshake Song is getting dusty.

One Hundred Peas

Monday was a mostly green storytime--frog books, The Green Grass Grows All Around song (yes, I used the Barney CD, but it was still fabulous), and Five Fat Peas with the pompon peas. After having the peapod burst three times, and toddlers shouting "do it again" for the fourth time, I decided to take all the peas I had, and send them flying at once. For the uninitiated "One hundred peas, in a peapod pressed, one grew, two grew and so did all the rest. They grew, and they GREW, and they did not stop, until one day the peapod popped." It could have been madness, but they were very polite little twos and didn't bump heads or anything.

I also read Blue Goose (probably better for threes than twos). I don't think the twos quite get the whole coloring the farm idea. I ended with Boynton's Blue Hat, Green Hat. It never fails to make the twos giggle.

Yay Babies!

I had a lot of fun today at my first ever baby storytime. The babies were really cute, and the grown-ups were very cooperative. I read Where is Baby's Belly Button?, Peek-a-Pet, Baby Faces, and The Baby Goes Beep. They all worked well, but Peek-a-Pet was definitely the most popular. I followed Andy's advice to have the babies listen to the sounds as I pulled different instruments out of my bag and played them. When I played the triangle, you could have heard a pin drop. This one little boy had this huge smile on his face, and even the constant roamer stopped to listen. Sigh. I can see why Rory loves her babies. Also, the babies really liked Heather's flower/bear puppet. Many thanks to Heather and Andy for all their help - you're the best!

Please Don't Cry!

The group was very chatty for PJ storytime on Monday. They had lots to tell me and their friends, but it worked o.k. I had the children help me with Little Miss Muffet, and they were really excited about holding the spider puppet. I read The Squeaky Door (Andy does a really great job telling this orally, but I would completely forget the whole story) and it was really popular. We discussed that, "Beds are for people, not horses." Ah, the wisdom of storytime.
At the end I was handing out felt stars for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I was handing them out and all the kids got really excited (for some random reason) about having a pink star! One little girl who was last to get a star was really worried she wouldn't get a pink star and really wanted one, so she started to cry. I had plenty of pinks, and I handed her one, but by that time a meltdown had started. It was very sweet, though, when they were returning the stars, she came up to me and tearily said, "Thanks for the pink star. (sniff sniff)." I almost died.

Monday Tods Chaos

I had a full 9:30 toddler program on Monday, but at least a 1,000 kids in the 10:30. I nearly lost my voice shouting the books. My favorite thing was Rory's Three Little Men in a Flying Saucer. I would have done it with the British accent like Rory does, but Martyn was in there with his daughter Emily, so I felt weird. Hush Little Alien calmed the crowd. I wish that book hadn't gone out of print, but we do have a very beat up copy in the storytime collection. The kids also liked the rhyme, Andy Pandy Sugar and Candy all pop up... repeat....all pop in, all pop out, and all pop down!

The Busy Babies were cute as buttons this morning, with a couple of newbies joining us. I read Ehlert's Color Farm, which I'd never tried before. I emphasized that of course we weren't teaching the babies shapes or colors yet but that it'd might be fun to try something new...let's trace these shapes on our babies' backs or bellies! It was run to watch the caregivers try an octagon, and happily, the heart shape was last. Awww.

It was going along swimmingly when I noticed a two-year-old who just seemed...alone. She was sitting on one of the red chairs quietly and was into all the books and rhymes but I couldn't match her up with any of the adults or babies (because at first, of course, I thought was was a big sister to someone). Finally, about ten minutes into the storytime, just before "Row Row Row Your Boat," I put on a big smile and asked which grown-up belonged to her. No one spoke up so I just kept my sing-songy voice on, excused myself to open the door, and called out, "Is anyone missing a little one?" Within seconds one of our security guards and Leslie and a frazzled nanny rushed over. Phew!

two little penguins...in a helicoptor...flew 'round the world one day...

After "Head, Shoulders" and playing peek-a-boo with the scarves (and we used every single one in the box!), I did something slightly different with with my Ones today. I said, "Let's show our little ones how good our imaginations are, grown-ups. Let's pretend your scarf is a...hat! Let's pretend it's a...bowtie! Let's pretend it's an...apron! Let's pretend it's...lederhosen!" Then I went down the body again, making up new stuff. It was really fun.

