Snakes! Storytime Week 3

This Week's Music:
Don't Ever Step On a Snake, by Don Spencer
Sammy the Snake, by Sesame Street
Spiders and Snakes, by Jim Stafford

This Week's Books:
Hide and Snake, by Keith Baker
Mouse Count, by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Help! by Holly Keller
I Need a Snake, by Lynne Jonell, ill. by Petra Mathers
Crictor, by Tomi Ungerer
Slithery Jake, by Rose-Marie Provencher, ill. by Abby Carter

This Week's Action Rhymes:
I'm going to slither like a rattlesnake Over the rocks and under the tree I'm going to slither like a rattlesnake And see what a rattlesnake sees! (Cha-cha-cha!)

Here comes a bright green garden snake Making the grass shiver and shake He raises his head, and looks around Then slithers away to his hole in the ground.

Plus a beaded snake craft and a rattlesnake sing-a-long. Ssssssssssee you there!

Orange Pear Apple Bear

Ms. Eileen's storytimers had a fun morning talking about apples and, taking a cue from Emily Gravett's "Orange Pear Apple Bear", the kids made their own Blue Cat Apple Hat stories. She provided cut outs of cats, apples, and hats, plus colors, and asked the kids to make a collage and tell their own story based on the words. Ms. Eileen tells us that this fun (and educational) activity will work seasonally using words such as: Ghost Leaf Orange Pumpkin White Witch Black Cat Spider Newt, combined with rhyming words like Cat and Hat, or Bear and Pear. Have fun. And check out "Orange Pear Apple Bear". Beautifully illustrated and destined to become a classic.

Stephen Huneck's "Sally"

I grew up with Labrador Retrievers and love them, so imagine my delight when I happened upon Stephen Huneck's "Sally" books. In this series of brilliantly illustrated books, Sally the lab takes us through her day and adventures. I shared "Sally Goes to the Beach" at storytime this week and we all loved it. Sadly, that is the only Sally book in our collection...but hopefully not for long.

Boats, Storytime Week 2

This week's music:
Sloop John B., by The Beach Boys
Row, Row Medley, by Ella Jenkins
I Love to Sail, by Willy Welch

This week's fingerplay:
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
To see what he could see, see, see
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea

This week's books:
The Boat in the Tree, by Tim Wynne-Jones, ill. by John Shelley
Boats, by Patricia Hubbell, ill, by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy
Mr. Gumpy's Outing, by John Burningham
Sally Goes to the Beach, by Stephen Huneck
I Love Boats, by Flora McDonnell
Harbor, and Sail Away, by Donald Crews

Plus, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, a soap boat craft, and a game
See you soon!

Jitterbug!

I just came across the best website, it's called jitterbug.tv (clickable link) and it's where you can listen to all sorts of great independent kids music. I'm getting all sorts of ideas for CDs to add to our collection just by listening at this great site. It's also enjoyable to just have some nice music playing in the background while doing other computer stuff.

Have a listen and let me know your favorites so we can add their CDs to our library collection. So far, I'm liking Dog on Fleas, The Dreyer Family Band, and Dennis Caraher. (I just started listening in the "D"s.)

A Note from Ms. Eileen!

"Hi Patty!
Just thought I would pop in to say first,what a great job you are doing with this blog, and also to let my storytime 4s & 5s know that I look forward to seeing them this Friday! We will be doing stories and other fun stuff related to "All About You" or Me, or actually, THEM!!!

Lastly, I wanted to pass on this fun event for families - unfortunately I cannot go, but if I could, I would! There is going to be a PIGEON PARTY! on Oct, 25 at the Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton, CT. BIG WOODEN HORSE Theatre Company is putting on a musical based on author Mo Willems books (LOVE HIM!)

