Make a Hat Day

 I find it helpful to look up quirky dates to get program ideas and I came across Make a Hat Day on September 15, so I thought this would be a cute and unique storytime. 

Believe it or not, there's a lot of good books for this theme. I decided for my first book, to read Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli. Of course I like this book because it rhymes beautifully, but also because it talks about different people throughout history and their individual hats. 

We are trying to keep our storytimes a little shorter virtually to see how that goes so I only read two stories for this one despite all these great hat books. The other story I chose was Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won. It seems to be every animal is having a grumpy day until hats are shared. What a fun hat story that promotes sharing, friendship, and emotions. This is also perfect to read out loud. 

For our craft, we made our own hats! I included a supply bag that had a cardboard cutout hat from Oriental Trading and all sorts of supplies they could use to decorate their own ideal hat. I put pom poms, tissue paper, googly eyes, feathers, and stickers in their bags to decorate and have fun with. 

Grab your favorite hat and read a story!

Fall For a Good Book!

 

Book of the Month: Milo Imagines the World

 

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena is my Book of the Month pick for so many reasons. Very well-thought-out, this powerful picture book has a much needed message, a surprising twist, and is a thought-provoking read for young and old. Not to mention the great illustrations by Christian Robinson. 

Summary: While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be. 

Ages: 4-8 years

"Maybe you can't really know anyone just by looking at their face."

This is what you get when you combine the works of a Newbery Medal winner and Caldecott Honor author with an award-winning New York Times bestseller. Perfection. 

This book is touching and is a lesson for everyone to be learned. That you don't assume and judge someone by the way they look and that we don't know everyone's story and what they are going through. 

From Milo's perspective it proves that even adults can learn from children when in the story, Milo realizes that his assumptions of people he sees on his subway ride could be wrong. He wonders what others may perceive of him and we get yet another lesson. And our smart Milo also realizes that maybe his sister might be having a hard time like him and gives her a break when she gets upset at him. 

Acceptance, forgiveness, and non-judgmental behavior are just some of the lessons in this book. I cannot commend this book enough!

Color Your Own Flower Pot and Storytime

 I thought having a flower pot craft and flower storytime aligns pretty well with our summer reading theme, so I went with it. There's tons of flower picture books and who wouldn't enjoy decorating and planting their own flower seeds?

Our celebration of flowers started with the book Lucy's Blooms by Dawn Babb Prochovnic. Lucy enters a flower contest only to get disappointed, but quickly learns that it's the joy of caring for her flowers and someone and something that is the most special. I like how this book touches upon the patience and process of growing and nurturing something. 

The next and final book I read was What Dos Bunny See? by Linda Sue Park. This is just a sweet and simple book that rhymes and is about flowers and colors. Perfect for this theme. 

I was able to find plastic flower pots on Oriental Trading that allowed the kids to be able to color and design the paper that was inside of it. The paper had flowers so the kids could color them in, but there was also an option of just having blank sheets so they could color any design they wanted. I definitely liked this option for a supply bag and maybe would have done terra cotta pots and paint if in person. 

I enjoyed this program because it mixes stories, the summer reading theme, and nature and planting seeds all together. 

Magical Mermaid Storytime

 I always wanted to do a mermaid storytime and the day has come! 

For my first book shared, I chose Mermaid School by Joanne Stewart Wetzel. This book is really fun to read out loud and let's imaginations go wild when you wonder how mermaids are in school. 

My next mermaid book read was Coral by Molly Idle. Unique illustrations and a great message about acceptance, handling anger, and enjoying the help and company of others. 

We took a break from reading by counting fish on the flannel board and pointing out their different colors.

Afterwards, it was time to read our last book, Can I Give You a Squish? by Emily Neilson. I love this book and purposely picked it because it's about a mer-boy, so my boy listeners could relate to it more and feel included. I also like this book because it explains to children that sometimes others don't like hugs and to be touched but that there are other ways to welcome and be friendly to each other. 

Since we were done with our last book for storytime, it was time for our craft. I found these adorable seashell crowns that could be decorated and colored and worn on each child. 

I would definitely do this theme again because the books are so much fun! 