We read Ten In the Den and I kept messing up. I would turn the page too early or too late, always revealing the animal that was rolling down the hill at an awkward time. I don't know--I don't like books that are repetitive in story but not in layout. It's confusing for a storytimer! I did, though, show them how the Brits sing the song (with a crazy chorus about knots in your pajamas) and they laughed.

One hit was a song I re-wrote for two of our penguin plushes, to the tune of "Three Little Men In A Flying Saucer."

There were 29 one-year-olds in that room today! Somehow, it worked.

Wednesday 2's

Snowy Day by Keats--classic, but always popular. I did the three brown teddies flannel, but they seem to have lost their mini casts somewhere along the line. They're still cute as a button. Music--I tried Sharon, Lois, and Bram this week but the song, "Sail on the Sea" was too fast to follow. I still love it, though, but should go solo next time. The Wiggles rock with "Hot Potato"--super fun, super easy. I also read, Hello is this Grandma? and the kids were riveted--especially when crocodile shows himself. Jackson's Blanket was sweet, but so-so. Hard to get into the action, somehow.

Giddy up Cowpokes!

It was a cowboy theme for Preschoolers this morning. They hung in there for some pretty long books. I read "Lasso Lou & Cowboy McCoy", "Sixteen Cows" (I love the names of the cows in this one, lots of chances to ham it up), and "Little Old Big Beard and Big Young Little Beard". Talk about your concepts! We sang or should I say Sharon, Lois & Bram sang "She'll be comin' round the mountain" and the groundhog rhyme rounded out the morning.

Where are you Sunflower, Baby Face, Button Eyes and Charlotte Grace, Jelly Roll, Peekaboo, Cinderbox and Bobbie Lou?

Three's Company

I read a cute little guessing game book called "Bear's Busy Morning". I sat on the floor and did the storytime, I think I'll continue to do that. We also went through a fingerplay about Groundhog Day and we all hope the Groundhog doesn't see his shadow on Monday, and that spring is on it's way. I then read "Jackson's Blanket" and "Under the Bed". I had qualms about "Under the Bed". I didn't want to give them any ideas about being afraid of things under their beds but it solicited smiles and a laugh from a mom at the end when all the things under the bed are afraid of the thing in the bed. We did the Hokey Pokey and they were really good at participating, more than the 4's and 5's. Viva threes!

p.s. am I the only one who thinks the Groundhog is mixed up? I always thought it made more sense the other way around. He sees his shadow and spring is on it's way, he doesn't see his shadow and there's more winter!

Groundhog Buzz

Book Buzz was hilarious yesterday.
The theme was Groundhog Day, so I read Punxsutawney Phyllis by Susanna Hill. (The plot is that although Phyllis is the best young groundhog at predicting the weather no one thinks she will be the one to replace the aging official groundhog because she is a girl.)
One first grade feminist raised her hand and was simply outraged at this travesty of justice, exclaiming, "But that is NOT FAIR. Girls can be groundhogs too Miss Jennifer!"
After two weeks of chocolate frosting and glitterglue heavy crafts, I decided on a low mess level craft activity. We made paper groundhog crowns-- they were a big hit and the kids looked adorable in them.
I am loving this age group!

Forever Young

My Wonderful Ones went well today (and, wow, there were a lot of them), but it would have even better if I'd better remembered the difference between a 13-month-old and a 23-month-old. I had a lot of older Ones today, and I'm not sure I challenged or engaged them as much as I could have. My brain is still calibrated toward babies and their caregivers.

For example, I realized that I was asking parents to grab their little ones' feet when I read Charlie Chick (which I need to retire, I think--I've read it in/at least 15 storytimes)...and that's more of something you do with babies. I could have asked the bigger Ones to point to their own feet/beak/belly. I also forgot that felt boards were a magnet for roaming Ones and had to practically swat a few off when I did "Old McDonald" on the board. Doing Moo Bah Lalala as a read-along was a hit, though, as was handing out the puppets (I'm so glad we've got those!) and doing "Head, Shoulders" and "Humpty Dumpty" and "Rockabye Baby" with them.

Of course, when it was time for Busy Babies, I welcomed them as my default . I did almost the same storytime, but provided more talking points ("remember that varying your voice a lot when you read even the simplest thing helps your baby to learn letter sounds!"). We skipped the feltboard and I tried the Color Farm board book, which might have been a little too small for a storytime.

