Tuesday Storytime: Happy Holidays!

Yesterday was our last storytime of the year - amazing how quickly it all goes. It's ALSO the last storytime before Christmas, so I felt like I ought to do at least one specifically "christmassy" book.

The Snowy Day
Ezra Jack Keats
ISBN: 9780670012701  (50th anniversary edition)
This is a MUCH bigger edition than the original, which makes it much more suited for traditional storytime, instead of a lap-sit or child-held book. I love that the original was small and suited for tiny hands and arms, but it does make it more enjoyable for the pictures to be bigger this time around. There's a lovely section at the end talking about Keats and his work on this book and his dream of having "Peter" representing all the children who never got to see someone who looked like them.

Click, Clack, Ho Ho Ho
Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
ISBN: 9781442496736
This cute story follows Duck and all the other farm animals through an ill-fated attempt to bring Farmer Brown some Christmas Cheer, and unfortunately ending up all stuck in the chimney. Thankfully, the real Santa arrives to put things to rights (or at least shove everyone down the chimney into the living room) and the party gets to happen after all.

Bear Snores On
Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
ISBN: 06898780238
The classic story that started the whole thing. I like this one as a low-key holiday party book because there's no indication of them celebrating anything specific at all, just having a nice party with friends. With society as multi-cultural as it is now, it's really lovely to have a book that focuses on the important things: it's cold, it's dreary, and everyone needs an excuse to hang out with the people they love.

Tuesday Storytime: Teddy Bears

These were chosen by my coworker, and they're too cute.

Waiting for Goliath
Antje Damm
ISBN: 978776571413
A cute little bear waits patiently on a park bench for days and nights and seasons for his friend Goliath to arrive. Despite a very clear Waiting for Godot vibe, the friend DOES show at the end, and there's a very good reason for things taking so long. Cute, but slow (pun intended).

Teddy Bear Teddy Bear (classic nursery rhyme) (board book)
illustrated by Michael Hague
ISBN:0060733047
Bright colors and cheery spreads keep the rhyme moving along smoothly, although the "go upstairs/say your prayers" verse is included, which may make some families uncomfortable.

Room for Bear
Ciara Gavin
ISBN: 9780385754736
A sweet story of adoption and focusing on similarities instead of differences, and in working together to make things work for everyone. Very cute, and very sweet natured. There is a sequel.

Tuesday Storytime: Loving Feelings

We're getting close to Valentine's Day, and so my coworker is excited about all the sweet loving books there are out there to choose from. She was a bit disappointed that I used Mama, Do You Love Me last week, but these three are just as sweet.

Sam and Jump
Jennifer K. Mann
ISBN: 9780763679477
Jump is Sam's stuffed rabbit, and they're best friends, until a fateful trip to the beach where Sam happily plays with Thomas (yay for an AA character!) ... and LEAVES Jump behind! Happy endings abound, but the book spends a good deal of time with the physical signs of feeling loneliness and guilt and sorrow.

Always
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 9780763675448
Sweet book, but I don't know that I like the silver print conceit enough for it to carry the whole book. I would have maybe liked to see the capstone line repeated through the book to make it more positive and repetitive for younger listeners. Still adorable, just like all of Dodd's work.

I Will Love You
Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Lisa Anchin
ISBN: 9780545803106
A white mom and an ambiguously brown curly-haired girl feature in this breezy testament to parental love. Beautiful spreads, but this one is a litttttle too unironically sappy for my taste. It's still very sweet, and sure to tug at the heartstrings of any less cynical parent. Very pretty pastels and water-color feels to the spreads and panels.

Tuesday Storytime: Snow Day

An impromptu storytime on demand with a leftover non-specifically-Christmas book from last year, and a couple of books liberated from upcoming planned storytimes.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland
based on the song by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith
as sung by Peggy Lee
illustrated by Tim Hopgood
ISBN: 9781627793049
I actually sang this one, and I didn't notice too many winces from the grownups, so I think I did ok. A lovely slightly-overlarge picture book with full spreads of beautiful stylized colorful winter landscapes full of cheerful people and animals. The kids were mesmerized, at least partially by the oddity of singing the text of a picture book, and the families knew the song well enough to come in and sing with me on the repeated title line "walking in a winter wonderland." Very cute experiment, glad it worked!

