Turkey Day, SSCXWC, the Christmas Fairy, and Storytimes Galore!

Oh, so much to tell you! Let's catch up...

It has been pretty hectic in my neck of the woods with holidays and work and such. Thanksgiving was wonderful and Christmas is sure to be a blast. My parents had Thanksgiving at their house for the first time this year. A perfectly brined turkey (kudos to Uncle Jim!), all the dressings to boot, and sixteen of my favorite smiling faces around the table...

Who could ask for anything more?

Husbando spent the next weekend knocking out a tooth and becoming internet famous at the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Philadelphia. Pay attention about a minute and eight seconds into the video. You can see his epic bike toss in slow-mo.

Yep. That's him. Scrambling over the hood of the car. Total swoon. [Side note: He didn't knock the whole tooth out and it was fixed on Monday. I'm just glad he didn't come home with Tetanus.]

You guys! Christmas is next week! Hoorah! Husbando and I braved the elements to bring home our tree last Wednesday. Let me tell you. When snow is in the forecast, Cleveland doesn't mess around...

Sushi first! 

Then this happened.

Once home, I promptly blasted the Christmas music and flitted around the house like a Christmas fairy, spreading glitter and lights and tiny reindeer. 

One of my absolute favorite things about decorating the tree

is opening the ornaments from each year and reading 

the note from my mom.

I wasn't kidding about the tiny reindeer.

Isn't it glorious?!

Sissy, husband-in-law, and the bean (did I mention I am going to be Aunt Maggie in a few months?!) have made their way to this side of Earth and I just can't wait to see them on Thursday. They live in South Africa and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. I'll be making several trips back and forth from Cleveland to Toledo over the next couple weeks, but it's all worth it to have everyone together. **warm fuzzies** (It's okay, you can roll your eyes.)

So. Library. 

Holycowsomanystorytimeslastweek!

Let's start at the beginning...

Tuesday: Roxboro Outreach.

Once a month I visit the Roxboro Elementary Aftercare program and read to the kiddos. [While we were out to dinner last night, we saw a couple of Rox girls with their families. They were giggling and whispering, "Isn't that the librarian?!" I couldn't help but giggle too.]

It is really fun to read to this age group because I can pick longer stories with more depth. This month I read "pourquoi" stories, or "why" stories. These are folktales that explain why a person or animal has come to carry a certain trait or characteristic. Pourquoi stories come from all over the world and most of them are really funny.

Tikki Tikki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel

A classic! This book has been around for over 30 years and the kids still love the story of Chang, his brother, Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi- pip peri pembo, and why the Chinese favor short names.

Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott

Raven tells the story of how the light was brought by trickster Raven from the Sky Chief to people all over the world. The story inspires a sense of spiritual mystery and the illustrations are enthralling. 

Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail by Coleen Salley

This is a story inspired by the tales of Uncle Remus. Uncle Remus is a fictional character and narrator of a collection of African-American folktales gathered from the Southern United States (first published in 1881). There are several stories of Epossumondas, all as silly as the next. Coleen Salley is a fabulous teller of tales with a southern twist.

How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck: A Tale from the Akamba of Kenya  retold by Verna Aardema

Did you know that the ostrich originally had a short neck? A pain, really, because he couldn't reach the berries in the trees or drink very easily from the stream. Leave it to a crocodile with a toothache to fix that problem!

Wednesday: Story Stop

The theme for Story Stop last week was trains. Remember a couple weeks ago when I had the worst-case-scenario storytime? This was like the exact opposite. Picture me wiping my brow. Phew. 

And the Train Goes... by William Bee

An oh-so-fun little book about the sounds on a train; full of sly humor and word-play. 

Meeow and the Little Chairs by Sebastian Brown

I love, love, love the Meeow series by Sebastian Braun. Simple text and bright colors hold young listeners' attention, yet the stories are so multilayered it is amazing. You can learn about animals, colors, numbers, using your imagination... the books are all fantastic! What do you think Meeow and his friends (Moo, Baa, Woof, and Quack) are doing with their chairs?

Freight Train by Donald Crews

A Caldecott honor book, I think Freight Train has become a standard go-to book for any train themed storytime. Crews' lyrical text and colorful illustrations from caboose to engine, perfectly convey the day to night movement of a freight train.

