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April 22, 2009
What We Did for All-Ages Drop-In Storytime Yesterday
"Deep and Wide"
Jason sang his version of this. He did so in response to my comment that all his songs involve jumping, but the kids ruined his point by jumping even though the song doesn't explicitly invite them to do so. This is how it works: Jason starts playing the guitar, the kids start jumping. It's a Pavlovian thing.
I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems
This is our favorite Elephant and Piggie book to read together, mostly, I think, because we like alternating shouting, "Party! Party! Party! Party!"
One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
I read this for the first time in a storytime last month or the month before, and I really like it. At its core, it's a counting book with few enough words that you can read it to babies. If you're a little more aware, though, you can appreciate the way Seeger plays around with word sounds and the reader's expectations.
"I Like to Cry"
Jason sang this. He wrote the song one day after noting that while a lot of songs for kids feature things like jumping and dancing, not very many feature crying. Of course, this song ALSO involves jumping and dancing... and shouting, for good measure.
How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
This is my second favorite of Yolen and Teague's dinosaur books, probably because it's about food.
Jason's Puppy Rhyme
I used to have this memorized, but just now I can't remember it at all. It's cute, though.
"All Join In" by Quentin Blake
Jason put this to music. Very fun.
Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton
I loved Sandra Boynton when I was a kid, but then I went through this multi-year phase when I first became a children's librarian where I just thought I was too good for her books or something. I don't know what was wrong with me, because now my life's come full circle and this is one of my favorite books to read to kids. It's the three singing pigs saying, "LA LA LA!" That's the best, man.
"Jumping and Counting" by Jim Gill (from Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem)
Jason sings this. Note the jumping.
Books mentioned:
Boynton, Sandra. Moo, Baa, La La La! NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004. (BOARD: 9780671449018, LAP-SIZED BOARD: 9780689870279)
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. One Boy. NY: Roaring Book Press, 2008. (HC: 9781596432741)
Willems, Mo. I Am Invited to a Party! NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 2007. (HC: 9781423106876)
Yolen, Jane, and Mark Teague. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?. NY: Scholastic, Inc., 2005. (HC: 9780439241021)
Posted by adrienne at April 22, 2009 12:12 AM
Comments
Oh, this is funny. The jumping part, I mean. Every so often, I'll play a song at a storytime and some of the young kids will hop up and start dancing even if I don't specifically invite them to do so. I love that.
This post makes me wish I had a storytelling partner.
Posted by: Saints and Spinners at April 22, 2009 01:26 AM
Farida, Even when the kids are "dancing," what most of them are really doing is jumping. Yesterday at one point, they spontaneously formed a little mosh pit right in front of us.
We are lucky to have the two of us here in Webster.
Posted by: adrienne at April 22, 2009 07:05 PM
My girls and I have a tune (of sorts) we created for "Party! Party! Party! Party", which is not terribly complicated and won't win any Grammys, but the next time I see you, I'll sing it to you.
Posted by: jules at April 23, 2009 09:45 AM
You guys seriously know how to make us underachievers look bad.
Posted by: Liz in Ink at April 23, 2009 03:20 PM
Jules, I will look forward to it. :)
Liz, Bah, you're always busy doing something. And, also, I've been totally meaning to tell you that in the midst of a discussion about poetry the other day, a patron said to me, "There is this book we really love, A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes. Do you know it?" And I was like, "DO I EVER!"
Posted by: adrienne at April 23, 2009 07:17 PM
I love How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food because I love the picture of the dinosaur throwing his (or her) spaghetti in the air. FUN!
Posted by: Abby at April 23, 2009 11:49 PM
Sounds like so much fun and again, missing doing storytimes! One of my daughter and my favorite books is "All Join In"! We love it. Blake is fun. We also love "Mr Magnolia has only one boot."
Have you ever seen Jim Gill in concert? When I worked at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, we had him for for several of the last Summer Reading Clubs. He's amazing and I have to admit, pretty dreamy :) Eleanor and I are always singing our own versions of "May There Always Be Sunshine."....which reminds me I need to look at your former comments to see if you listed any of your favorite storytime music...xx
Posted by: Cheryl at April 24, 2009 01:26 AM
I haven't seen Jim Gill, but I've wanted to ever since I started listening to his music. He's one of my favorite children's artists.
I did post some of my favorite storytime music, I think, but now I can't remember which post it was on. Must mull it over....
Posted by: adrienne at April 24, 2009 08:50 AM