In the Snow
Sharon Phillips Denslow, illustrated by Nancy Tafuri
ISBN: 9780060596835
A lovely nonfiction, naturalistic book, focused on the types of birds and small wild animals that come for seeds and nuts left in the snow for them by a caring child. It seems VERY short, but it feels much longer when it's being read - I'm not sure why.

Snow
Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
ISBN: 9780152053031
I've done this one before a few times, and I love the lyricism and gentleness of this tender heart-of-winter story that uses snow as the lynch-pin. Our narrator tells us all about the different types of snow (all good, in this story) and the different lovely things that are done in and with and during the snow. It's sweet and peaceful and a little bit sad in a way that goes straight over little kids' heads, but hit the adults right in the feels. This is always a good one to end on.

Now I just have to find replacements for next week!   

Tuesday Storytime: Firefighters

Back to me again, and a theme I had prepped waaaaaay back in February. It's been waiting patiently, and I figure it's a great one for a big boisterous crowd like today. It's also our last self-pick theme before our Summer Reading kicks off next week and we move into all sorts of Space books.

Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos!
Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Dan Santat
ISBN: 9781599904610
Multi-ethnic and male/female fire-fighter crew rescues a cat from a burning building. Santat's illustrations are as always rich and vibrant and lively, with animated faces and postures, and vivid environments.


Fireman Small
Wong Herbert Yee
ISBN: 0395689872
Probably my most-used picture book. I just love how sweet and calming the repetitive portions are, and how simple and easily-understood the fire-fighter's work is, and the pause for gratitude and community at the end. Sweet and unassuming, but classic quality.

Fire Engine No. 9
Mike Austin
ISBN: 9780553510959
"wordless" in the sense that there are a lot of onomatopoeic bits, and lots of sound, but the "story" is carried by the illustrations and the sound effects. There is "soot" on the pages, and the illustrations are gritty and punchy - a few kids were visibly slightly distressed at various pages (the window-breaking was cause for a good bit of verbalized concern) but everything ends well and the endpages have interesting (ie distracting) equipment to distract away from fears or intense feelings.

Tuesday Storytime: Scaly Friends

This is the second set of picks from our trainee, and these are all very cute. They acknowledged that they'd possibly do better to split them up into different themes for each type of scaly friend (we have alligators, dragons, and dinosaurs represented) but that they liked them and liked the thought of doing two of their own sets of picks in a row. These DID end up a little on the long side all matched together, but not insurmountably so, and they noticed that as well, so a good training experience all around.

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
Linda Bailey, illustrated by Colin Jack
ISBN: 9781770495685
Very bright dinosaurs in otherwise mundane environments, getting used for all sorts of chores or tasks. The idea is very Flintstones, but the execution is closer to Family Guy. EXCELLENT facial expressions all around, and funny page-spreads of visual jokes.

Gator Dad
Brian Lies
ISBN: 9780544534339
Gator Dad is taking his kids out for a day of adventures. Slightly smaltzy but saved by the protagonists being alligators, and by a series of misadventures along the way. Beautiful artwork, but a little bit on the dark side (visually speaking).

Me and My Dragon
David Biedrzycki
ISBN: 9781580892780
I've done this one recently, but it was far enough back that I felt ok with it being used again. Love the ambiguity of the protagonist kid (brownish and with floppy hair) and the mundane chores of pet-ownership filtered through the prism of a baby dragon. Useful lessons in a cute package.

Tuesday Storytime: Monkeys

Storytime duties are getting shared with another trainee, and this is her first set of selections, and I think they're a great first choice. Monkeys are a perennial favorite (also see sharks, fire-trucks, and dinosaurs) and these three are cute and a show off a lovely spectrum of styles.

What Do You Say When a Monkey Acts This Way? 
Jane Belk Moncure, illustrated by Terri Super
ISBN: 0516057448
Moncure's books all have a very classic 1970s-80s Little Golden Book sort of "teaching" vibe to them, whether they are manners books or books about the alphabet or about phonics. Despite that, they're cute and repetitive in a good way, and clear and have attractive simplistic images. Here we have a young monkey acting in normal heedless ways, until other monkeys prompt it to behave more pro-socially: saying thanks and please, sharing and being respectful. The monkey goes to visit the grandparents at the end, and proves all the lessons well-learned.

