Tuesday Storytime: Mud Puddles

In case you missed it, South Carolina has been suffering from some pretty intense rainy weather.  We're in good shape in the Upstate, but thousands of people are without power or water, and it's literally been raining for over a week now.  The sun was out today, but I've got some lovely rainy-day books, and wanted to give kids a lighter and more optimistic counter narrative to the news they're seeing every night of flooding and evacuations.

Muddigush
Kimberly Knutson
ISBN: 0027508439
Marbled-paper collages look almost like Japanese papercuts.  Language is intensely poetic.

This one is a bit of a challenge to read, because the language here is just straight up poetry.  I love all the onomatopoeia going on, and the rhythms of the wording are just lovely.  Here's a bit:

The riverbed slime
is shivery and quivery,
bubbly and wiggly,
cold and jiggly.
Spread it, pat it,
till it's shiny and flat.
Smack and whack that
smucky mush
smacky mush
squooshy slooshy muddigush!

So fun to read.


One Duck Stuck
Phyllis Root (Oliver Finds His Way), illustrated by Jane Chapman (Bear books with Karma Wilson)
ISBN: 0763603341
Counting up to ten in the swamp with animals trying to help a duck with his foot buried in mud.

This is a fun and quick counting book.  There's lots of text, but it reads very quickly, and even with lots of expressive pauses, it still just hums along.  ONE duck is stuck, and then TWO fish come over and try to help, then THREE moose, and so on.  My favorite part is the different creative ways the animals try to help - all failing until ten types of animal have assembled, and all work together to rescue the poor duck.  Cute, fun wordplay, simple but bright and vibrant paintings, and a good message.  Also mud.  


Red Rubber Boot Day
Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
ISBN: 0152053980
Previously reviewed here.

Still one of my absolute favorite rainy-day books.  It's just such a perfect marriage of luminous paintings and child-focused interest.  There's only so much a creative child can do inside when it's raining before they just have to go outside and run around in the wet.  Super short, super attractive, and an absolute joy from start to finish.

Tuesday Storytime: Rainy Days

I was away at a class this time around, so one of my lovely Clerks gave the storytime.  I didn't know we were slated for nasty weather when I picked these out for her last week, but given the rain last night, and the epic storms heading our way for today and tomorrow, I'm feeling a little prophetic!

Listen to the Rain
Bill Martin, Jr, and John Archambault, illustrated by James Endicott
ISBN: 0805006826
peaceful minimalistic paintings against a white backdrop

I love this book for storytime.  It's a perfect onomatopoeic verbal representation of a storm, with all the rhyming and similar words getting repeated and emphasized.  It's also a lovely combination of lyric and artistic minimalism and synthesis.  I'm a little jealous that I didn't get to read it, but I wanted something for my Clerk that would flow and read smoothly for someone with not as much practice at Storytime.  This one is perfect for that, and that's why I picked the theme.


A Letter to Amy
Ezra Jack Keats
ISBN: 0670880639
Ezra Jack Keats, y'all.

I don't like this one quite as much as The Snowy Day, but it's up there.  Peter wants to specially invite a special friend to his party, but there are some difficulties.  First, she's a girl, and that's a little weird.  Secondly, he wants to actually MAIL her an invite, to make it more special, but his day is just not going well - a storm blows in, and gets the letter wet, and then something even worse happens!  Poor Peter - will his friend even show up for his party now?  Love this man, love his books. Another good "easy read" for an inexperienced Storytimer.


Red Rubber Boot Day
Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
ISBN: 0152053980
saturated colors, close-focus, daily life, textural brushwork

I hardcore love this book.  I don't care that the author and illustrator aren't famous picture book people.  They are amazing and I want to send them all the love for this perfect perfect stompy rainy-day I've run out of things to do inside can I please go outside into the fresh rain-wet perfect new green day and play in the puddles book.  I like this book so much I went out and bought a copy for my home library and I don't even have a kid yet to read it to!


I miss my kids so much when I can't do my Storytimes so I'm really looking forward to next week:  Oversize Animals.