Today doubled my resolve to try a lot of new things with my little guys this term (do we call it a term?) and to be careful with my distinctions between Babies and Ones.

Chatty Mommies

Tonight the kids were fine - it was two chatty moms who sat in the corner and were talking almost nonstop - very quietly, but still it was annoying. The kids didn't even seem to notice, I guess it was only me it distracted, but ideas anyone? Thanks.

I read Penguin by Polly Dunbar because I think it's hysterical and I did get a few jaw drops from the kids. I also read Tacky the Penguin, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and New Socks (why is that book so funny?). The books went over well. The kids were super cute when I asked them to do Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes as fast as they could - I had to laugh. Also, this group always sings along with every song, so that's really encouraging.

Preschool Storytime

I kept with the stuffed friends theme and read Corduroy instead of Knuffle Bunny. These kids weren't as good as coming up with an animal rhyme, coming up with duck and chair instead. What? The numbers haven't been real good. Perhaps we should go back to one at 10:00.

Three's

I had a stuffed friends theme this week, I read "Where's My Teddy", "Knuffle Bunny" and sang "Oh, A-Hunting We Will Go" which the kids really giggled at. After the book I asked if they had any animals we could rhyme and lo and behold they came up with "cat" and "hat". Brillant! I acted out "We're going on a bear hunt" and of course did "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear". A couple of kids got on the topic of monsters, so that will be next week's theme!

Hi, Pizza Man!

This is an old favorite of mine that had gone out of print. I ordered a used copy from Amazon that just arrived. It's still gold! I wore the pizza hat while I read it, and you could have heard a pin drop. Even my two roamers stopped in their tracks to listen. I'm taking it this week to Blocks 24, but you should definitely try it for 2s and 3s or Saturday ST.

I also read Sleepyhead Bear which would be a better book if the rhymes didn't feel so forced. The kids liked it, but I found myself making changes as I read it, so it wasn't so sing-songy. We sang Bringing home a Baby Bumblebee with the bee puppet and I encouraged them to join in with very loud ouches as I stung different parts of my body. For some reason, this is very exciting and even the shy ones giggle when I get stung.

Saturday Babies

We had seven babies, one mom with twins, and quite a few dads on Saturday. The mom with twins was impressive. She would do an activity with one, while the other sat very precariously in front of her, then she would switch them. These had to be the sunshiniest round happy faced babies I have ever performed for. We read So Big, Baby Faces, and Peekaboo Baby (all together). I used the 3 Fat Sausages flannel or 3 Fat Turds as some like to call it. Come on, I ask you, does poop sizzle? Of course not!

I also used the Ravioli snack box with the babies and they did not reject it, although Maxwell did start crying when his dad tickled his chin. You win some, you lose some.

Other rhymes included: Two Little Eyes, Ponies Were Walking, Acka Backa Soda Cracka, Wibbleton to Wobbleton, Sally Go Round the Sun, Grandfather Clock Goes Tick Tock, and Open Them Shut Them.

No Ravioli For Me Thanks!

I had a first today--four kids who refused to hold my pretend ravioli. I had put some fake fruit in one of the story boxes (calling it my snack box) and after pulling out an orange, some grapes and an apple and rejecting them, I pulled out the ravioli and said "that's the food for me" (leading into the song).

I went to pass out the pieces and four toddlers turned me down. The nerve! or maybe they wanted real ravioli instead of a piece of paper towel. or maybe they didn't have a clue as to what ravioli was and it seemed scary or maybe they thought the fake fruit looked way more appetizing. I don't know, but there was definitely some group think going on.

Jason's Blanket was a success. Thanks Jennifer. I tried a new Alligator rhyme and used it with Clarabella's Teeth and it went over just fine. I also read at Heather's recommendation, Walking in the Jungle, which is gold! Interestingly, I had alligators/crocodiles (who knows the difference?) in all three books without aiming for it as a theme. Does that ever happen to you? You realize your hodgepodge actually makes some kind of sense.

