Duck, Duck, Read!

This week in Storytime...

Baby duck! Squee!

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root

Poor Duck gets stuck in the muck of a marsh! A succession of animals come to help unstick Duck, but they must work together to succeed. Chock full of counting, clever onomatopoeia, and rhyme.

Little White Duck by Walt Whippo

I sang (yikes!) The Little White Duck. It's really silly and the kids get a kick out of it. I promise - from experience - that they really don't care what your voice sounds like. Singing keeps the attention of young ones and you can encourage everyone to sing along with you. [Early Lit Tip: Singing slows down pronunciation and helps children hear different syllables and sounds in words.] Hear Burl Ives sing it here: The Little White Duck. Unfortunately, the book is out of print. *Sadface* But! You can look for it at your local library! Or if you are feeling like a project, you can make your own felt board characters. 

If you don't think you know who Burl Ives is, you totally do. Promise.

Five Little Ducks 

"Five Little Ducks" is a classic children's song you probably remember from Raffi. I use this cool velcro doodad, along with hand movements (watch the Mr. Mike video mentioned below). The children sing along and do the motions too.

Mr. Mike can be a little cheesy, but kids love cheese. (Real Talk: Who doesn't love cheese?) Mike's was by far the best video I could find that demonstrates the hand movements: Five Little Ducks. [You can find the lyrics at the end of the post!]

Hide-and-Seek Duck by Cyndy Szekeres

Duck is playing hide-and-seek with Little Bunny! This book is full of darling illustrations and woodland creatures. You can make it interactive by having the children try to find Little Bunny in each picture.

Other books to share...

Happy Hippo, Angry Duck: A Book of Moods by Sandra Boynton

Ducking for Apples by Lynne Berry

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Fix-It Duck by Jez Alborough

Duck Sock Hop by Jane Kohuth

Have You Seen Duck? by Janet A. Holmes

Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri

In the Rain with Baby Duck by Amy Hest

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went out one day,

Over the hills and far away,

Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

But only four little ducks came back.

Four little ducks went out one day,

Over the hills and far away,

Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

But only three little ducks came back.

Three little ducks went out one day,

Over the hills and far away,

Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

But only two little ducks came back.

Two little ducks went out one day,

Over the hills and far away,

Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

But only one little duck came back.

One little duck went out one day,

Over the hills and far away,

Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

But none of her little ducks came back.

Sad Mother Duck went out one day,

Over the hills and far away,

Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

And all her sweet little ducks came back!

The 577 Foundation and DIY Tin Can Lanterns

The 577 Foundation is a twelve acre property in Perrysburg, Ohio dedicated to conservation, environmental education, and community enrichment. Originally a small farm dating back to the 1880's, the land was purchased by Duane and Virginia Stranahan in 1935. The Stranahans built their home and raised a family here, as well as kept a small farm with a few animals. Virginia was an accomplished outdoors woman dedicated to community enrichment through education and experience. At the age of 80, Virginia decided to preserve her land and share her vision with the community by creating The 577 Foundation. The foundation offers classes year round for all ages (pottery, beekeeping, basket weaving, yoga, gardening, urban homesteading, wood carving, and black jack - just to name a few!), as well as community gardens, a geodesic biodome (yes!), bird blind, book center, river walk, bee hives, and much more. The grounds are open year round for visits.

"Whatever we do here, let's be educational, environmental, experimental, and let's have fun."

- Virginia Secor Stranahan -

I have many happy memories of learning about bats and bees, pottery and sewing, in this warm and welcoming environment. I was an extremely shy and nervous young thing and The 577 Foundation always made me feel secure in learning and trying new things. This is the type of learning environment I strive for at the library. I was lucky enough to have known Mrs. Stranahan and have vivid memories of her driving her golf cart through the property, saying hello and stopping to chat with everyone. I know that in part, my own dedication to the education of young people in my community is due to the influence of The 577 Foundation. 

"Where people learn to like the land"

- Virginia Secor Stranahan -

I recently remembered a program I attended at 577 and decided to recreate it for the kids at the library. 

Hooray! We made our own tin can lanterns! 

Fun Facts to Share:

Tin can lanterns date back to 14th Century Spain - over 700 years ago! Matches were scarce - having not been invented yet - and light was something people would want to hold onto for as long as possible. The lanterns provided a way to transfer light from room to room without blowing out the candle. 

How to DIY!:

Enter one kooky librarian...

1. Collect a bunch of tin cans - all sizes so the children have a variety to choose from. 

2. Fill each can with water and freeze overnight. (If you live in sub zero temps like I do, you can save yourself the freezer space and just put them on the front porch.)