The Monkey Goes Bananas
C. P. Bloom, illustrated by Peter Raymundo
ISBN: 9781419708855
Graphic-novel style, with very few words (leading to a lot of "filling in" to keep the younger ones clear on what's going on. Monkey lives on a small island, and there is a bunch of bananas on a neighbor island. Unfortunately there is a shark in the water. Monkey tries various plots to get the bananas, with a cute but very obvious twist at the end.

How to Lose a Lemur
Frann Preston-Gannon
ISBN: 9781454911319
Slightly oversized pictures and very cute lemurs (not exactly monkeys, but I'm not going to quibble) follow a boy who is searching over the whole world for friends, only to get lost and realize that perhaps those pesky lemurs might be what he's been looking for. Very cute and very sweet. Love the art-style of textured painting and collage pieces.

Tuesday Storytime: Halloween Prep

It was a couple of weeks before Halloween, and I was still working my way through my tons of lovely Halloween and monster books.  This time around I focused on fears of Halloween (either parental or kid-centric) and picked a trio of reassuring monster mashes.

Me and My Dragon: Scared of Halloween
David Biedrzycki
ISBN: 9781580896597
The cute duo from Me and My Dragon handle big Halloween fears.

This one is more fun if you're familiar with the Me and My Dragon book, but even so, it's pretty obvious that the dragon isn't really the one who's apprehensive about Halloween.  Friends and family are reassuring, and the boy uses psychologically-appropriate positive self-talk to encourage himsel-SCUSE ME, his dragon, and everything turns out to be fun and enjoyable.

Where's My Mummy?
Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by John Manders
ISBN: 9780763631963
A baby mummy starts to play hide-and-shriek with his Mommy mummy, but gets lost.

I think I'll probably be reading (or suggesting) this book for my whole career.  Baby mummy is playing hide-and-shriek before bed, but now he can't find Mommy mummy anywhere.  He wanders the graveyard, swamp, and woods searching for her, and finding creepy (but helpful and caring) grownup neighbors instead, all prepping their own selves for bed in various ways, and eventually ends up in the woods, scared by something truly terrifying - a mouse!  Mommy mummy is instantly there to save the day and provide reassurance and a return to the bedtime routine.  Really really really cute.

Not Very Scary
Carol Brendler, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
ISBN:97803743551470
Melly counts up scary creatures on her walk over to a Halloween party, where she meets them again.

Melly is headed to her cousin's Halloween party, and she's a little bit nervous that it will be too scary for her.  As she heads down the street, the ever-increasing numbers of creepy Halloween creatures in this cumulative counting book make her more and more nervous, until she gets to the party and is reassured to realize they're not very scary after all.

Tuesday Storytime and Summer Reading: Dragons!

The very best Fantastic creatures are dragons.  No question about it.  And there are getting to be some really good dragon books in the picture book world.

Storytime Lineup:
Me and My Dragon
The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water
Dragons Love Tacos

Summer Reading Lineup:
Not Your Typical Dragon
When A Dragon Moves In
Dragons Love Tacos

Info and (short) Reviews:

Me and My Dragon
David Biedrzycki
ISBN: 9781580892780
A boy walks through the process of adopting a dragon like any other pet.

The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water
Gemma Merino
ISBN: 9780735841635
Our croc isn't like his siblings, but he really wants to be around them - just not in the water.

Dragons Love Tacos
Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
ISBN: 9780803736801
Dragons love tacos, but watch out for that spicy salsa - it'll get you every time!

Not Your Typical Dragon
Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Tim Bowers
ISBN: 9780670014026
Crispin (best dragon name ever) doesn't breathe fire - he's just a bit different, but it'll all turn out ok.

When A Dragon Moves In
Jodi Moore, illustrated by Howard McWilliam
ISBN: 9780979974670
A boy at the beach gets into a little bit of trouble with his "dragon's" crazy antics.




 

Tuesday Storytime: Wild Animals

From the domestic to the dangerous!

Tiny Little Fly
Michael Rosen, illustrated by Kevin Waldron
ISBN: 9780763646813
Lush loose paintings of oversized wild animals, including a double-fold-out page.