Thursday: Urban Oak Waldorf School Visit

I read Raven (above) to the kids from Urban Oak, but I wanted to mention this because I think it's such a cool partnership.

Next to the Coventry Village Library is the old Coventry Elementary School. A few years ago Cleveland Heights decided to close Coventry Elementary and since then the building has operated as a number of different things. It was empty at one point, rented by University Hospitals for training, the Cleveland Sight Center was there for awhile... you get the idea. Anyway, it now holds a new Waldorf school called Urban Oak.  I'd highly suggest checking it out if you are into alternatives to the public school system. Right now they do not have a school library, so once a week the kindergarten, first, and second grade classes come to visit me. I read them a story, help them find books, etc. Hooray for building community relationships!

Saturday: Coventry Village Winter Storytime and Sing-Along

Speaking of community partnerships, on Saturday we participated in the Coventry Village Holiday Festival. Omigosh it was so much fun! My partner-in-crime, Meredith, and I put together a winter themed family sing-along storytime complete with violin accompaniment and Snowman Soup. 

Meredith is a classically trained musician - which to me is like having super powers - and she played the violin while we all sang Frosty the Snowman, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, and Jingle Bells between books. Talk about a jolly time! 

Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward

Take a magical trip to an arctic Polar Bear Rumpus with Emma and her magical carousel bear. 

All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle

"One small snowflake fluttering down - that's all you need for a snowman..." or is it?

The Mitten adapted and illustrated  by Jan Brett

The Mitten is a retelling of a Ukrainian folktale about Nikki, his very cozy snow white mitten, and some curious woodland creatures. FYI: Jan Brett rules when it comes to detailed illustrations. 

With tons of found objects, you can build a whole snow family!

At the end of the program we handed out Snowman Soup to take home. Snowman Soup (thank you, Pinterest!) is packet of hot chocolate, a Hershey kiss, and a little candy cane all wrapped up in a cellophane snowman bag with a tag that reads: 

There are several (bad) Snowman Soup rhymes

out there. I took parts of some and made up others.

(Feel free to borrow.)

Everyone had a great time, although I think Mer and I had the most fun! We have decided to do this every year.

All in all, it has been a crazy couple weeks and I know there's just more to come. Remember when I was so proud of myself for not procrastinating with gifts this year? That lasted about a week. Wish me luck! 

Enjoy the season. xo

Friday Five: Books and Sloths and Goldiblox

Five things for the end of the week!

1. Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward

After a dry spell with new (good) book releases I feel like I've hit the jackpot the past couple weeks! In Please Bring Balloons, Emma finds a note attached to a polar bear on a carousel which starts a magical flying adventure to an arctic party and back again for bedtime. A perfect cuddle-up story for a snowy night.

2. Goldiblox.

I've been following the development of Goldiblox since last fall, when somehow or another I stumbled upon Debbie Sterling's kickstarter campaign. Boy, has she come a long way! I was thrilled when I saw these "more than just a princess" ads popping up all over the internet this week. Goldiblox is a toy for girls that encourages spacial learning through stories and will hopefully inspire girls to become future engineers. What is not to like about that?

I cannot help but reflect on the toy options available to myself as a child. It's no secret: I was a "girly" girl. The girliest of girls on the block. I wanted all of the Barbies, and all of the American Girl dolls, and all of the dress up clothes. There was only one aisle I ever spent any time in at Toys-R-Us, and you better believe it was the pink one. Sissy on the other hand didn't have much time for Barbie's and playing house. The only way I could get her to play along is if she was building the house. Sissy wanted the all of the Tinker Toys, and all of Lincoln Logs, and all of the K'nex. I didn't care much for those toys because, unlike Sissy who couldn't care less about the color of her toys, to me they were not pretty. I liked toys that were pink and purple and any combination thereof. Thank god my color pallet has evolved. Let's face it, nobody wants to see a thirty-year-old woman dressed head to toe in bubble gum pink. When I really think hard about what was actually in that pink aisle though... There were a whole lot of toys to cultivate my imagination for stories and art but hardly anything (if anything) to inspire me to build or invent. To find those toys would have required me to step out of the mass of pink and into the other 85% of Toy-R-Us, which was not a thought that even remotely passed through my glitter filled brain. What I like about Goldiblox is that the message that there is more out there for girls. That we can have the pink tutu and tiara but we're not limited to the pink tutu and tiara. So I guess what I am trying to say here is that 8-year-old me would have thought Goldiblox was bees knees.

