Storytime Week 3: The Country Fair

Our Storytime theme this week is The Country Fair.

This Week's Books:
Maisy at the Fair, by Lucy Cousins
Night at the Fair, by Donald Crews
Country Fair, by Mercer Mayer
Grandma, Grandpa, and Me, by Mercer Mayer
My Pumpkin, by Julia Noonan, ill. by Peter Lawson
Brave Potatoes, by Toby Speed and Barry Root
Minerva Louise at the Fair, by Janet Morgan Stoeke

This Week's Music:
Old Straw Hat, by Maria Muldaur
Cows, by The Seldom Herd
Dueling Banjos, by The Big Kidz Band

This Week's Action Rhyme:
My Aunt came back from the country fair
She brought for me a rocking chair (rock, rock, rock)
My Aunt came back from the country fair
She brought for me a teddy bear (hug, hug, hug)
My Aunt came back from the country fair
She brought for me a juicy pear (yum, yum, yum)
My Aunt came back from the country fair
She brought for me the old gray mare (trot, trot, trot, Giddy-up!)

This Week's Art: A Carousel from foam sheets and crayons
Plus "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"

Storytime Week 2: Dogs

This week our Storytime theme is DOGS!

This Week's Books:
Say Hello, by Rachel Isadora
Dogs, by Emily Gravett
Big Dog, Little Dog, by Dav Pilkey
Please Take Me for a Walk, by Susan Gal
Sally Goes to the Farm, by Stephen Huneck
Bark George, by Jules Feiffer

This Week's Music:
Hound Dog, by Elvis Presley
Dog's Life, by John McCutcheon
So Long Doggies, by Adam Bryant and Sandra Boynton

This Week's Action Rhymes:
One little, two little, three little kittens
Were napping in the sun.
One little, two little, three little puppies
Said, "let's have some fun!"
While the kittens were sleeping the puppies went creeping
As quietly as can be
And "Woof!
One little, two little, three little kittens
Went scampering up a tree!

Call the dog, give him some milk
Brush his fur 'til he shines like silk
Put on his collar, put on his leash
Now go for a run along the beach.

This Week's Craft: Dogs with clothes-pin legs

Fridays with Ms. Eileen

Our older fours and fives meet with Ms. Eileen for storytime on Friday at either 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. Ms. Eileen began her Friday storytimes with stories about fairs, including Mercer Mayer's "Grandma, Grandpa, and Me", in which the "Little Critters" have a sleepover at the farm and prepare for the county fair. The "Little Critters" also show up in Mayer's "Country Fair", an easy-reader that works for storytime as well. The craft featured crayon rubbings which became country fair quilts.

Thanks to a generous patron, we have a large number of new crayons, so crayon-crafts will be making numerous showings this storytime season. Look for an upcoming Friday storytime featuring stories about crayons, as well.

Award Winners

Our newest display in the library is of some recent Children's Book Award Winners. Most everyone is familiar with the Newbery Award and the Caldicott Award, but do you know about the Geisel? Or the Sibert? Here's a quick run-down of some major awards.

Caldicott Award: A medal presented annually, also by the ALA, to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States in the preceding year. 2010 Winner: "The Lion and the Mouse" by Jerry Pinkney

Newbery Award: A medal presented annually by the American Library Association to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in the United States in the preceding year. 2010 Winner: "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

Batchelder Award: Another ALA award, this one awarded for outstanding translated book for children.

Sibert Award: Given annually for the most distinguished informational (nonfiction) book for children, awarded by the ALA.

Theodore Geisel Award: Given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The winner(s), recognized for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading.

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award: Awarded by the New England Library Association for overall excellence in nonfiction, picture book, and poetry categories.

Storytime Week One: Apples

Welcome back to Storytime! We begin our storytime sessions for Fall of 2010 with APPLES as our theme.

This Week's Books:
Apple Farmer Annie, by Monica Wellington
Ten Red Apples, by Virginia Miller
Orange Pear Apple Bear, by Emily Gravett
Ten Red Apples, by Pat Hutchins
The Apple Pie Tree, by Zoe Hall, ill. by Shari Halpern
All for Pie, Pie for All, by David Martin, ill. by Valerie Gorbachev
Dappled Apples, by Jan Carr, ill. by Dorothy Donohue

This Week's Music:
Apples and Bananas, by Raffi
Pick a Bag of Apples, by Liz Buchanan
Apple Tree, by Justin Roberts

This Week's Action Rhymes:
I see an apple, red and round
It fell from a tree onto the ground
We'll pick it up and wash it and cut it in two
Half for me and half for you

This is the tree with leaves so green
Here are the apple that hang in between
When the wind blows, the apples will fall
Here is my basket to gather them all.

This Week's Art/Craft: Apple Printing

Storytime: Sign-Up Please

OH NO! Storytime starts on Monday and so far registration is extremely light. Too light. Frightening light. Where is everyone? Just picture it: Me, Ms. Patty, sitting in my rocking chair and doing action rhymes by myself and mournfully playing the ukulele (is that even possible?). So, please remember to sign-up for storytime and to call your friends and neighbors and insist that they, too, sign-up for storytime. There's nothing more pitiful than a storytime lady with no storytime kids.