This week we had a set of very confused (but helpful) animals.
The Giant Jumperee
Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
ISBN: 9780735227972
A series of animals are scared in turn by a scary creature who has taken over a burrow; threatening each of them in JUUUST the right way to make them too scared to even LOOK at the obviously scary creature. But Mama Frog is made of tougher stuff (and she's probably got an inside track on who it is anyway) and she marches right in no matter what the creature says. A fun story, and it's cute to have all the "tricked" animals laughing and "in" on the joke instead of upset.
Cock-A-Doodle-Moo!
Bernard Most
ISBN: 0152012524
Cockerel has a sore throat, so the cow has offered to help him out by waking everyone in the morning with the signature CockADoodleDoo! - But Cow isn't really good with languages, so he's having some trouble getting the crow just right. With a lot of trial and error (lots of funny errors) the cow eventually gets it close enough to manage, just in time for Cockerel to feel better after all.
The Thingamabob
Il Sung Na
ISBN: 9780375961069
A lonely elephant finds an interesting Thingamabob, and he quite enjoys playing with it and hanging around with it, even though he has NO CLUE what it's supposed to be or do. He and an assortment of animal cameos make various suggestions for uses, but they all fall through, until it starts to rain, and the Thingamabob suddenly makes perfect sense.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Kids and Pets
This past month has been crazy busy for me, so my compatriot has been doing all the storytimes for the past month, and has picked out some really fun and interesting themes and stories.
Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic
Alexandra Boiger
ISBN: 9780399175053
Max and Marla are off on their traditional spring picnic, but everything (with the best of intentions) goes horribly awry (Max is the person, by the way - it took me a few pages to decide for sure) and in a very Gift of the Magi sort of way, the love and care the friends have for each other repair the bad memories from the day, and create a new twist on tradition to end with reconnection and care.
My Best Friend is a Goldfish
Mark Lee, illustrated by Chris Jevons
ISBN: 9781512426014
A best friend breakup is never fun, but when a kid has pets, then he automatically has best friends, right? Friends who like ALL the same things, DO everything together, and PLAY in just the same way, right? Maybe not. And maybe after realizing the limits of his pets, our little boy realizes that actual friends have some of the same limitations.
This one got snagged by a patron before I could read it - A good problem to have! I'll add it in once I get a chance to preview it myself.
Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic
Alexandra Boiger
ISBN: 9780399175053
Max and Marla are off on their traditional spring picnic, but everything (with the best of intentions) goes horribly awry (Max is the person, by the way - it took me a few pages to decide for sure) and in a very Gift of the Magi sort of way, the love and care the friends have for each other repair the bad memories from the day, and create a new twist on tradition to end with reconnection and care.
My Best Friend is a Goldfish
Mark Lee, illustrated by Chris Jevons
ISBN: 9781512426014
A best friend breakup is never fun, but when a kid has pets, then he automatically has best friends, right? Friends who like ALL the same things, DO everything together, and PLAY in just the same way, right? Maybe not. And maybe after realizing the limits of his pets, our little boy realizes that actual friends have some of the same limitations.
This one got snagged by a patron before I could read it - A good problem to have! I'll add it in once I get a chance to preview it myself.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Growing Green
I have been waiting almost a full year to use Escargot in a storytime, so I'm very happy that he's had his 15 minutes of fame.
Escargot
Dashka Slater, illustrated by Sydney Hanson
ISBN: 9780374302818
Escargot is a magnifique French snail who journeys with the reader across a picnic table to reach a delightful salad, discussing favorite animals along the way (sad fact, no one chooses snails as their favorite animals) and eventually teaming up with the readers to attempt to frighten off a rogue carrot, then to very bravely try just a bit of it. Adorable, and with just enough french to be fun, but not intimidating to read.
Summer Supper
Rubin Pfeffer, illustrated by Mike Austin
ISBN: 9781524714642
A multi-shades-of-brown family works in a garden, a farmer's market, and a kitchen, before enjoying an outdoor meal and then a musical shindig. The fun here is that all of the words start with the letter S. I felt like I was narrating a segment of Sesame Street, but it was surprisingly seamless. :)
It Starts with a Seed
Laura Knowles, illustrated by Jennie Weber
ISBN: 9781910277263
Very beautiful and ornate book with gilded covers and THICK quality paper (makes the pages a bit hard to turn) with beautiful watercolor and ink linework showing off the growth cycle of a seed through a seedling, sapling, young tree, then mature tree, ending with a spray of seeds landing and sprouting along a tri-fold-out ending spread that is simply beautiful. Very pretty and a nice reminder that animals and bugs eat and live around plants too.
Escargot
Dashka Slater, illustrated by Sydney Hanson
ISBN: 9780374302818
Escargot is a magnifique French snail who journeys with the reader across a picnic table to reach a delightful salad, discussing favorite animals along the way (sad fact, no one chooses snails as their favorite animals) and eventually teaming up with the readers to attempt to frighten off a rogue carrot, then to very bravely try just a bit of it. Adorable, and with just enough french to be fun, but not intimidating to read.
Summer Supper
Rubin Pfeffer, illustrated by Mike Austin
ISBN: 9781524714642
A multi-shades-of-brown family works in a garden, a farmer's market, and a kitchen, before enjoying an outdoor meal and then a musical shindig. The fun here is that all of the words start with the letter S. I felt like I was narrating a segment of Sesame Street, but it was surprisingly seamless. :)
It Starts with a Seed
Laura Knowles, illustrated by Jennie Weber
ISBN: 9781910277263
Very beautiful and ornate book with gilded covers and THICK quality paper (makes the pages a bit hard to turn) with beautiful watercolor and ink linework showing off the growth cycle of a seed through a seedling, sapling, young tree, then mature tree, ending with a spray of seeds landing and sprouting along a tri-fold-out ending spread that is simply beautiful. Very pretty and a nice reminder that animals and bugs eat and live around plants too.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Dogs and Cats
Selected by my officemate.