3. Update: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

I am about halfway through and it is really, really good. Completely different than The Thirteenth Tale but really, really good.

4. Sorry, I feel like maybe I cheated you on that last one but this should make up for it...

A Little Book of Sloth by Lucy Cook

Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!

For those of you who do not know me, there is only one thing you need to know: I. Love. Sloths.

When A Little Book of Sloth came to me this morning my heart melted. When I opened it up rays of sunshine were gleaming from the pages. Two toed sloths! Three toed sloths! Baby sloths! And who was I to find within the first few pages? Buttercup, Queen of the Sloths!

Okay, let me rewind.

Husbando and I got married this past July and decided to honeymoon in Costa Rica. We chose Costa Rica for the tropical romantic atmosphere, of course, but mainly because I reeeeeaaally wanted to go to the Sloth Sanctuary. It was amazing.

Buttercup was the first sloth to be rescued by Judy Arroyo over two decades ago. The Arroyo family maintains the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica and Buttercup still reigns as queen. If you ever find yourself in this beautiful country, I highly recommend a trip to the sanctuary. Not only do you get a tour of the facility, but a tour down a quiet winding river with a very knowledgeable guide who teaches you tons about the flora and fauna of the area.

Plus the best part: you can pet a sloth! This is Milly. She reached up and held my hand right after the picture was taken and I think my heart about exploded.

Anyway, the book is full of awesome pictures, sloth facts, and awesome pictures. (Yes, I meant to type that twice.)

5. Since I am running out of time, I am going to have to cut short number five. The video really speaks for itself anyway.

[FYI: Some not-so-strong adult language but adult language just the same.] 

Girls Who Read, written and performed by Mark Grist.

That wraps up the things I loved about this week. Happy weekend! 

In Which We Shake Our Fairy Tale Feathers and Discover New Books

Husbando and I did not end up hanging the lights this weekend. Just as well since we had some severe weather blow through. (Get it? Har Har Har.) High winds, severe thunderstorms, and a tornado watch had us in the basement for a minute Sunday night. No major damage to report, thank goodness. Roxie did look pretty cute hanging out in her winter sweater though...

My entire stock of Thanksgiving books was checked out over the weekend. Hooray for circulation! Holiday books are nice because they make no-brainer displays, but you have to be careful with these in a public library, as the goal is to be all-inclusive. It is better to just put the books out where patrons can locate them and leave it at that.

With some new found display space, I put together a group of feathered fairy tales.

Wordplay is fun!

[Original Image from Henny Penny by Paul Galdone]

The display is a combination of folk and fairy tales featuring a few favorite feathered friends, Henny Penny, Little Red Hen, and Ugly Duckling. All are timeless tales with important lessons to be learned (of course). The neat part is to see the very different interpretations all together.

Henny Penny a.k.a. Chicken Little a.k.a. Chicken Licken is one of my favorite folk tales. Depending on who is telling you the story, there is a happy ending and a not-so-happy-ending. The feel good version leaves you with bravery - "don't be a chicken" - as the moral of the story. In the other version the birds are all eaten up by a wily fox. The moral of this version is not to believe everything you are told. In general, I prefer the darker versions of folk and fairy tales, though this is not always the case. I like a little darkness to a story but some are just downright scary, i.e. Lon Po Po by Ed Young and, holy cow, Bluebeard by Charel Perrault.

On a lighter note, Henny Penny brings back memories of a little yellow plastic hen with a blue bonnet that my sister and I aptly named, Henny Penny, as she was also a coin bank. To my knowledge, she is still stowed away in a closet in our family lake house with the five other toys left behind from the last hundred years. With limited options for play things on rainy days, (puzzles with missing pieces, an old hat, a hammer and nails...) we were resigned to running around with Henny Penny, yelling, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

Anyhoo, here are a few picks from the display.

The Little Red Hen by Heather Forest, The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone, The Little Red Hen by Byron Barton, Henny Penny by Paul Galdone, Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberly, The Ugly Duckling by H.C. Anderson and illustrated by Pirkko Vainio, The Ugly Duckling adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, The Ugly Duckling retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora

We recieved a pretty large delivery of new materials today and there were two books I am very excited about. First, Friends by Eric Carle.

