We got drenched this morning, so I pulled one of my usual fall storytimes forward to celebrate the sudden thunderstorm.
Tap Tap Boom Boom
Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Urban residents take to the subway underground station to seek shelter from a sudden rainstorm, and find friendship and fun while down there.
Rain
Sam Usher
A boy is DELIGHTED that it's a rainy day, and can't wait for all the rainy-day adventures to begin, but his grandfather persuades him to wait and wait and WAIT for the rain to end before heading outside for the eventual fun. Gets a little surreal at the end, might confuse littler ones as to what's real and what's imaginary.
Like a Hundred Drums
Annette Griessman, illustrated by Julie Monks
A lovely nature-and-farm-animal focused look at an incoming thunderstorm, heavy on the anticipation. The people are almost an afterthought, and it's a surprisingly lyrical and longing take on the subject.
Showing posts with label rain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rain. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Monday, March 27, 2017
Tuesday Storytime: puddles!
My only regret for this set of books is that Rain Feet is suuuuch a small board book. I really wish that more of them were a bit closer in size to regular picture books.
Muddypaws
Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Simon Mendez
ISBN: 9781407518404
Sweet nameless puppy gets muddy in all sorts of interesting contexts.
Rain Feet
Angela Johnson, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell
ISBN: 0531068498
A sweet little Black boy (context not clear so can't tell if AA or otherwise). Bright colors, sweet face.
Puddle
Hyewon Yum
ISBN: 9780374316952
Story-within-a-story of an evolving drawing on a rainy day of a boy and his mom and their dog.
Muddypaws
Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Simon Mendez
ISBN: 9781407518404
Sweet nameless puppy gets muddy in all sorts of interesting contexts.
Rain Feet
Angela Johnson, illustrated by Rhonda Mitchell
ISBN: 0531068498
A sweet little Black boy (context not clear so can't tell if AA or otherwise). Bright colors, sweet face.
Puddle
Hyewon Yum
ISBN: 9780374316952
Story-within-a-story of an evolving drawing on a rainy day of a boy and his mom and their dog.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Tuesday Storytime: Rainy Day
It's the time of year for random rain showers, and there are always so many good rain books floating around. :)
The Cloud Princess
Khoa Le
ISBN: 9781608877317
Cloud Princess is always lonely and curious about the world, but she dissolves into rain when she gets too close.
Rain
Robert Kalan, illustrated by Donald Crews
ISBN: 0688841392
Simplistic, word-centered (the rain in the illustrations is the word RAIN repeated like thousands of tiny raindrops) and beautifully, simply colorful.
Puddles!!!
Kevan Atteberry
ISBN: 9780062307842
The bunny-loving monster is back, and this time there's a rainstorm, with puddles, mud, and THUNDER! Loud noises are scary even for monsters!
The Cloud Princess
Khoa Le
ISBN: 9781608877317
Cloud Princess is always lonely and curious about the world, but she dissolves into rain when she gets too close.
Rain
Robert Kalan, illustrated by Donald Crews
ISBN: 0688841392
Simplistic, word-centered (the rain in the illustrations is the word RAIN repeated like thousands of tiny raindrops) and beautifully, simply colorful.
Puddles!!!
Kevan Atteberry
ISBN: 9780062307842
The bunny-loving monster is back, and this time there's a rainstorm, with puddles, mud, and THUNDER! Loud noises are scary even for monsters!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Tuesday Storytime: Summer Showers
We've finally had some rain here, so it's time for our Summer Showers storytime - I usually do one in spring and one in late summer after the Summer Reading Program finishes off. In South Carolina, summer is absolutely not over at the end of July - we're just getting started. Last year it didn't cool down til November, and I don't see that changing much this year either.
Thunder-Boomer!
Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompson
ISBN: 9780618918651
Loose free scribbly lines and washes of color and lots of small panels and vignettes.