Waldron really knocks it out of the park with these illustrations, which give us a fly-eye view of these massive wild animals: elephant, hippo, and tiger (a SHE tiger!) which all try to catch that pesky fly, but of course fail.  Rosen's story is short and pithy, and it would be quite short enough for a middle read in a pinch.  Lovely package, great fun story.  Now I only need one more short "fly" book, and I can do a trio of pesky bug stories with this one and Old Black Fly (Aylesworth, ISBN: 9780805039245).


Monkey and Me
Emily Gravett
ISBN: 9781416954576
Very rhythmic and repetitive, with great options for call-and-response.

Gravett is a lovely picture book artist, and I really enjoy her work, from the tongue-in-cheek (Dogs, The Odd Egg) to the unexpectedly poignant (Again!, The Blue Chameleon).  This one is firmly in the silly category, and is so slight as to almost not have a storyline.  Our spunky girl and her floppy-limbed stuffed monkey imitate various animals, and then on the following spread (after eliciting guesses from the audience), a gorgeous rendition of those animals appears. Perfect for the middle spot, but not for storytellers who shy away from sing-song or outright singing, because that's the only way I can think to get through the repetitive wording.


I Spy with My Little Eye
Edward Gibbs
ISBN: 9780763652845
Die-cut book showing various beautifully-painted animal eyes along with clues as to what they are.

This is quite probably the most beautifully-painted die-cut conceit book I've ever seen.  I adore reading it, and the idea is so simple and so clever and so pretty, I wish there were more of them.  Gibbs has taken a large central cut-out and painted an eye there, with a set of clues about the animal who might be lurking behind the page: so "I spy with my little eye..." on one page with the eye painted, and on the other, the cut-out showing rich blue, and the following clues: "... something that is blue" and "I am the biggest animal in the whole world."  Obviously we have a blue whale, followed by polar bears, orangutans, lions, and one cheeky frog who has the temerity to end the book by looking back out and spying "YOU" and offering the now-empty die-cut hole to peer through for effect.  In a lot of treatments, it could have been cute and slight, but the paintings are so rich and so beautiful that it really adds a lot of weight and fun to the progression.

2015 Review Round-Up: Picture Book: Friendshape, Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld

Friendshape (Exclamation Mark)
Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
ISBN: 9780545436823
Read December 2015

The entire picture book is a beautifully crafted series of visual puns, and I love every single bit of it.  It's going to show up in storytime, even though the kids won't get it - the grownups will, and it's short enough that I don't feel bad reading something that largely goes over the kids' heads.

So sweet.  So cute.

2015 Review Round-Up: Planes Fly! by George Ella Lyon & Mick Wiggins

Planes Fly! (Trucks Roll!)
George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Mick Wiggins
ISBN: 9781442450257
Rhyming cadence language and rich illustrations make this a storytime natural.
Read November 2015

I was so happy when I saw this picture book show up in our new piles of books!  It's by the author that did the also-excellent Trucks Roll! and I am super stoked to see this one.  Oddly enough, there are simply not that many good picture books about planes and flight.  Considering it's a yearly rite of passage for many kids going to see relatives, and considering that picture books are a perfect conduit for illustrating new concepts and introducing new activities to kids, I'm always staggered that I have so much trouble finding good airplane travel books.  This one has a few niggles; I don't love it quite as much as I do Trucks Roll!, but it's solid and catchy, and very much welcome.

Tuesday Storytime: Snowy Days

January is my time for snowy storytimes: it's (usually) finally gotten actually cold outside, and even if it doesn't ever actually snow here, there's frost on the ground in the mornings ("South Carolina Morning Snow") and the skies are often heavy and grey.


The Snowy Day
Ezra Jack Keats
ISBN: 9780670012701 (50th Ann. oversized hc edition, with background info, and author bio)
Classic tale of Peter and the snow in a city-scape, with Keats' vibrant colorful collage minimalism.

This is actually my own personal copy, signed by LeVar Burton. (Please imagine my eyes with big sparkles and hearts right now) and it's one of my favorite classic children's books.  There are a lot of my childhood favorites that are quite special in my heart, but a lot of times, re-reading them reveals that they aren't anything I would feel comfortable recommending.  Not this gem.

Peter is a young black boy in a bright red hooded coat, and he's outisde in the city, in the deep snow, just being a child and exploring.  It's simple, clear, childlike in the best way, and just delightful in every way.