Let's Make a Rainbow Storytime

 This rainbow storytime was meant to tie-in with our Summer Reading Club's theme, "Reading Colors Your World." 

I decided to read Ava and the Rainbow by Ged Adamson for our first book. This sweet picture book is about Ava who makes friends with a rainbow and realizes that a rainbow is meant to be special and a rare sight. 

Our next book was The Rainbow by Felicia Law. This book is great for a rainbow storytime because it talks a little bit about the science of a rainbow and explains how a rainbow appears. 

My final book read was Ruby's Rainbow, a Max and Ruby book by Rosemary Wells. The story goes over the colors of the rainbow so kids can get some practice with knowing colors. 

For the storytime craft, I was able to find a cute Oriental Trading rainbow craft where the kids can practice their fine motor skills by threading string matching the colors of the rainbow. 

Rainbows are such a cheerful, beautiful topic for a storytime in spring!

Around the Pond Storytime

 I enjoyed putting together an Around the Pond storytime for spring using picture books about pond animals. 

Our first story is about a growing frog in Tad by Benji Davies. I loved the colorful illustrations, how it explains the growth of a frog, and the powerful message of strength. 

After Davies' story, we counted frogs on the flannel board and then went to reading our next book, I'm a Duck by Eve Bunting. This story is about a cute duck who is conquering his swimming fears in his pond. 

For our craft, we made our own duck using construction paper, cupcake liners, and googly eyes. 

This storytime shows how kids can learn from nature around them.

Make a Colorful Kaleidoscope

 Our library's Summer Reading Club theme is "Reading Colors Your World" and what better way to celebrate a colorful summer by having a kaleidoscope program. I liked this idea because it paired well with the library's summer reading theme and it also has STEM characteristics. 

After scouring library books and the internet for ideas on how to go about making a kaleidoscope, I decided to buy a nice kit I found on Amazon and showcase some of the books we had that explain how to make one on your own. The kits worked out beautifully and this was one of the virtual programs with a supply bag that went like that. 

I enjoyed making the sample for this craft and it was nice to incorporate some of the science behind light and reflections. 

Let's Have a Picnic Storytime

 I thought it would be fun to do a picnic themed storytime for spring and found the three perfect books that I thought would be perfect to read and paired it nicely with a watermelon craft. 

Ready for Anything! by Keiko Kasza tells the story of worried Duck and all the things he thinks can go wrong with a picnic. Of course his friend Raccoon reassures him that there's a lot of fun things about a picnic and to focus on that. 

Our next book was Bears and Blossoms by Shirley Parenteau and is a fun, sweet read showing all the great things about having a picnic.

 The last book I read was The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli so I could tie that in with our watermelon craft made with a paper plate, tissue paper, and markers. 

I hope all these stories got everyone hungry for another picnic book!

Catch the Reading Bug!

 

Let's Recycle and Get Crafty

 For my virtual "Let's Recycle and Get Crafty" program, I wanted to show how you can use everyday items around the house to make upcycled crafts and that this can be something kids can easily do with a caregiver's help during the pandemic. 

After searching for some ideas online, I decided on showing how to make a bird feeder, spring wreath, and smiley face jars using recyclable items. 

The easiest craft would have to be the smiley face jars. For this craft, the upcycled item was a glass jar or plastic container and the kids simply had to pick their favorite paint color at home and paint the whole jar/container with paint and let it dry. Afterwards, add some googly eyes and a smiley face to complete a cute jar that can be used for flowers or as a pencil holder. This idea was courtesy of Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials by Kimberly McLeod. 

The next craft idea shown was making a spring flower wreath using cardboard egg cartons, a paper plate as a base, and paint. After the wreath base was painted and the egg carton was cut out to make flower-looking pieces, let everything sit and dry and then start gluing and adding cute elements like pom poms and sequins. 

The final recycled craft idea was making a bird feeder using a can, some colorful duct tape, and ribbon. Once the can (I used a small coffee can) was cut at both ends using a can opener, duct tape can be added for a spring look and a lid can be cut in half. Once attached to both ends of the can and adding a string, this is a simple and upcycled craft that just needs some bird seed. 