The panels and vignettes make this a little less suitable for storytime, but we had a small-ish group today, so it worked out pretty well. I love the loose flowing scribbly lines and the slightly sloppy washes of color everywhere, and the differences between the wide-open outside and the slightly cramped and crowded inside. We start on a hot country afternoon: dad's plowing, mom and kids are cooling by the pond, and a "Thunder-Boomer" rolls in, prompting a scramble: tractor put away, chickens hustled back into the coop, laundry pulled off the line. The bottom falls out, and poor Dad has to run out to rescue a last broody chicken, and then it's just huddling together while the storm rolls through. After the rain and wind and hail die back down, they emerge to a wet and clean world, and a tiny kitten, courtesy of the broody chicken and drenched by the storm.
The Big Storm! A Very Soggy Counting Book
Nancy Tafuri
ISBN: 9781416967958
Oddly paced, but short and sweet: forest animals take refuge one by one in a small cave - surprise bears!
Tafuri's lovely drawings with their vibrant colors and clear lines are perfect for this short and sweet count-up-and-back-down. The frontispieces show a pair of bears heading into a hillside cave, and then the story begins with the smaller woodland creatures swooping in to take refuge from the storm - as the numbers and the animals reveal, they don't know the bears are already there! All ten crowd in for the night of storms and rumbly thunder, but in the morning the sky is clear, but why can they still hear thunder so loudly? A mad scramble for the outdoors makes up the count-back-down, and the bears are left peacefully asleep.
Tap Tap Boom Boom
Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
ISBN: 9780763656966
An urban thunderstorm brings umbrella vendors and a retreat into the subway station.
The short choppy rhythms of this book and the syncopated speaking patterns and slant-rhymes (at least for me) make this a challenge to read fluidly, but it's a really great book, especially for my area, which is a lot more familiar with farms and suburbs than with subways and city sidewalks. A Tap Tap Boom Boom rolls in, and as the rain soaks through everything, people retreat to the subway station for refuge and a chance to dry off and socialize for a bit before re-emerging to find a scrubbed-clean city and a nice rainbow. This one also is good for humanizing and normalizing city life, again a challenge for this particular area. For a city-life trio, I'd pair it with Nana in the City and I don't know what else.
Thunder-Boomer!
Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompson
ISBN: 9780618918651
Loose free scribbly lines and washes of color and lots of small panels and vignettes.
The panels and vignettes make this a little less suitable for storytime, but we had a small-ish group today, so it worked out pretty well. I love the loose flowing scribbly lines and the slightly sloppy washes of color everywhere, and the differences between the wide-open outside and the slightly cramped and crowded inside. We start on a hot country afternoon: dad's plowing, mom and kids are cooling by the pond, and a "Thunder-Boomer" rolls in, prompting a scramble: tractor put away, chickens hustled back into the coop, laundry pulled off the line. The bottom falls out, and poor Dad has to run out to rescue a last broody chicken, and then it's just huddling together while the storm rolls through. After the rain and wind and hail die back down, they emerge to a wet and clean world, and a tiny kitten, courtesy of the broody chicken and drenched by the storm.
The Big Storm! A Very Soggy Counting Book
Nancy Tafuri
ISBN: 9781416967958
Oddly paced, but short and sweet: forest animals take refuge one by one in a small cave - surprise bears!
Tafuri's lovely drawings with their vibrant colors and clear lines are perfect for this short and sweet count-up-and-back-down. The frontispieces show a pair of bears heading into a hillside cave, and then the story begins with the smaller woodland creatures swooping in to take refuge from the storm - as the numbers and the animals reveal, they don't know the bears are already there! All ten crowd in for the night of storms and rumbly thunder, but in the morning the sky is clear, but why can they still hear thunder so loudly? A mad scramble for the outdoors makes up the count-back-down, and the bears are left peacefully asleep.
Tap Tap Boom Boom
Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
ISBN: 9780763656966
An urban thunderstorm brings umbrella vendors and a retreat into the subway station.
