Pre K/ K Class Visit, 6/2

We have a community that is very invested in children's literacy and today we had a local preschool come in to kick off their summer reading program. I signed them up for our program and then did a story time for them. They were such wonderful listeners, and singers, and though I was quite nervous, I managed to give one of my best performances ever.

Here is what we did:

Opening Song: Hello, how are you?
I tortured myself trying to come up with a better hello song for older kids, and then realized what I have isn't terrible and stuck with it. And they seemed to really like it 

Book: We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems (2010)
I have always wanted to read Elephant and Piggie out loud, and today was my chance! A little boy in the front row really made me want to ham it up, because he was laughing so hard, and Gerald the Elephant's dramatic shouting and weeping are too much fun to read without expression.

Song: Boots

Song: Seven Continents on our Globe
I made the felt board pieces for this just before story time started this morning, but the song was a big success, and I think I'll be doing it a few times this summer. 

Book: All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2009)
This book is just beautiful, and I wanted something really general about the whole world, that would still be interesting and appealing as a story, rather than a dry nonfiction book about continents. The kids had a lot of really great comments, and they responded especially to the illustrations.

Book: Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal (1981)
I was so impressed - more than half the kids knew this book! I remembered it from Reading Rainbow myself, and can still hear the voice of whoever read it on that show, but I wasn't necessarily expecting it to still be so popular. The kids helped me out with the cumulative rhyme by repeating "Kapiti Plain" for me each time it showed up in the text. One little girl was particularly businesslike about it, and pronounced it with wonderful precision and expression.

Song: Rum Sum Sum
I learned recently that this song comes from Morocco. I originally learned it at the special ed preschool I worked at during library school, and it fits the summer theme perfectly - especially for this age group. They loved it, and got really into it - teachers too!

Song: Turn Around by Hap Palmer (from Getting to Know Myself) 

Song: Skinnamarink

6 Kids' Books About Bicycles

Along for the Ride
by Sarah Dessen

2009 | 399 pages | Young Adult

Auden, who has just graduated high school, is spending the summer with her dad and his new wife, Heidi, who has just given birth to a daughter. At first, Auden wants to bury her nose in a book and ignore her surroundings altogether, but when she meets fellow insomniac, Eli, whose sleepless nights are a result of personal tragedy, she begins to experience all the things she missed out on in childhood, when she was reading and studying and staying indoors - namely having friends, going to clubs, having food fights, and riding a bicycle.

Yikes! Bikes!

by Abby Klein, illustrated by John McKinley

2006 | 96 pages | Chapter Book

Freddy plans to enter the class bike-a-thon, which gives him only a short time to learn to ride a two-wheeler! This is a great chapter book series about many first grade milestones.

 

Kamishibai Man

by Allen Say

2005 | 32 pages | Picture Book

I first learned of this book at a local conference back where I lived in New York. A couple of years ago, a presenter shared  this story and demonstrated how to introduce kamishibai stories into our libraries. I've never done it, but I still think the concept is intriguing. This story, about a man who travels by bicycle and tells these stories, shows how children lost interest in his stories over time, as TV and other distractions grew more prevalent, but grew to appreciate his stories as they grew into adulthood.

The Bike Lesson

by Stan and Jan Berenstain

1983 | 64 pages | Easy Reader

It's been a long time since I've read this early Berenstain Bears title, but I remember it being quite funny. Papa Bear attempts to teach his son how to ride a bicycle, but it seems like Papa might need some lessons himself.

Crunch 

by Leslie Connor
2010 | 336 pages | Middle Grade

This was one of my favorite books of last year. It's about a fourteen-year-old boy named Dewey who has been left to look after the family bike shop while his parents are away for a short time. A fuel shortage hits, however, and suddenly everyone's relying on bikes and business is more than booming. Dewey has to figure out how to keep the shop open and serve the community's needs as best he can. It's a great lesson in self-sufficiency and problem-solving and a wonderful science fiction type story for upper elementary school readers.

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out  

by Maryrose Wood
2007 | 218 pages | Young Adult

This book was not a favorite of mine when I first read it, mainly because it is half fantasy, and the fantasy half of the book didn't seem to mesh well with the realistic part. The realistic portions, however, take place on a bike tour filled with interesting people, and I remember wishing there was more bike tour and less Irish folklore. It's well-written, in any case, and I'm sure fantasy lovers would eat it up!