3. Create a few patterns. The kids can also design their own if they prefer. I made patterns using a Sharpie on graph paper and then made copies. This is a great website for printable graph paper: http://www.printablepaper.net/category/graph

4. Supplies! AKA Tools!

[Side Note: Putting tools - like big rubber mallets and screw drivers - into the hands of children can be intimidating and sometimes dangerous. Err on the side of caution by keeping the class size to number you feel is manageable. I had a max registration set at ten, seven came to the program which was perfect. Age and maturity level matters as well. I set my class at 4th-6th grade and they were able to handle to tools without much trouble. It is also important to have a talk about safety and using tools before you hand them out.]

Complete Supply List:

- Frozen tin cans

- Graph paper and Sharpie to create patterns

- Duct tape

- Safety goggles

- Rags

- Plastic aprons (Garbage bags will work as well. The ice begins to melt while working the lantern, so the plastic protects clothes from getting wet.)

- Rubber mallets or hammers

- Pokey tools (Awls work best but tiny phillips head screw drivers or nails will work too.)

- Bendable 12 or 16 gauge wire

- Wire cutters

- Needle-nose pliers

- Battery operated tea lights (Unless you are doing this at home with your own children, please do not send the kids home with anything potentially dangerous. You already put tools in their hands, let's not make them fire hazards as well.)

5. Hand out safety goggles, rags, and aprons.

6. Have each child pick a can and a pattern, using duct tape to secure the pattern on the can.

7. It is easier to work the lantern in your lap. I set up chairs in a circle without a table as our work space. Have each child find their seat, putting the rag in their lap over whatever plastic lining you chose, and tin can on top of the rag. [Cue Safety and Tool Handling Conversation!]

8. Hand out rubber mallets and pokey tools.

9. Using the pokey tool and mallet to make holes in the tin, follow the pattern and pound away! Remember to poke two holes at the top of the lantern directly across from each other to use for attaching the handle.

10. Once the pattern is complete, run the can under hot water to melt the excess ice. Dry the can using a rag. Since water expands as it freezes, you may need to pound the bottom of the can back into shape so the lantern will sit flat. 

11. Cut a piece of wire for a handle, bend into a u-shape, attach to the two holes at the top of the can, and using the needle-nose pliers, twist the ends to secure.

12. Turn on and place a tea light inside your lantern. Presto! Have fun!

Winter Weekends and Whodunnits

Many days librarians are faced with taking on tasks that are not exactly in the job description. (Cleaning up after people in the public restroom, for instance, and that's just about as gross as you would think.) Cleveland is currently buried under The Second Coming of the Polar Vortex. This morning, our snow removal crew was backed up trying to clear other locations so I bundled up and grabbed a shovel. As much as I would have relished in a snow day, I totally respect the library's commitment to our community. Especially to those members in need of an escape from the elements. So here I am after shoveling our walkways...

I don't have my shovel because I borrowed it from a really nice patron (he offered to do the job himself!) and he had to go home. I enjoyed the time spent outside and the only downside is the hat hair I'm sporting for the rest of the day. Here is a picture of the awesome job my coworker did at one of our other branches. As you can see, I wasn't kidding about being buried...

We're kind of like the postal service. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these librarians from the swift completion of their appointed rounds! Access for all!

It is pointless to gripe about the weather when you live in a place like Cleveland, so you might as well make the best of it, right? Last weekend Husbando and I, along with a couple friends and some family went up to Lake Chautauqua in New York. The majority of our summer weekends are spent on the dock soaking up the sun, floating on the lake, and playing lawn games, but this was the first winter weekend I had visited the lake. Chautauqua turns into a completely different world covered in snow and ice. The green and blue summerland with which I am familiar has given way to a gray-washed frozen tundra occupied only by townies and ice fisherman. A certain quietness only achieved by a thick blanket of snow has enveloped lake, lending a completely different but just as beautiful experience.

There are plenty of winter activities in which to participate (sitting by the fireplace with a book being my personal favorite) and after a few debacles with turning the heat and water on, Husbando took a trip around the lake on cross country skis.

I should mention he was actually skiing on the lake...

Though we were going to make it a downhill ski/snowboarding weekend, we decided to forgo the trip to Peek'n Peak for a few hikes, a great dinner, games, and a walk across the lake. It was an incredible experience to be standing in (on?) the middle of a frozen lake... that is, as long as I didn't think about it too hard.

So! Books! With all this talk of snow, I would like to suggest a few whodunnit series. I always like reading mysteries in the wintertime. Get ready to curl up with a heavy blanket and a cup of tea in front of the fireplace after your exciting cold weather adventures. As said earlier, fireside reading is by far my favorite winter sport.