The short choppy rhythms of this book and the syncopated speaking patterns and slant-rhymes (at least for me) make this a challenge to read fluidly, but it's a really great book, especially for my area, which is a lot more familiar with farms and suburbs than with subways and city sidewalks. A Tap Tap Boom Boom rolls in, and as the rain soaks through everything, people retreat to the subway station for refuge and a chance to dry off and socialize for a bit before re-emerging to find a scrubbed-clean city and a nice rainbow. This one also is good for humanizing and normalizing city life, again a challenge for this particular area. For a city-life trio, I'd pair it with Nana in the City and I don't know what else.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Tuesday Storytime: Splashy Summer
I have such fun picking out themes for storytimes.
All-Weather Friends
Udo Weigelt, illustrated by Nicolas D' Aujourd'hui
ISBN: 0735810486 (library)
A German wives' tale gets Moss the frog into weather forecasting trouble, before a new friend sets him straight.
Moss is flustered when his friend Hedgehog demands that he forecast the weather, and in his panic, he makes up stories. None of his forecasts come true (this book has the record for the weirdest-weather day ever!) and in despair, after ruining his friends' plans for the day, he sets off for the weather frog in the human house to learn forecasting. What he learns instead, is how to be a friend, and how to be truthful, even when people are very demanding.
Down by the Cool of the Pool
Tony Mitton, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees
ISBN: 0439309158
A lively barnyard song-and-dance sparked by the frog at the farm pond.
This one is quick and lively and super-fast-paced, and the illustrations are likewise loose and bright and vibrant and full of action. The text is incorporated into the illustrations, which makes a couple of pages a bit hard to process in front of an audience, but the words and the escalation of the rhyme is fairly predictable. I do find the ending a bit abrupt, but otherwise it's a bright fun read.
Water in the Park: a book about water and the times of the day
Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
ISBN: 9780375970023
A city park, with pond, playground, sprinklers, and grassy field, sees a full day of visitors.
This is an interesting premise, and it feels just a little bit forced, to be totally honest, but the close focus on individuals (from a child's perspective - so we have the names of children and dogs, but not of any adults) and on the ebb and flow of visitors to the park saves it from being tedious. We start at 6 am, with a quiet park, where turtles enjoy the first rays of sunlight on the rocks. Through the day, various people and animals enjoy the park and interact with water in lots of different ways, from dogs splashing in the pond to kids schlepping water in buckets over to the sandboxes, to babies playing in the sprinklers, to birds bathing in the puddles left over from the workers watering the flowers, until nighttime, when the last dogs finish their walks and a torrential storm soaks everything.
All-Weather Friends
Udo Weigelt, illustrated by Nicolas D' Aujourd'hui
ISBN: 0735810486 (library)
A German wives' tale gets Moss the frog into weather forecasting trouble, before a new friend sets him straight.
Moss is flustered when his friend Hedgehog demands that he forecast the weather, and in his panic, he makes up stories. None of his forecasts come true (this book has the record for the weirdest-weather day ever!) and in despair, after ruining his friends' plans for the day, he sets off for the weather frog in the human house to learn forecasting. What he learns instead, is how to be a friend, and how to be truthful, even when people are very demanding.
Down by the Cool of the Pool
Tony Mitton, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees
ISBN: 0439309158
A lively barnyard song-and-dance sparked by the frog at the farm pond.
This one is quick and lively and super-fast-paced, and the illustrations are likewise loose and bright and vibrant and full of action. The text is incorporated into the illustrations, which makes a couple of pages a bit hard to process in front of an audience, but the words and the escalation of the rhyme is fairly predictable. I do find the ending a bit abrupt, but otherwise it's a bright fun read.
Water in the Park: a book about water and the times of the day
Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
ISBN: 9780375970023
A city park, with pond, playground, sprinklers, and grassy field, sees a full day of visitors.