I Love Snow
Hans Wilhelm
ISBN: 9780439795944 (Scholastic Reader)
Excitable white floofy dog explores in the snow, and helps out a wild friend.

I've used this book (and others by this artist) before because I feel like lots of people think that leveled readers are automatically terrible books with no artistry or joy or fun in them.  They VERY OFTEN ARE.  But prejudice is terrible, and there are beautiful and enjoyable leveled readers out there that have fun stories and enjoyable to read through in their own right.

Our little white puppy is out in the snow and enjoying every minute of it.  He does all sorts of traditional snowy activities, and then near the end finds a wild creature in need of some help, and gains a new friend to play with.  The plight of the hungry raccoon is adorably sad, and the conceit of eating the snowman's carrot nose blew some of my kids' minds!  Cute and very short.


Polar Bear Night
Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Stephen Savage
ISBN: 9780439495240
Textural blocky outlines and sleepy gentle blue tones make this a very good bedtime candidate.

Savage has outdone himself this time around, inspired by Thompson's lyrical language and sleepy sweet tale of a polar bear cub out in the soft still nighttime.  There isn't much focus on snow here, but the theme of a young creature out by themselves enjoying the outside in their home environment (as opposed to "going out to nature" or something like that) fit really nicely with the other two stories, and the gentle wording and evocative and minimalist artwork spreads are just too beautiful to pass up.

   

Tuesday Storytime: First Snow (Happy 2016!)

Can you believe it's freaking 2016 already?  It's just unreal.  I'm still not certain when I'm actually going to feel like a grown-up, let alone this weird middle-age development.

Anyway, over the weekend it finally realized that in winter it is supposed to be cold, so we're into proper winter weather, for a proper winter storytime.

First Snow
Kim Lewis
ISBN: 1564021947
Atmospheric colored pencils of windswept wintry landscapes and expressive faces.

Sara, Sara's teddy, and Mommy are up early and out into the fields to feed the sheep before the first winter snow.  This is a slow-moving atmospheric story, focusing on the feel of the land and the air as a snowfall approaches, and on the earthy rhythms of farm life, close to animals and nature.  The astute or experienced storytimer will recognize that Sara's teddy is brought along to provide a bit of narrative drama, but it is gentle and quickly solved, even by picture book standards.  Sweet and gentle, just like a first snow.


Dream Snow
Eric Carle
ISBN: 9780399235795 (with battery-operated sounds and lights on the final page/endpaper)
Carle's signature collage pastiche and bright colors in a dreamlike not-quite Santa Claus story.

I had pulled this book a while ago, and was tempted to use it for my Christmas storytime, but the farmer in the story is never actually identified as Santa, even though just about every child will make that connection based on the illustrations.  Our farmer has a simple life; animals named One through Five, a single tree (named Tree) and simple tastes.  He dreams of snow covering the animals (achieved in the book by a series of clear overleafs with white "blankets" turned to reveal what animals One through Five actually are) and when he wakes, the snow has truly fallen.  He realizes that he's forgotten something, and dons coat and hat and gloves and boots (and here is where the Santa reference materializes) grabs boxes and a sack and rushes outside to put presents under Tree.  At this point, if you like, you can press the battery-button and the stars "twinkle" and a short chiming mysterious melody plays.


Winter is the Warmest Season
Lauren Stringer (Red Rubber Boot Day)
ISBN: 0152049673
Exuberant acrylic paints vibrantly reveal the warm heart of winter.

You may think that Summer is the warmest season, but Ms Stringer will have you convinced by the end of this lovely book that you were quite wrong.  Her lyrical and evocative text (in large letters, and not much of it per page) draws attention to all the warm delights that winter brings: grilled-cheese sandwiches, roaring radiators and fires, warm cats and glowing candles, cozy blankets and cozier snuggles.  This is one of my favorite reads, and the language just flows beautifully along with the bright and cheerful page-spreads, just busy enough to reward close attention without losing focus or attractive composition.  I think I read this at least once a year, and I'm happy to do so.

Tuesday Storytime: Christmas

It's our last storytime before Christmas, and our last of 2015, so I picked a lovely trio to end us on.  We'll start up in January with lots of books about snow, and hope that Mother Nature gets the hint.

Snowmen at Christmas
Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner
ISBN: 0803729952
Luminous but cheerful and lighthearted spread paintings of animated snowpeople all festive.

