Tuesday Storytime: November Days

It finally is starting to feel like fall outside, so I picked a quick trio of seasonal books for this week.

Hibernation Station
Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
ISBN: 9781416937883
A crew of bear "conductors" sorts out the "passengers" in the hollow log "train" they all hibernate around.

The concept is a bit hokey on initial presentation, thus the liberal use of quotation marks: I know it sounds corny, you guys.  But the illustrations are fantastic, the story is solid, and the cadence and rhymes are delightful to speak.  We've got all sorts of hibernating animals boarding the hollow log train into winterland, and the bear conductors are clambering all over trying to get everyone into their jammies and settled down, but NOTHING is going right.  The log's sprung a leak, bunkmakes are snoring, and someone's afraid of the dark.  A quick re-arrange to dry rumpled fur, switch roommates around, and soothe fears makes everything peaceful again, just in time for the pyjama-clad conductors to drift off themselves as the winter snow piles up against the solid log.


Listen to the Rain
Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by John Archambault
ISBN: 9780805006827
A soft whispery onomatopoeic breathy book.

I don't use this book often, but I think about it quite a lot, and I really adore the language and the whispery calm unhurried nature of it.  I do think it's probably not entirely suited for storytimes, but kids are going to have to learn to appreciate (or at least suffer politely through) quieter books and less-interactive books, and less visually-aggressive books, and this is a beautiful and almost musical example to practice on.


In November
Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Jill Kastner
ISBN: 978015201768
A beautiful lyrical narrative that segues easily from nature to community Thanksgiving.

Rylant is so talented at her narratives.  Every year when I look at this book, I wonder how she goes from unabashedly nature-centric in the impact of the changing of the seasons, to a close-up examination of the communal and comforting underpinnings of most families' celebrations of Thanksgiving.