This is an interesting premise, and it feels just a little bit forced, to be totally honest, but the close focus on individuals (from a child's perspective - so we have the names of children and dogs, but not of any adults) and on the ebb and flow of visitors to the park saves it from being tedious. We start at 6 am, with a quiet park, where turtles enjoy the first rays of sunlight on the rocks. Through the day, various people and animals enjoy the park and interact with water in lots of different ways, from dogs splashing in the pond to kids schlepping water in buckets over to the sandboxes, to babies playing in the sprinklers, to birds bathing in the puddles left over from the workers watering the flowers, until nighttime, when the last dogs finish their walks and a torrential storm soaks everything.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Tuesday Storytime: Rain and Mud
Fun set of books today again!
Waiting Out the Storm
Joann Early Macken, illustrated by Susan Gaber
ISBN: 9780763633783
Sleepy pastel landscapes make for a reassuring and refreshing background for a sweet sentimental storm story.
Mother and daughter are out working in the yard when they are interrupted by an approaching storm, and the book text is the dialogue between the two as the child is anxious or curious about the storm, and mother responds reassuringly and mostly factually. I appreciate that this book has the duo retreating inside to wait out the storm, as most rain books focus on children headed outside to play in the rain, and not all children (or parents) are comfortable with that scenario - it's very nice to have the other impulse (to nest up and wait out the storm in comfort) recognized and celebrated.
Mud
Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
ISBN: 19780152024611
Faux-naive blocky dark muddy artwork make the short narrative more stark and powerful.
This one isn't a perfect fit for a rainy-day narrative, because here we have the mud as a direct reaction to the spring thaw (which we really don't even get in South Carolina anyway) but it was so perfect and dirty and muddy and playful that I couldn't resist. A bit too much time is spent leading up to the mud (in my opinion) but once it shows up, it's a perfect medium for playful but powerful wordplay and dark evocative artwork that draws out the amazing browns and reds and greys in the dirt and mud. It ends on a sweet note, calling for the spring and the green to arrive.
Raindrop, Plop!
Wendy Cheyette Lewison, illustrated by Pam Paparone
ISBN: 0670059501
Super-cute drawings are bright and lively and colorful, with a cheerful count-up-and-down rhyme.
This was a surprise favorite book out of this set - I expected I would like Waiting Out the Storm more, but the relentless cheerfulness and sprightly rhyme (and the length - perfect for middle or end) makes me really happy to have discovered this one. This is my first time reading it for storytime, but it feels familiar and comfortable to read and to progress through. That's a real bonus for anyone reading aloud, and I was delighted at how comfortable and smooth the read was. Our story is simple; along with a count-up from one to ten, we follow a young girl playing outside in a sprinkle of approaching rain, then with "too many raindrops..." we head back inside the house to count back down through a bath and snack, before heading back outside into the newly revealed sunshine. Super cute, super easy to read, and super simple. Absolutely a great storytime read.
Waiting Out the Storm
Joann Early Macken, illustrated by Susan Gaber
ISBN: 9780763633783
Sleepy pastel landscapes make for a reassuring and refreshing background for a sweet sentimental storm story.
Mother and daughter are out working in the yard when they are interrupted by an approaching storm, and the book text is the dialogue between the two as the child is anxious or curious about the storm, and mother responds reassuringly and mostly factually. I appreciate that this book has the duo retreating inside to wait out the storm, as most rain books focus on children headed outside to play in the rain, and not all children (or parents) are comfortable with that scenario - it's very nice to have the other impulse (to nest up and wait out the storm in comfort) recognized and celebrated.
Mud
Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer
ISBN: 19780152024611
Faux-naive blocky dark muddy artwork make the short narrative more stark and powerful.
This one isn't a perfect fit for a rainy-day narrative, because here we have the mud as a direct reaction to the spring thaw (which we really don't even get in South Carolina anyway) but it was so perfect and dirty and muddy and playful that I couldn't resist. A bit too much time is spent leading up to the mud (in my opinion) but once it shows up, it's a perfect medium for playful but powerful wordplay and dark evocative artwork that draws out the amazing browns and reds and greys in the dirt and mud. It ends on a sweet note, calling for the spring and the green to arrive.