It is a hard thing for children when their friends move away. Hard for adults, for that matter. With his beautiful illustrations, Carle captures the determination of a little boy searching for his long lost friend through rivers, dark nights, and dense forests. I found the photo of three-year-old Eric Carle and his childhood friend, Juni, at the end of the book especially endearing.

Second, how did I not know about THIS?!

Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield

I. AM. SO. EXCITED. The Thirteenth Tale is one of my absolute favorite books and I have been waiting forever (okay, seven years) for Diane Setterfield to write a second novel. I just about flipped out of my chair when it showed up today. I cannot wait to let you know how it is! In the mean time, if you have not yet had the chance, read The Thirteenth Tale. You will not be disappointed. If you have read and enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale, I would recommend The House at Riverton or The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Creepy old houses, ghost stories, intricately woven mysteries, deep family secrets... how can you not just eat it up? Happy reading!

Friday Five!

Five things to share on a Friday!

So far this has been primarily about storytime (okay, all about storytime) and I was thinking this morning, that while it does feel like I spend most of my life at the library, it isn't my entire life, and I should probably expand my subject matter. This thing is going to be an evolving mass of junk for awhile so bear with me. The Friday Five idea is borrowed from one of my favorite young adult writers, Sarah Dessen, and while she is no longer doing her Friday Five (sob), I think it is a fantasic way of rounding out the week. Tying up loose ends. That sort of thing.

And now that I've spent the time to tell you that I am expanding my subject matter, here are four library-related things, plus one other... Oh, brother.

1. Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson.

This book is great! It is interactive, colorful, and just makes you plain feel good. Reminiscent of Herve Tullet's Press Here, you have to tap and wiggle and jiggle the book before you turn the page. Every time you tap or wiggle or jiggle the book, something magical happens: a leaf sprouts, an apple grows, snow falls, and it take us through each of the four seasons.

2. Hushabye by Haley Westenra

You may (if you are a nerd like me) recognize Hayley Westenra from Celtic Woman. A mix of traditional lullabies and standard favorites, Hushabye will appeal to all age groups. (That is, if you're into that sort of Celtic lullaby genre or a baby. If not, forget it.) Top tracks to download are Go to Sleep, Goodnight My Angel, Baby Mine, and Stay Awake. You can preview the whole album here: Haley Westenra's Hushaby.

3. Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

"Brambly Hedge is on the other side of the stream, across the field. If you can find it, and if you look very hard amongst the tangled roots and stems, you may even see a wisp of smoke from a small chimney, or through an open door, a steep flight of stairs deep within the trunk of a tree. For this is the home of the mice of Brambly Hedge."

With a little winter chill in the air, now is the perfect time to curl up with a cup of tea and an old favorite. Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge stories will warm you down to the cockles of your heart. (Ever wonder about that phrase? Yeah, me too: The Cockles of the Heart.)

Enough with the warm and fuzzy stuff!

4. Birthday Bunny Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett (and Alex)

Birthday Bunny Battle Bunny is a nice little story a raw and action-packed story about a sweet little an evil Bunny and his friends enemies on his birthday Dooms Day. This. Is. Hysterical. It's kind of a brain-bender with the "original" Birthday Bunny story overwritten by Alex, who turns the plot into evil plans, greasy guts, and bombs. I had to read through twice. Warning: Not recommended for very young ears. I'd say 8 years and up.

5. And finally, you guys! I can't wait for Christmas. I know, I know. It's not even Thanksgiving, but for whatever reason, I've caught the Spirit of Christmas early this year. I actually put on my holiday Pandora station last week to clean the house. Don't worry, I haven't hung the decorations yet, but what this early yuletide merriment does mean is that I've already started gathering Christmas presents. This year will not be like the year I knit everyone one glove. It will not be like the year I knit my sister a sweater and took it back because I hadn't put any buttons on it yet. (Side note: I still have not put the buttons on. In all reality though, that was the ugliest sweater of all time ever to be made, and I'm really just doing her a favor by not sewing on the buttons. It's the kind of sweater you don't leave the house in. You are doomed to be glued to the couch with a pint of ice cream if you're wearing that thing. As my brother-in-law so kindly noted, "You don't even have to shave your legs to wear that.") In fact, I will not be knitting any presents this year. Everyone just ends up with a half-finished gift. Books! Books for everybody! Not really, but there will be a few. Present making/gathering by Mid-November is pretty good for this professional procrastinator. Perhaps the husbando and I will hang the lights this weekend. Don't worry! We won't turn them on until December. Promise.

