Family Storytime: New Picture Books

For this final week's storytime before winter break, we decided to use this as an opportunity to use some of the library's newer picture books. I took some time to look through our new picture book display and chose a few that I thought would be entertaining enough for storytime. I settled on a Pete the Cat book, a dinosaur story, and a cat story.

We got some wiggles out by following along to the bean bag song and then we read our first book, Pete the Kitty and the Groovy Playdate by Kimberly and James Dean. Pete the Cat is always a hit with the storytime crowd and this book was exciting for them because it was one that they haven't read yet.

Since we read a story about a cat, I pulled out our colored cats flannel and we went over colors and how many were on the board.

Our next book really captivated the group and it's no surprise because of the author. That's What Dinosaurs Do by Jory John was a silly story about a dinosaur who was told not to roar.

Since it was time for another flannel board story and the holidays are right around the corner, I thought it was perfect for us to decorate our own storytime holiday tree. I put up a bare flannel tree on the board and everyone had a couple chances to put their ornaments on the tree. We talked about colors and how many were on the tree and even did some adding since I had a few older kids.

Our final book was a rhyming book about cats and hats…no, not that Dr. Seuss book. This story was Hats are Not for Cats by Jacqueline K. Rayner. This was another book that the group thought was so funny.

I could really tell these books were a hit because all these books were equally well-received with probably Jory John's book being the favorite.

For our craft, we made our own bookmarks using die-cuts and Popsicle sticks.

Favorites, Favorites, Favorites!

I just wanted to write a quick post on some of my favorite books for fall, winter, and just all-time favorites. 

This was a very tough endeavor because there's so many good choices and the possibilities are endless, but I settled on my top five fall picture books, top five winter picture books, and top five all-time favorite books when I was a child.

Top Five Fall Picture Books
Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
We're Going On a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson

I picked these five books because they are wonderful storytime books for fall with beautiful pictures and great messages or silliness. I almost always read these every season for storytimes and they never disappoint. 

Top Five Winter Picture Books
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda
Let It Snow by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

I picked these five books because they are cute, enjoyable stories to read that are also perfect for storytimes. The Grinch is also one of my all-time favorite children's books.

All-Time Favorite Books (When I was a Child)
Any Garfield comic by Jim Davis
American Girl Books, especially Meet Addy
The Secret World of Alex Mack series
Dear America Series
Goosebumps

These five series were picked because I remember gobbling these books all up as a kid. I'm a huge fan of Garfield and would collect anything Garfield as a kid and would have to keep up with every comic book so I wouldn't miss an issue. I just loved his cattitude!

American Girl books were always a favorite because I could relate to them as a girl and I remember first reading Meet Addy and feeling so much sympathy and emotion for her. Great books to put girls in other girls' shoes and I remember just reading these and feeling like I was there with each character.

The Secret World of Alex Mack was a TV series on Nickelodeon that I loved as a child. She was into science and had magical powers because of it! I of course wanted to read every book. Another character that I could relate to and really pulled me in.

Dear America was one of my favorite series because I enjoyed the idea of reading someone else's diary and all these young girls had journeys and hardships that made their diaries interesting. It was because of this series that I enjoy reading any diary-format books and it also helped instill a love of history as a child.

Goosebumps were a favorite because they were so popular. The feeling of being scared while reading them is what really brought an interest of wanting to read more.

Family Storytime: Children's Book Week

For our last week of storytimes, we celebrated our favorite books and different cultures in honor of Children's Book Week. This was the first time we tried this theme and I really enjoyed it. It's a great opportunity to share our favorite picture books with our groups and introduce them to some cultural picture books. 

I started off explaining our theme using the book Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora. This colorful book celebrates children and reading, showing all the ways a child can enjoy reading a book. 

 Since our theme is about loving to read, I used the flannel board story, A Boy and His Box. This is a story about a boy who loved to read in his box. All different animals stroll by and ask to come inside the box to hear the story. The group is introduced to different types of animals and a bee gets all the animals out of the cramped box. This always seems to be a hit with any group. 

Our next story kept their interest throughout and is very fun and interactive. There's a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher lets us do fun things with the monster in the book, like tickling him or turning the book to shake him out. 

 We practiced our colors and matching by matching some flannel kites and then it was time for our next book, I'll Wait, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony. What will Mr. Panda's surprise be and who will be willing to wait and see?

Our final book was Fiesta Babies by Carmen Tafolla, a short and rhyming cultural read. 

For our craft, we made pinata horses using construction paper, tissue paper, and yarn for its tail. 

 Happy Children's Book Week, Dia de los ninos!