Raindrop, Plop!
Wendy Cheyette Lewison, illustrated by Pam Paparone
ISBN: 0670059501
Super-cute drawings are bright and lively and colorful, with a cheerful count-up-and-down rhyme.
This was a surprise favorite book out of this set - I expected I would like Waiting Out the Storm more, but the relentless cheerfulness and sprightly rhyme (and the length - perfect for middle or end) makes me really happy to have discovered this one. This is my first time reading it for storytime, but it feels familiar and comfortable to read and to progress through. That's a real bonus for anyone reading aloud, and I was delighted at how comfortable and smooth the read was. Our story is simple; along with a count-up from one to ten, we follow a young girl playing outside in a sprinkle of approaching rain, then with "too many raindrops..." we head back inside the house to count back down through a bath and snack, before heading back outside into the newly revealed sunshine. Super cute, super easy to read, and super simple. Absolutely a great storytime read.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Picture Books: Dinosaur Thunder, by Marion Dane Bauer & Alphabatics, by Suse MacDonald
Getting brand new freshly cataloged books into the library is always so nice, and I especially love when the picture books come in.
Dinosaur Thunder
Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
ISBN: 9780590452960
Pop-art with ragged white highlighted edging shows off the imagination of a young boy scared of thunder.
This one is going on my list of books about storms. It's nice and short, and has various family-members trying to comfort a small boy by saying comforting cliches about what thunder is - all of which he imagines as still frightening, until his older brother latches on to dinosaurs as the magic imaginary remedy. Thinking of the thunder as familiar dinosaurs roaring and stomping around makes the boy much less nervous about the earth-shaking thunderous booms of the storm.
Alphabatics
Suse MacDonald
ISBN: 9780027615203
1986 book, Caldecott Honor, re-issue. Primary colored alphabet letters gradually morph into animals or items in action.
Love the colors in this book, and glad to see a re-issue of it in hardback. Each letter has a color scheme which takes the original letter through a series of three or four blocks of gradual morphing on one page, into the fully-formed scene on the facing page. As an illustrative example (not sorry for the pun), the letter J is a lowercase red J in a yellow box. The next box has the J turned sideways and resting on the floor of the box, and the box is given a "lid" with the inclusion of a simple white line. Next we have the box-top being slightly pushed open by a multiplicity of Js (now minus their dots), and the final box has the lid fully back, the stack of Js are wobbling slightly, and the dot is on top as a head. The facing page keeps the red J body and the yellow box, turns the red dots into the corners of a clown's smile, and adds a nicely contrasting turquoise ruffle and hat to the ensemble.
Sadly, this one isn't so good for storytimes, because there's no through-line or any action/dialogue, but I'm glad to have a copy to suggest to parents with kids who enjoy interesting illustrations. This would be a really interesting teaching tool to pair with a book like Numblers (also by MacDonald) to use in the classroom to help kids visualise numbers and make imaginative connections with them.
Dinosaur Thunder
Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
ISBN: 9780590452960
Pop-art with ragged white highlighted edging shows off the imagination of a young boy scared of thunder.
This one is going on my list of books about storms. It's nice and short, and has various family-members trying to comfort a small boy by saying comforting cliches about what thunder is - all of which he imagines as still frightening, until his older brother latches on to dinosaurs as the magic imaginary remedy. Thinking of the thunder as familiar dinosaurs roaring and stomping around makes the boy much less nervous about the earth-shaking thunderous booms of the storm.
Alphabatics
Suse MacDonald
ISBN: 9780027615203
1986 book, Caldecott Honor, re-issue. Primary colored alphabet letters gradually morph into animals or items in action.
