Tuesday Storytime: Bedtime!

Bedtime Storytimes are always fun. I hope someday to actually do a "sleepover" storytime at night with pajamas and stuffies!

I'm Not Sleepy!
Jane Chapman
ISBN: 9781561487653
Little Owl is NOT sleepy, but Grandma Owl is patient, kind, determined, and just a bit sneaky. Even through Grandma Owl is the one who eventually gets put to bed, Little Owl is the one who (finally) drops off to sleep.

How to Put Your Parents to Bed
Mylisa Larsen, illustrated by Babette Cole
ISBN: 9780062320643
I normally don't like this sort of sloppy watercolor/comic/squiggly line drawing sort of art style, but it fits the theme so perfectly that I couldn't resist. The full spread illustrating the sleepy parents' faces is PRICELESS.

Bedtime!
Christine Anderson, illustrated by Steven Salerno
ISBN: 0399240047
One of my favorites, and gets used in rotation regularly. Melanie is FAAR to busy to head to bed, but someone has to get ready for bed, and Mom decides Bart the dog is it. Bart gets a nice bath, a lovely ribbon (Melanie's lovely ribbon) gets into pajamas (Melanie's pajamas) and even gets the traditional big good night kiss from Daddy before Melanie twigs to the fact that she's missing out and starts hustling to get herself back into the schedule before she misses her bedtime story.

Tuesday Storytime: Owls

I like owls.  I also like that there are umpty-bajillion picture books about owls, which makes searching for new and interesting ones very easy.

Owls are also a bit "on trend" at the moment, as far as decorating goes.  Weird how that works.

Here's what we read today!

cock-a-doodle-hooooooo!
Mick Manning, illustrated by Brita Granstrom
ISBN: 9781561485680

A poor lost owl blunders into a hen-house, where the chickens try to recruit him to be their rooster, but he's woefully unsuited to chicken-like behaviors, especially crowing.  However, the hens re-prioritize when rats invade their hen-house, and owl behaviors come in handy.



Wow! Said the Owl
Tim Hopgood
ISBN: 9780374385187

This one is sweet and short (longer review in one of my Storytime Potentials posts) and was a perfect middle selection for my rowdy crowd today.



I'm Not Sleepy!
Jane Chapman
ISBN: 9781561487653

Again, longer review in my Storytime Potentials post, but this one was a good closer, with the focus on bedtime and winding down.  I had a few wiggleworms, and a couple of crying bouts (daylight savings time is rough on everyone) but we got through it pretty well.


Overall, pretty happy with how these flowed together.

Next week: hats!

Storytime Potentials: Wow! Said the Owl, Tim Hopgood & I'm Not Sleepy!, Jane Chapman

Found a couple of owl books - I love owls, and I think it's nifty that they're rapidly becoming a meme.  That said, lots of owl books are either very lyrical (Owl Moon) or a bit too cutesy (Owl Babies) for my tastes.  That said, both of those have made more than one appearance at storytime, so I don't hate them - simply always looking for something more interesting to present.

So, without further ado:

Wow! Said the Owl (A Book About Colors)
Tim Hopgood
ISBN: 9780374385187
Read Feb 24, 2014

First off, can I say how REALLY AWESOME AND THRILLING IT IS THAT THIS IS A GIRL OWL?  There are no pink bows, no indication on the cover that this is a "gendered" book, but the protagonist, our little fuzzy non-obviously-male-or-female owl buddy is a GIRL!!!  Huzzah and shout it to the rooftops.  (Not going to get into WHY it is so distressing that this should make me so happy.)

Anyway, this curious little girl owl (LOVE THIS) decides to nap one night so she can stay up the next day to see what daytime is like - so she goes through the day experiencing all the bright beautiful colors in short text blocks on vibrant saturated pages, and then compares them to the beautiful stars of the night.



 
I'm Not Sleepy!
Jane Chapman
ISBN: 9781561487653
Read Feb 24, 2014

Jane Chapman is the illustrator of the lovely Karma Wilson Bear books, which I adore with all my heart.  This one is not quite to that level, but it's nicely executed, and sure to strike a chord with weary parents and determined toddlers alike.  As evidenced by the title, Mo is NOT SLEEPY, and Grandma (again with the non-traditional families - I'm so glad that this is finally gaining traction here in picture-book-land) is up to her ear-tufts in trying to get him down, until she finally decides that since SOMEONE has to go to bed at bedtime, why not make it her, and make little Mo do all the work putting her there?  Smart Grandma, cute story, storytime win!