I was glad I was able to do this virtual program to show how it's easy to make something using recyclable materials. This is a great way to show kids the importance about recycling and still make it fun!

Book of the Month: Laxmi's Mooch

 

This is probably one of the only if not the only picture book that addresses facial hair on little girls. Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand is a book that needed to be written. Well-written and thought out, this book is the book for any girl who is embarrassed about the way they look and needs some confidence and self-acceptance. 

Summary: After Laxmi's friend Zoe points out the hairs on her lip, Laxmi is very self-conscious until her East Indian parents help her to accept and celebrate her appearance. 

Ages: 4-8

"'But, Mummy, I thought mooches were just for boys, like Papa.' 'Nahi! You know, we come from a long line of women with moochay," said Mummy. 'We do? Like who?' 'From Mughal empresses and stately ranis to village girls and city girls. Even your nani and cousin Radha. 'Everyone has a mooch, really.'"

Author Anand incorporates Indian culture with a great, encouraging message that shows that everyone has something they feel self-conscious about and it's best to embrace who you are. This is a great book to read to children for body positivity on a topic that isn't usually addressed--body hair.   

Virtual Book Talk: Women's History Month

For my virtual program in March, I decided that I would do my first virtual book talk on Women's History Month. It was a challenge because it was my first program that wasn't in a storytime or craft format, but I so enjoyed doing this and to promote some of the incredible women who had made a difference.

I ended up using Google Slides and Screencast to make a video on some of the great female biographies for young readers that I came across. I wanted to make sure that I chose books that were diversified and had women from all walks of life. 

Originally, I came up with the idea to physically hold up the books as I was talking about them-which is the traditional way of doing these virtually it seems, but because I wasn't able to get a hold of any books I set aside in the library, I decided to take this as a challenge and see what e-books we offered on Hoopla and our other e-book sources. 

After seeing that a lot of e-books on my list were available on Hoopla, I decided to narrow down my list from those and thought this worked out perfect because everyone watching could check out these books either physically from the library or on Hoopla. I loved how we have these great books on women available both the physical copy and the e-book copy. 

Below is a list of the books I decided to narrow down to and present, but there are so many women biographies for kids that are so inspiring! These twelve book suggestions vary from picture books to chapter books. Happy Women's History Month!

25 Women Who Fought Back by Jill Sherman (chapter book)

111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl by Rina Singh, Marianne Ferrer (picture book)

A Woman in the House (and Senate): How Women Came to the United States Congress, Broke Down Barriers, and Changed the Country by Ilene Cooper (chapter book)

Dolores Huerta: Labor Activist by Kate Moening (easy reader/early reader)

Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of by Helaine Becker (picture book)

Mamie on the Mound: A Woman in Baseball's Negro Leagues by Leah Henderson (picture book)

On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Berne (picture book)

The Bug Girl: Maria Merian's Scientific Vision by Sarah Glenn Marsh (picture book)

The International Day of the Girl: Celebrating Girls Around the World by Jessica Dee Humphreys (chapter book)

The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark by Kate Moore (chapter book)

The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman's Words Made History by Elisa Boxer  (picture book)

Women Inventors Hidden in History by Petrice Custance (chapter book)

Book of the Month: The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark

 I was researching books for an upcoming Women's History Month program and I came across this gem from Kate Moore. The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark is both captivating and enraging being a true story about how young, female workers were getting poisoned by radium while working on making clock dials in the early twentieth century. These are one of those nonfiction stories that will keep kids reading and entertained.

Summary: The acclaimed national bestseller about America's glowing girls and their brave fight for justice, now adapted for young readers.

Ages: 8-12 years

"As Katherine walked into the studio on her first day, she saw the other dial-painters were already hard at work. Young girls sat in rows, painting dials at top speed. Yet it wasn't the dials that caught Katherine's eye. It was the material they were using to paint them. It was the radium."

This book would be a great book club pick or an excellent choice to read along with a parent since there is the adult version as well. There is also a movie available on Netflix that pairs well with this book. I enjoyed how this true story shows how young girls and women can make a difference when they see a terrible wrong. Inspiring and empowering!

Virtual Program: Let's Be Kind Storytime

For my February virtual program, I put on a kindness storytime. I wanted to do a different spin on Valentine's Day and I thought this theme fit very well.