Christmas 2012

Best Laid Plans

Storytime last week was going to be perfection. It was going to be grande! We were using egg-shakers! We had rhymes and rhythm and Early Literacy tid-bits! I had such high hopes...

The best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray, and best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley.

Prov. Things often go wrong even though you have carefully planned what you are going to do. (The gang aft a-gley version is Scots dialect, and comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse.")

Oh, Robert Burns, you handsome devil, you.



Robert Burns could not have said it better. Sometimes you just have to roll with it...

[Disclaimer: This is a little long-winded but if you read to the end there is a surprise! ... Or you can just scroll to the bottom.]

I am the system-wide storytime trainer for the CH-UH Public Library and last week I had a trainee. I planned a program laden with early literacy tips and tricks so she could get the gist of where we're heading with storytimes. (Side-Note: Cleveland Heights laid off all of the elementary school librarians this year, so there is a big push for more early literacy programming and resources on our end.) I was so excited about the content of the program that I overlooked one very important factor. Remember when I told you about children and attention spans and that my current group of children is very young? Always take this into consideration. Lesson re-learned. Also, screaming infants, children playing in the curtains, parents talking while I'm reading; these sorts of things usually happen independently of each other. It was one big pile of pandemonium. At least the trainee got to see a classic case of a chaotic storytime? It can only go up from there? I think she may have been a little shell shocked.

It wasn't that bad. Nobody got hurt and I'm pretty sure everyone had fun, but it was a wild rumpus to say the least. The theme was "Books with Beat" and anyhoo, here is how it was supposed to go:

**Early Literacy Tip: Rhymes and rhythm help you hear the different parts a sounds of words.

Chicka Chick Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Achambault is almost 25 years old. Can you believe that?

A told B and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree!

Chicka chicka boom boom, will there be enough room?

With the brightly colored illustrations from Lois Ehlert and clever rhymes and rhythms, it's no wonder this book has stayed so popular. (We made it through this without any major breakdowns.)

SONG: My Ups and Downs - Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi on his Toe Leg Knee

I passed out shaker-eggs to read We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Another classic! (Here is where the little librarian voice inside of me should have said, "Stop! Long book. Two-year-olds. Turn back now." Instead I thought, "Shaker eggs! It's going to be so fun!" It was pretty fun until about halfway through. Le sigh. We plowed on.)

We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one.

What a beautiful day! We're not scared!

Micheal Rosen doing a fantastic performance. And who doesn't love an English accent?

SONG: Can't Wait To Celebrate - Jim Gill's Irrational Anthem and More Salutes to Nonsense

ACTION RHYME: Remember Miss Mary Mack from the playground? We did the first three verses. Verse one clapping, verse two slapping our knees, and verse three stomping our feet.

Tanka Tanka Skunk by Steve Webb is my new faaaaavorite book for rhythm. It uses the syllables in animal names to create different beats, with the refrain of "tanka skunka tanka skunka tanka tanka skunk!" Say it outloud. Do you hear it?! Now try five times fast...

tiger cheetah tiger cheetah panda polar bear

lemur llama llama lemur zebra badger bat

cat-er-pil-ler big gorilla yakety yakety yak

Aaaaand scene. Along with some improvising and extra fingerplays thrown in, we made it though, but hooooly cow. The good news is this sort of thing only happens once in a blue moon. Next time I'm just going to put on the music and have a dance party. 

And as promised...

Surprise! It's a new picture book. I'm enthralled...

Journey by Aaron Becker

It is absolutely fantastic. A young girl draws a magical door in her bedroom which leads her to beautiful places. The story is told entirely through illustrations.

I want to go to there.

Happy Monday and happy reading!