Love the colors in this book, and glad to see a re-issue of it in hardback. Each letter has a color scheme which takes the original letter through a series of three or four blocks of gradual morphing on one page, into the fully-formed scene on the facing page. As an illustrative example (not sorry for the pun), the letter J is a lowercase red J in a yellow box. The next box has the J turned sideways and resting on the floor of the box, and the box is given a "lid" with the inclusion of a simple white line. Next we have the box-top being slightly pushed open by a multiplicity of Js (now minus their dots), and the final box has the lid fully back, the stack of Js are wobbling slightly, and the dot is on top as a head. The facing page keeps the red J body and the yellow box, turns the red dots into the corners of a clown's smile, and adds a nicely contrasting turquoise ruffle and hat to the ensemble.
Sadly, this one isn't so good for storytimes, because there's no through-line or any action/dialogue, but I'm glad to have a copy to suggest to parents with kids who enjoy interesting illustrations. This would be a really interesting teaching tool to pair with a book like Numblers (also by MacDonald) to use in the classroom to help kids visualise numbers and make imaginative connections with them.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Storytime Potentials: Tap Tap Boom Boom, Elizabeth Bluemle
Tap Tap Boom Boom
Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
sketchy pastel and pencil figures over sepia-toned photograph collages of the city scenery
I'm always in the market for a good book about a rainstorm. I love storms, love thunder and lightning, and I love presenting books that represent them in a way that minimizes their potential as frightening.
This one is delightful. Rhythmic text emphasizes the sounds of the storm - the growing rumbles of thunder and the tap of the rain morphing into the harder louder dance of the growing storm, and then the waning energy revealing the blue sky and fresh air.
However, in addition to that, we're also treated to a very humanistic, very city-based representation of the storm, and for my rural patrons, that's something else that I'm very happy to represent as many times and an as many ways as possible.
Carts pop up to sell umbrellas on the sidewalk. Pedestrians huddle near the buildings to hide from the splashes of passing cars. When the storm picks up, they retreat into a subway terminal, waiting out the storm above in a temporary commune of like-minded and varyingly dry inhabitants. Pizza is shared, umbrellas are offered, smiles exchanged, and then up to the surface again to resume daily life, refreshed after a break from the ordinary.
I'd pair this with city-based rain books for a thunderstorm storytime, or with city-based musical books for a rhythm storytime.
Stormy Books:
Come On Rain, Karen Hesse
Monsoon Afternoon, Kashmira Sheth
Thunder Boomer, Shutta Crum
Rhythm Books:
Ruby Sings the Blues, Niki Daley
Max Found Two Sticks, Brian Pinkney
Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
sketchy pastel and pencil figures over sepia-toned photograph collages of the city scenery
I'm always in the market for a good book about a rainstorm. I love storms, love thunder and lightning, and I love presenting books that represent them in a way that minimizes their potential as frightening.
This one is delightful. Rhythmic text emphasizes the sounds of the storm - the growing rumbles of thunder and the tap of the rain morphing into the harder louder dance of the growing storm, and then the waning energy revealing the blue sky and fresh air.
However, in addition to that, we're also treated to a very humanistic, very city-based representation of the storm, and for my rural patrons, that's something else that I'm very happy to represent as many times and an as many ways as possible.
Carts pop up to sell umbrellas on the sidewalk. Pedestrians huddle near the buildings to hide from the splashes of passing cars. When the storm picks up, they retreat into a subway terminal, waiting out the storm above in a temporary commune of like-minded and varyingly dry inhabitants. Pizza is shared, umbrellas are offered, smiles exchanged, and then up to the surface again to resume daily life, refreshed after a break from the ordinary.
I'd pair this with city-based rain books for a thunderstorm storytime, or with city-based musical books for a rhythm storytime.
Stormy Books:
Come On Rain, Karen Hesse
Monsoon Afternoon, Kashmira Sheth
Thunder Boomer, Shutta Crum
Rhythm Books:
Ruby Sings the Blues, Niki Daley
Max Found Two Sticks, Brian Pinkney
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
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.
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.
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