The first book that was read was Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller. This really is a sweet book that shows all the ways you can make a person feel better just by being kind and showing empathy. This book really fit my theme and was a perfect introduction to kindness.

After we read our first book, it was time for a flannel board activity. Since we are so close to Valentine's Day, I decided to do a Valentine's Day flannel board using a rhyme and some different Valentines in the shape of hearts. 

Our following book was Finding Kindness by Deborah Underwood. I liked how this was another book that really explained being kind well. Both of these picture books allow children to understand all the different ways you can be kind to others.

For our sample craft to make at home, I used construction paper hearts and made a Valentine Bee that they could give to someone else for Valentine's Day to be kind. "Be kind and be my Valentine!"

Book of the Month: The Worry (Less) Book: Feel Strong, Find Calm, and Tame Your Anxiety

 

For February's Book of the Month, I chose a nonfiction children's book about worry and anxiety to help children who might be having trouble with our new normal because of Covid-19 or those that like me, tend to having worry and anxious tendencies. The Worry (Less) Book: Feel Strong, Find Calm, and Tame Your Anxiety! by Rachel Brian is our Book of the Month. I read a lot of self-help nonfiction for adults on worry and anxiety and wanted to see what we have out there for our children to read on the subject. 

Summary: Start worrying less and enjoying life with this book for people who worry or struggle with anxiety (so yeah--everyone)!

Ages: 6-10 years

"What this book can do: explain how your body reacts to worries. Help you recognize anxiety. Give you ideas for calming yourself. What it can't do: tell you how to worry. Pick up your dirty socks. Make all anxiety disappear."

In kid-friendly speak and fun comic illustrations, Rachel Brian presents a helpful book on worry and anxiety for children and like she says, "for everyone!" Particularly helpful is how she presents ways middle graders and adults can manage their stressful moments and how to understand their feelings better. This is a great book to explain worry to children and how there are good worries and being overly worried. 

The pictures really get emotions across that will help the reader understand even better. There's also valuable information explaining worry from a scientific and medical perspective. I also liked how the author pointed out the different ways you can recognize it's anxiety and how anxiety can get in the way of new opportunities and all the ways you can take care of you to avoid worry's ugly moments. 

This book is a great introduction on worry and how to alleviate them. 

Virtual Program: Penguin Storytime

 For my January virtual program, I was able to do a storytime about penguins. I have to remember just how many great penguin books and activities there are to do with little ones! For my virtual storytimes, I usually read two books tops and include a flannel board follow-along activity and a craft idea. I followed the same template for this program.

For our first book, I read Be Brave, Little Penguin by Rachel Elliot. This book tells the story of a cute, little penguin who wants to swim and play in the water despite being afraid, but pulls through and conquers his fear. I enjoyed how this book had a great message for kids and cute illustrations to go along with it.

After our second book, I did a short flannel board activity involving the concept of colors and different color penguins. Of course we counted our penguins too!

My last book was Little Penguin and the Lollipop by Tadgh Bentley. This is a fun book to read and hopefully got the kids at home involved by saying, "razzle dazzle lollipop!" Who doesn't love a story about penguins and lollipops?

For a sample craft to make at home, I showed viewers how to make a simple penguin out of construction paper or with any type of paper if the kids wanted to color. 

With all the picture books on penguins, it's no wonder they are one of everyone's favorite animals!

Book of the Month: I'm Sticking with You

I chose I'm Sticking with You by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and illustrated by Steve Small for January's Book of the Month. If you are looking for a picture book that is sweet and loving while teaching friendship this is a great choice to read.

Summary: It's wonderful to have good friends to see you through the good times and the bad. But sometimes, friends can also be a bit...well...overbearing. 

Ages: 4-8 years

"I'm ready to listen to all your ideas. Ready to be there to help you along...Even if sometimes it goes a bit wrong."

Rhyming words and simple pictures complete this book on friendship and love. Prasadam-Halls explains that friendship involves sticking together through the hard times and understanding that sometimes you'll need a break only to miss your friend. 

This is a great book for a frienship storytime because it is short and teaches the characteristics of friendship and love.