You can 'check out' streamed video books the same way you borrow an e-book. Just set up an account with OverDrive, and browse all the great picture books that come to life by streaming them the same way you would a Netflix video, etc. (But these are video adaptations of great children's literature so it's better for them, I swear ;)
From our website at www.richmondlibrary.info, choose Online Resources from the drop-down menu, and select OverDrive.
Right now, they are featuring the Streaming Video on the homepage, but in the future, just search for Streaming Video. You can find just what you want by doing an Advanced Search and choosing just the grade level you are interested in, but that will limit the titles you see. What is helpful is selecting "show only titles with copies available" if you are looking for something to show your child right at the moment. Otherwise, you can still put holds on other streaming videos that are checked out.
Many of the titles are adapted by Weston Woods for Scholastic - long a favorite of mine and a Connecticut classic. They take favorite picture books and turn them into videos, without loosing the elements that made them great books in the first place. I got a chance to visit Weston Woods as a graduate student, and they are a class act.
Some of my favorite titles available include:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch
Harry, the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Musical Max by Robert Kraus
Pete's A Pizza by William Steig
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall
The Library by Sarah Stewart
There are also a few Richard Scarry BusyTown titles, Madeline, Inspector Gadget, and Max & Ruby, among others.
So be sure to check this great service out when your kids are asking for computer time!