The Best Log in the Bog
Marv Alinas, illustrated by Kathleen Petelinsek
ISBN: 9781503823563
A beginning reader format with a cute story of a dog and frog on their adventures in a very pastel and cheerful bog.
Kitty Cat Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up?
Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Michael Sampson
ISBN:
A cute favorite of mine. Mama Cat is doing all she can to convince sleepy kitten to get up and start the day.
Dog's ABC
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 0525468374
This silly alphabet journey follows Dog (a very fat and rolly white blob) through an exciting afternoon of alphabetically-ordered adventures. Very cute and silly.
The Best Log in the Bog
Marv Alinas, illustrated by Kathleen Petelinsek
ISBN: 9781503823563
A beginning reader format with a cute story of a dog and frog on their adventures in a very pastel and cheerful bog.
Kitty Cat Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up?
Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Michael Sampson
ISBN:
A cute favorite of mine. Mama Cat is doing all she can to convince sleepy kitten to get up and start the day.
Dog's ABC
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 0525468374
This silly alphabet journey follows Dog (a very fat and rolly white blob) through an exciting afternoon of alphabetically-ordered adventures. Very cute and silly.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Tuesday Storytime (and Summer Reading): Closeout Dance Party!
Despite technical difficulties and scheduling conflicts, our very last 2018 summer reading program went off without a hitch. We read some books, danced some dances (courtesy KidzBop) and had a big flashy final event that the kids really enjoyed.
Books read for the Storytime Dance Party:
Dancing Feet!
Lindsey Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown
ISBN: 9780375861819
A fun "identify the animal" progression, using cute little dancing rhymes about various kinds of dancing feet. At the end, it's revealed that all the dancers are kids, acting out dances in the style of "their" animal. It's fun to match them by pose and costume to their particular creature.
Amazing Me! Music!
Carol Thompson
ISBN: 9781846439612
This book wins the "arrived just in time" award, having shown up on the Friday before this last program. I was thrilled to see it, because even though it's short, it's got great representation and rhythm and a good solid set of fun, lively illustrations.
Feel the Beat: dance poems that zing from salsa to swing
Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Kristi Valiant
ISBN: 9780803740211
Shoutout to Valiant for her amazing body and facial expressions all through this book. It really takes a good solid poetry entry and just slides it up into a really really great read. There are LOTS of poems, and so I cheated: we only read the doubled poem: All of the World, Dancing is Joy; Hip-Hop; Merengue; Square Dance; Conga; Waltz (so LOVELY to see a strong black boy dancing); Bhangra; and ended with Swing Dance. There's quite a few more, and also a fun CD of the author reading the poems with the rhythm and mood of the dance style in question. Very cool.
Books read for the Summer Reading Dance Party:
Jazz on a Saturday Night
Leo and Diane Dillon
ISBN: 9780590478939
Moody and jazzy imaginary scene of many of the jazz greats playing all together in a fictional club. Comes with a CD of music either by or inspired by the particular artists featured: Miles Davis, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Stanley Clarke, Ella Fitzgerald,
Hip Cat
Jonathan London, illustrated by Woodleigh Hubbard
ISBN: 0811814890
Practically a jazz improv in book form. Love the colors and the big bold chunky shapes and shimmies of the paintings, love the beat-poetry form of the text on the page, love the visuals and imagery of the Hip Cat wandering through his city.
Books read for the Storytime Dance Party:
Dancing Feet!
Lindsey Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown
ISBN: 9780375861819
A fun "identify the animal" progression, using cute little dancing rhymes about various kinds of dancing feet. At the end, it's revealed that all the dancers are kids, acting out dances in the style of "their" animal. It's fun to match them by pose and costume to their particular creature.
Amazing Me! Music!
Carol Thompson
ISBN: 9781846439612
This book wins the "arrived just in time" award, having shown up on the Friday before this last program. I was thrilled to see it, because even though it's short, it's got great representation and rhythm and a good solid set of fun, lively illustrations.
Feel the Beat: dance poems that zing from salsa to swing
Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Kristi Valiant
ISBN: 9780803740211
Shoutout to Valiant for her amazing body and facial expressions all through this book. It really takes a good solid poetry entry and just slides it up into a really really great read. There are LOTS of poems, and so I cheated: we only read the doubled poem: All of the World, Dancing is Joy; Hip-Hop; Merengue; Square Dance; Conga; Waltz (so LOVELY to see a strong black boy dancing); Bhangra; and ended with Swing Dance. There's quite a few more, and also a fun CD of the author reading the poems with the rhythm and mood of the dance style in question. Very cool.
Books read for the Summer Reading Dance Party:
Jazz on a Saturday Night
Leo and Diane Dillon
ISBN: 9780590478939
Moody and jazzy imaginary scene of many of the jazz greats playing all together in a fictional club. Comes with a CD of music either by or inspired by the particular artists featured: Miles Davis, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Stanley Clarke, Ella Fitzgerald,
Hip Cat
Jonathan London, illustrated by Woodleigh Hubbard
ISBN: 0811814890
Practically a jazz improv in book form. Love the colors and the big bold chunky shapes and shimmies of the paintings, love the beat-poetry form of the text on the page, love the visuals and imagery of the Hip Cat wandering through his city.
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