This is actually a sequel to Snowmen at Night, but I like this one better as a Christmas story.  That said, I do have, and might read Snowmen at Night in the next couple of months with all the snowy themes.  This one is nice for Christmas for several reasons:
1) rhyming text means I can get through a slightly more substantial story in much better time.
2) this is one of the least-Christmassy Christmas books out there (only one veiled religious reference)
3) snowman party.


A Short History of Christmas
Sally Lee (consulting editor: Gail Saunders-Smith)
ISBN: 9781491460955
Very primary-grade juvenile nonfiction explaining the historic basis for Christmas traditions.

Really loving this series, and very happy to see them on the shelves.  This one is just as factual as Thanksgiving, and very straightforward, starting with the December festival of Saturnalia, the birth of Jesus, choosing of December 25th by church leaders, Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus, the tradition of caroling, Queen Victoria's German Christmas tree, and modern traditions of charity.  Not bad for just under 250 words total.  I just really wish there were similar books for the less-recognized holidays of the season: Hanukkah, Eid, and Solstice.


Bear Stays Up for Christmas
Karma Wilson, Jane Chapman
ISBN: 0689852789
Bear and Friends series, Bear's friends help him stay awake for Christmas Eve and Morning.

I adore this Christmas book.  It's so sweet and perfect and has just about everything you'd want out of a Christmas book - including the difficulties that children have staying awake for the fun!  Bear is the perfect sleepy focus, and all his friends are genuinely helpful and caring.  This entire series is beautiful, but this one is perfect for Christmas in a way that is deeply satisfying.  I personally would have been fine without an appearance by Santa as well, but that's not a battle I feel motivated about - it's just a slight preference.

Tuesday Storytime: Counting with Ducks

And yes, there are enough duck books in the picture book world for there to be a three-book storytime specifically about ducks and counting.

Nine Ducks Nine (previously reviewed here)
Sarah Hayes
ISBN: 9780763638160
9 watercolor ducks hatch a plan to outwit a pursuing fox through an idyllic countryside.

This is essentially the same story as Do Like a Duck Does (Hindley and Bates, 2002 Candlewick hardcover ISBN: 0763616680), where a family of ducks outwit a fox and the fox ends up taking a swim.  To be perfectly honest, I like the cadence and the illustrations of that story better than this one.  But, this one has numbers and counting, and this one is also a longer read.

Quack and Count
Keith Baker  (Big Fat Hen, 1994 HMH hardcover ISBN: 9780152928698)
ISBN: 0152928588
Colorful and textural collages (even the words!) follow permutations of 7 ducklings.

I've used Baker's Big Fat Hen in a counting storytime before, and he's a stunningly talented artist.  This is less a counting book, and more of a math concepts book, but whatever.  It totally counts.  We start with 7 ducklings all together, and then Baker creates a clever series of rhymes for each sum of seven: starting with "Slipping, sliding, having fun / 7 ducklings, 6 plus 1."  Then 5 + 2, 4 + 3, and so on.  What's fun is to compare the different scenes with reversed sums: so we also have "7 ducklings, 1 plus 6 / In the water playing tricks" to compare with the first rhyme.  The pages are all in full spreads, with the seven ducks divided up between the two pages to match the sum in question.  Really pretty book, and really clever concept.

Five Little Ducks
from the nursery song, illustrated by Ivan Bates
ISBN: 0439746930
Colored pencils and watercolors. Bright expressive characters foregrounded against soft scenery.

Ivan Bates is a beautiful illustrator, and I love his work so much.  I try not have repeats of an author or an illustrator within a storytime, which is the other reason I didn't choose Do Like a Duck Does for this trio.  This is a simple illustration of the first verse of the rhyme, but there's a cute little story hidden within the illustrations about just why the ducklings aren't coming back each time.  So adorable.


This ended up being on the very short end on things, but I actually try to choose shorter sets of books for the early fall.  Families are coming in with their younger kids only (the older ones have headed off to preschool or kindie) and without the older kids to model good storytime behavior, it's harder for the little ones (and to be totally honest, the parents) to keep from squiggling around like mad.  This is the sort of thing you figure out over time, watching the pattern repeat every fall, and you just learn to work around it - shorter stories, more obvious transitions, really expressive stories with very narrative illustrations.