Agatha Christie's Poirot

The Queen of Mystery herself takes us to London where the world-famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, uses his little grey cells to solve unsolvable murder mysteries. Agatha Christie writes the type of mystery you can't solve up until the very end (or at least I can't). I also highly recommend the movie renditions staring David Suchet. You could even *gasp!* skip the reading and just watch from your fireplace post. 

The Cat Who... by Lillian Jackson Braun

In a small rural town, reporter Jim Qwilleran, known for his over-sized mustache, solves murder mysteries with the help of his unusually intelligent Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. The series falls into the cozy mystery genre. Basically the equivalent to beach reads, you can enjoy a cozy mystery without feeling like you are doing homework. Kind of turn-your-brain-off books, which let's face it, sometimes is just what you need. Usually they have some sort of cute theme such as food or knitting or tea. In this case it's cats. My grandmother, the woman who inspired the avid reader/librarian in me, was a huge fan of The Cat Who... books, therefore they hold a special place in my heart. Gorgeous, wasn't she?

Speaking of cozy mysteries...

I haven't read it but the cover is awesome.

Hamish Macbeth by M.C. Beaton

Set in the Highlands of Scotland, charming and instantly lovable police constable Hamish Macbeth keeps the peace in his small town of Lochdubh. A little on the lighter side, but not too light.

Bonus! 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Though not a mystery,  Wuthering Heights is totally a winter storm book. Set on the Yorkshire moors, the novel tells the story of a passionate love affair between Heathcliff and Cathy.

Um. And then there is this: 

Oh, Kate Bush, a red dress version too?

Yep. Hope that just made your day...

What is your favorite genre to read in the winter?

The Moral of the Story: We Are All Okay.

Do you ever have a day when you feel like maybe you don't quite fit in? Or a day you are trying so hard to do everything the right way but you are too clumsy, or too soft, or too loud, or too small? Or a day you are absolutely positive about something and it turns out that maybe you were just a little bit (just a little bit) wrong? Everyone has their fair share of days like these in a lifetime and they can leave us feeling sad, or anxious, or just plain uncomfortable. (If you have not, you must be some sort of super person. Please teach me your ways, master!) 

Here are the stories I read for Roxboro Elementary Outreach this month. They are stories with characters that are struggling with identity, difficult decisions, and surprising truths. Children have a lot going on in their little heads just like adults do in their big heads, and it is important for all of us to be reminded now and again that everyone has difficult days (and it is all right to have them). How we handle the bad days, mistakes, and difficult decisions is what matters most.

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen

A very large egg rolls its way through the trees, across a meadow, down a hill and into a duck's nest. Mother Duck didn't notice (she was reading) and when all her eggs hatch, she raises Guji Guji as her own, along with his brothers and sisters Crayon, Zebra, and Moonlight. Though Guji Guji is not a duck, he is also not much like the bad crocodiles that try to convince him otherwise. 

"But no matter how quick they were, or

what they looked like, Mother Duck

loved all her ducklings the same."

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

In the same vein as Guji Guji, Stellaluna falls into a bird's nest after being separated from her mother. Mother Bird takes care of her, but is clear about the rules of the house. If Stellaluna is to stay, she must act like a bird. Stellaluna tries her hardest not to hang by her feet, stay awake during the day, and eat bugs like a good bird should.

"Stellaluna learned to be like the birds."

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo is a terrible monster. He isn't big, he doesn't have a ton of teeth, he isn't weird, and he can't scare anyone. Leonardo decides he will "find the most scaredy-cat kid in the world... and scare the tuna salad out of him!" In the end, Leonardo must make a very big decision between being a good monster or being a good friend.

This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers

Wilfred is absolutely sure he owns his moose, Marcel. Or does he? Can one ever really own a moose?

"One day, as Wilfred discussed their plans for the coming year

on a particularly long walk, he made a terrible discovery..."

[Also, Oliver Jeffers is totally dreamy and will teach you how to draw a moose. Swoon.]

Maude The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton by Lauren Child

Everything about the Shrimpton Family is outstanding and they love nothing more than to stand out. All except for their middle child, Maude. Maude blends in, goes unnoticed, disappears. Is blending a talent unto itself? 

So. The Moral of the Stories? The things to remind each other of on difficult days? It is okay to be different from the ones you love, and those differences should be celebrated. It is okay to do some things wrong, especially when acting with good intentions. It is okay to be absolutely positive about something and then change your mind. Most importantly, it is absolutely, positively, more than okay to be you just the way you are. 

We are all okay. Okay? Okay!

[High Fives]