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October 20, 2009
What I Did in My Fun for 4s and 5s Storytime Today and How It Worked Out
“Way Up High in the Apple Tree”
“Two Little Blackbirds”
I’ve been starting every week with these.
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall, illustrated by Shari Halpern
This is one of my favorite autumn books. Halpern’s collage illustrations feature strong colors and contrasts, making them easy to see when using the book with a group, but she also does a nice job of using specifics rather than generics when depicting leaves (maple, beech, oak, etc.) and animals (blue jay, squirrel, lady bug). Hall’s text is straightforward but encourages a little participatory fill-in (“All year long, my bother and I wait for our favorite season to come. Can you guess what it is?”). It’s the kind of book that you can talk about while you’re reading it.
“If You Should Meet a Crocodile”
The kids really seem to love this one this season. I do, too, so it’s a good match.
Doctor Ted by Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitre
Okay, so the adults laughed more than the kids, but I think we all enjoyed it.
“I Wiggle My Fingers”
Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban, illustrated by Henry Cole
Excellent read-aloud—the language is rich (“ridiculous,” “whiz,” “rumbling,” “sphere”), but the situations and Cole’s illustrations make it all easily comprehensible. The kids even joined in on the “mucky mud puddle,” which I hadn’t anticipated. I’m going to get a copy for my story shelf for sure.
“Wise Old Owl”
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd
I love everything about this book. Everything.
“Fall Winds Begin to Blow”
At the systemwide children’s librarians’ meeting last week, everyone shared storytime ideas, and Robin from Fairport shared that she gives the kids cut-out leaves to use when doing rhymes about leaves falling in the autumn. She uses a different rhyme than this one, but this one (which I got from Ruth from Irondequoit) works just as well. I gave all the kids red maple leaves this week; I think I’ll use yellow oak leaves when we do the rhyme again next week.
Posted by adrienne at October 20, 2009 01:23 PM
Comments
Doctor Ted cracks me up. And Piper. (It cracks her up, too, that is, though *she* also cracks *me* up.)
I'd love a cut-out maple leaf. I bet the kids did, too.
Why have I never seen Fall Leaves Fall? Must fix that.
Posted by: Jules at October 20, 2009 02:53 PM
Jules, I've been reading Doctor Ted to all my coworkers over the last week. It doesn't get less funny on repeat readings, I've noticed. I've got to find the firefighter one. I think my storytime kids would be glad to hear what Ted gets up to next.
Posted by: adrienne at October 20, 2009 11:45 PM
I missed the meeting. Very sad about that. Would you send me the words to "Fall Winds Begin to Blow"? Please and thank you.
Posted by: Pat at October 21, 2009 04:28 PM
Pat, Of course! I just emailed them to you on Facebook. See how useful that Facebook is?
Posted by: adrienne at October 21, 2009 07:27 PM
Oh! So glad that Mouse worked in your storytime. Thanks for sharing it with the kids!
Posted by: Linda at October 23, 2009 10:59 AM
Linda, Thanks for writing it! It's one of my favorite new picture books this year. I'm hoping you have some more in the works.
Posted by: adrienne at October 23, 2009 10:31 PM