And wait, there's more! Tickets are FREEEEEE!!!
For further information contact the Childrens Room at Clinton's Library at 860-669-2342.
Ms. Eileen"

Elephants, Storytime Week One

This week's music:
Baby Elephant Walk by Songs of the Circus
Zouson, Little Elephant by Elizabeth Mitchell
One Elephant, by Sharon, Lois and Bram

This week's books:
The Right Number of Elephants, by Jeff Sheppard, ill. by Felicia Bond
Little Elephant, by Miela Ford, ill. by Tana Hoban
Elmer, the Patchwork Elephant, by David McKee
Splash, by Flora McDonnell
My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World, by Gilles Bachelet
Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young
Sam Who Never Forgets, by Eve Rice

This week's fingerplay:
The elephant goes like this, like that
He's terribly big and terribly fat
He has no fingers, he has no toes
But goodness gracious, what a nose!

Storytime Preview

Our first storytime session will be about Elephants! I'll share "Elmer, The Patchwork Elephant" by David McKee as a flannel board story, as well as some other fun elephant-themed stories, music, and fingerplays. In addition, we'll make our own patchwork elephants at the craft tables. Other upcoming themes from me (Ms. Patty) include snakes, boats, owls, and pie! I'll let you know what Ms. Eileen has up her sleeves later this week. See you soon!

Storytime Classics

I hope everyone is signed up for storytime! Ms. Eileen and I are really looking forward to seeing you next week and in anticipation Ms. Eileen put a display of classic storytime books up along the low shelf near the storytime room. Check them out. Literally!
Shown here: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by by Eric Carle, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni,Go Away Big Green Monster, by Ed Emberley, and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

9/11

The anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11 is almost upon us. For the youngest children, this anniversary will pass unnoticed. For the slightly older there may be questions as somehow the zeitgeist of our culture has a way of creeping in.

A beautiful book in our library may be a way to begin to address these events with the 5 and older crowd. "Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey" by Maira Kalman tells the true story of an older boat brought into to help on that fateful day. School Library Journal writes, "'Fireboat' does many things. It sets forth an adventure, helps commemorate an anniversary, offers an interesting bit of history, celebrates the underdog, and honors the fire-fighting profession. Children and adults will respond to it in as many ways."

It made me cry...but in a good way.

Make Way For Ducklings

We were in Boston this weekend and what a beautiful weekend it was! The city looked sublime. Everywhere we went there were flowers and fountains and street performers and public art. Even the ice-cream trucks at the public gardens are decorated with art. One featured the artwork from Robert McCloskey's classic children's book "Make Way For Ducklings".

Even though "Make Way For Ducklings" was written in 1941, the Boston public gardens still look remarkably the same as lovingly depicted in the book. The swan boats are still there, and the little island in the pond where the Mallard family lives is still there. In 1987, The city added a perfect sculpture of Mrs. Mallard leading Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Oack, Pack, and Quack safely to their home. In 2000, after a group of school children started a petition, "Make Way for Ducklings" was named the official children's book of Massachusetts.

It's a wonderful book that stands the test of time with it's humor, love, and charm.

Goodbye Ann!

Do you know that none of us here at the Richmond Memorial Library have been sleeping well the last few days? (Don't we all seem a little groggy?) I think it's because we are all feeling sad about the impending retirement of Ann Grybko, long-time Assistant Director. Ann has such a reassuring presence and quietly managed so many things here at the library that losing her leaves a big void. Although we are thrilled for her as she heads off on many new adventures, we need to acknowledge our sadness.

As hard as loss is for adults, it can be especially so for children. As always, books are there to help. A sweet, older book at our library "Ira Says Goodbye" by Bernard Waber addresses the issue of having a best friend who moves away. You may know Ira from "Ira Sleeps Over" and here our pal struggles with his feelings. The illustrations are Waber's usual, rather simple, but the story is wise and funny and reassuring.

Are You My Mother?

"Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman is a favorite of Ann Grybko, retiring assistant director of the library. It was published in 1960 and has been enjoyed by children ever since. While the mother bird is away from the nest looking for food, the baby bird emerges and asks all he encounters, including inanimate objects, "are you my mother?" Like Mo Willem's recent "Elephant and Piggie" series, this book works as a great read-aloud for the toddler set, as well as a great first book for the beginning reader. I loved this book as a child, and my kids loved it as well. A true classic.