Lilly Andy

Dole-drums

Not a very successful storytime today at Dole. The crowd was bigger than last week, but boy howdy were they stonefaced little darlings. There were a couple of regulars who participated, but I hadn't seen any of the other folks before-- not sure if they were new, or just not Main patrons. It was one of those times when I felt slightly manic, because my instinct when no one is joining in is to ramp up the enthusiasm.
I read Whose Nose and Toes ?, A Good Day, and the Big Dig pop-up. One boy who had been completely silent went crazy over all the trucks! I did get some nice responses to Whose Nose and Toes? as well.
One BIG problem-- the tiger bubble maker absolutely refused to work, which caused the whole low-energy affair to end on a even lower note. I thought I would save the day because I had a brand-new spare bottle of bubbles on hand. However-- apparently wands are sold separately these days.
Sigh.

Babies, 1's and 2's oh my!

I did four storytimes this week. Whew! For babies and 1's, I pretty much used the same program--just added more rhymes for babes and more books for 1's. Toes, Ears, & Nose (Karen Katz's illustrations are perfect for babies!) was a fab lift-the-flap, Penelope the Piglet worked with all 3 ages groups--especially the snuffly pig part (I asked the kids "Where's your snout? And they actually pointed to their noses!), Clip Clop pairs perfectly with the new horse puppet as does Giddy up Let's Ride. I tell the parents they get to be the horsies and that kids can pet their "manes"/hair! The Baby Goes Beep, I Like it When, Peek-a-Pet and Maisy Goes Swimming were perfect with the 1's. Especially Maisy. She always rocks. For the 2's, There Once Was a Puffin and From Head to Toe worked well but the real star was Snowbaby Could Not Sleep. Thanks Lori! I had the kids count paper snowflakes with me during the story and this was a book that calmed everyone down. Kathy Reid Naiman's song, The Ponies are Walking provided some active play to get the wiggles out, and my name game Ball Bounces is a must for babies and 1's.

Pajama-rama

I was a little hesistant when I opened the door and only one mom with her two very little girls came in. There was no one else to recruit, so I started storytime. They were very cute, but obviously new to storytime, and pretty scared of me. (Scary Ms. Kate!) Then, two more kids came in with their moms, both regular storytimers, so they helped perk up the energy. I thought it might be hard with only four, but they sang and clapped with me and really listened to the stories. Plus, with only four, they were able to help put the felt pieces on the felt board which they looooved.

I read Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Keisha Ann Can (good one Leslie!), Not a Box and Who is Driving? I did an oral storytelling of Grumpy Bird with the felt board pieces, and it was really fun. I also used the felt board for Wheels on the Bus, and the kids really liked that. So even for a small crowd, it still went pretty well.

Andy's first babies ST

Well, I survived, and even enjoyed it. I had talked to both Rory and Heather at some length, and they graciously imparted their baby wisdom, so I felt decently prepared. I decided for this very first ST not to do any completely new rhymes or stretchers, and instead just adapt ones that I already felt very comfortable with. The worst part of the ST was opening the doors at 11:00 and not have anyone come in! I had to walk around and actively recruit, and let in a few post-15-month-olds, just to eventually get a cozy little group of 7, which turned out to be a nice size. Here's my plan o' action:
1. Intro comments...
2. song – come along and sing with me, sing with me, sing with me, come along and sing with me, on a Saturday morning
- clap with me - kick with me - read with me
3. book – Where’s Spot?
4. stretcher – where is thumbkin?
5. Song – You Are My Sunshine – use flannel sun
6. book – Bear at Home – introduce with Bear puppet
7. fingerplay – Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
8. rhyme – intro with bee puppet – Here is the beehive
9. book – Read-along – That’s Not My Puppy
10. stretcher - open shut them
11. activity – 1 big bubble, high up in the sky
12. song – now it’s time to say goodbye

Anyway, nothing bombed, which was nice. I definitely guilted one dad into getting off his plastic chair and onto the rug, so everybody was on the floor, except me, and it definitely did make it easier for me to be the focal point. My fave moment might have been doing the read-along; it was fun passing out board books to every adult, and then reading the story out loud myself, adding lots of interjections ("ooh, touch those paws, aren't they bumpy?!?", etc.)while the adults flipped through their copies with their babies on their laps. It was also kind of nice not having to worry about panning my copy for the crowd - the rare moment where I didn't want to visually distract the babies from what was taking place in their immediate vicinity. Anyway, it turns out I don't have much trouble keeping up a running patter/flow - the perk of being a blabbermouth!