An Introduction to Coco and Let's Get Wild

I promised last time that I would introduce y'all to Coco the Storytime Bear. Coco has been the opening act during storytime at the Coventry Village Library for around ten years. He has his own theme songs and loads of adoring two year old fans.  Here's a head shot of the Old Bear himself:

Puppets are a fantastic way to open your storytime routine. They give children something to look forward to each week and have a magical way of making them feel safe and secure in a new environment. Hive fives all around!

The storytime theme this week was "Let's Get Wild!". I was inspired by a fantastic new book, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.



Mr. Tiger is tired of living a grey and proper life and decides to shake things up a bit. The full page illustrations are really what make it a gem.

SONG: Silly Dance Contest - Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song

Itsy-Bitsy Animals by Margaret Wild and Jan Ormerod.

My storytime is a family storytime not geared toward a specific age group so the median age fluctuates throughout the year. Since we're into October, my four and five year olds that were here all summer have started preschool or kindergarten and the group is fairly young, rendering shorter attention spans. Itsy-Bitsy Animals is on the shorter side with very cute illustrations of baby animals. Used in storytime, you can make it interactive by asking the children what the animals "say" or how many of each animal there are. Asking for participation is an easy way of keeping the children interested in the book. This is also a sweet bedtime story for home, as the animals snuggle up to go to sleep in the end.

SONG: Five Little Monkeys - Bouncy Blue by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael

ACTION RHYME: We Can...
We can jump, jump, jump,
We can hop, hop, hop,
We can clap, clap, clap,
We can stomp, stomp, stomp,
We can shake our heads for yes,
We can shake our heads for no,
We bend our knees a little bit,
And sit down slow.

We read a classic to wrap everything up. Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. is full of colorful illustrations by Eric Carle and a cadence that just invites shaker-eggs or clapping or lap-patting. Using rhythm while reading helps build core early literacy skills that are essential building blocks for developing language and learning to read. More high fives! And for your viewing pleasure here is an adorable dad reading to baby...

One of the best, best, best things you can do is read to a child often and much. It's just as good for you as it is for them, I promise.

Here's some more info on that rhythm and rhyming stuff: Toddler Rhymes and Rhythm

Happy Day!

Hello Again and Mice Are Nice

I've been wanting to revamp my blog for a long time running. It's been sitting here all alone since, ahem, excuse me, 2007. As the husbando would say, "Yikes, stripes." Lately I've been inspired by several blogs of some special people I know (and that pesky Pinterest), so here I am jumping on the bandwagon.  This is meant to be a compilation of storytime ideas with a dash of this and that from youth librarianship all mixed together. What better way to start off with what we did for storytime today?

Mice are Nice

Today's storytime was inspired by this little guy...



"Squeax" - We have three cats at home that were pretty

disappointed to see this guy get set free.





We started off with a new book from Karma Wilson, Who Goes There?. The story features Lewis Mouse who has made his home warm and cozy for the winter yet feels like something is missing. He is pondering when there comes a SCRITCH, SCRATCH, TAP, TAP, TAP! What could it be? An owl on the prowl? A sneaky old cat?

This is a really wonderful story about making being brave and making new friends. It's a fun one for voices and building suspense. It may have been a bit too long for my really little listeners but great for those with a longer attention span.

SONG: I Have Ten Little Fingers - Fingerplays and Footplays by Rosemary Hallum

Next up was a classic: The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood. This is a very funny story about a little mouse and his prize strawberry.

SONG: Dance, Freeze, Melt - Rockin' Red by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael. (Side note - if you don't know this series of music, seek it out! Also, Mr. Eric is Eric Litwin, the author of the ever popular Pete the Cat series.)

FINGERPLAY:
Once there lived a little mouse (make a little mouse with one finger)

In a little quiet house (cover your finger with your other hand)

Quiet, quiet as can be (whisper this part)

Until...

OUT POPPED HE! (loud voices)

Our last book was I'm a Little Mouse by Noelle and David Carter. It's a darling little book with a baby mouse and several other animals. Fair warning: It's a touch and feel book. Be prepared for some little reaching hands!

We always close storytime with this rhyme:

Our hands say thank you with a clap, clap, clap.

Our feet say thank you with a tap, tap, tap.

Clap, clap, clap.

Tap, tap, tap.

Now roll your hands over and wave, "Goodbye!"

Next entry I'll introduce you to Coco, the Storytime Bear. Until then, I'm happy to be back! Happy reading and lots of love!