« Watching DVDs with Jason | Main | Another Tour of California »
March 03, 2009
What I Did in My Fun for 4s and 5s Storytime Today and How It Worked Out
“Two Little Blackbirds”
The kids are getting really LOUD on the “one named quiet, one named LOUD” part, which makes me laugh.
Rob Reid’s Longer “Open Them, Shut Them”
Three cheers for Rob Reid.
Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer
The one thing I’ve internalized from the whole PLA/ALSC Every Child Ready to Read initiative and all that talk about dialogic reading is that I almost always take a minute before I start reading a book to talk with the kids about the cover, asking questions along the lines of, “What do you see?” Today, I asked them if this looked like a happy book, and they all agreed that, no, it was sad or maybe scary. When I was done reading the book, one girl said, quite emphatically, “Now THAT was SCARY!”
“I Saw a Snake Go by One Day”
One girl said that if the snake drove too fast, he would get arrested. She also suggested that if *I* drove too fast, that *I* would get arrested.
This is the House that Jack Built by Simms Taback
I believe I like this book more than the kids do. The illustrations are arguably better for one-on-one sharing, what with all the details, but the rhythm of the words is so fun. The story has always been a favorite of mine, and I like Taback’s twist of adding the artist in at the end.
“Read this with Gestures” by John Ciardi
“Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum”
“Wise Old Owl”
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
There are approximately one million books about bears hibernating, but I know of no others that include a psychedelic dream in which bears sleep in pink crocuses, which is reason enough to love this book better than other books.
“Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”
I keep waiting for the day someone decides to get on my case about using a rhyme that includes the line, “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers.” So far, so good.
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
This is the best storytime nonfiction book. It always gets a LOT of reactions out of the kids.
Books mentioned:
Falconer, Ian. Olivia and the missing toy. NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003. (HC: 9780689852916, Mini-book and CD: 9781416971375)
Henkes, Kevin. Old Bear. NY: Greenwillow Books, 2008. (HC: 9780061552052, LIB: 9780061552069)
Jenkins, Steve. Actual Size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. (HC: 9780618375943)
Taback, Simms. This is the House that Jack Built. NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002. (HC: 9780399234880, PB: 9780142402009)
Posted by adrienne at March 3, 2009 11:53 AM
Comments
YES! I am your loyal dork reader who looks forward to these posts each week so that I might steal from them for my own storytimes next week. Thank you for your valuable public service! :)
Posted by: Anne at March 3, 2009 01:23 PM
Anne, I'm glad they're useful! I've referred back to them myself a few times. :) I did fall down on posting last week, and the week before I meant to post about our Teddy Bear Picnic. Things just get so busy!
Posted by: adrienne at March 3, 2009 05:14 PM
I love these posts. I so miss doing storytimes. You can never go wrong with Actual Size I don't think. Pure genius!
Posted by: Cheryl at March 4, 2009 05:32 AM
Oh I want to see you reading ACTUAL SIZE to them. My girls are obsessed with that book, and Jenkins has a new one about ocean life that is so stinkin' cool. Once again, they're obsessed with it. I hope to post about it soon.
Posted by: jules at March 4, 2009 09:24 AM
I am so glad to have found this site. I am constantly looking for great new books to read with my kids. It is fun to see what other people are reading.
Today we read a cute one titled The Moose with Loose Poops by
Charlotte Cowan- a beautifully illustrated book about a little moose with a sick stomach. I believe that one of the best things about this book is the Parent Guide in back called Getting Through Gastroenteritis. Written by a pediatrician, it answered all of my questions about how to help my sick child and even told me what to give him to eat and drink and when to call the doctor- I feel as though I will be well prepared when my kids get sick again.
Posted by: Becky at March 5, 2009 03:15 AM
I love books that rhyme like Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear........That's why I love reading Dr. Suess to my grandkids too! You're a great story reader Adrienne,that's why so many kids come to your storytime!!
Posted by: Bri's Mom at March 5, 2009 01:35 PM