Let's Read About Pets! Pajama Story Time, 1/30/13
Book: Mr Merlin and the Turtle by Seymour Chwast
This is why I like doing themed story times - I find books I never would have known about otherwise. This is an older title, and doesn't look like much from the cover, but the kids got really excited about watching me lift the flaps and show them what Merlin turned his turtle into. It's a nice alternative to Dear Zoo, which sometimes gets old after reading it too many times.
Rhyme: There Was a Little Turtle
I've always heard this presented to kids as a song, but it works much better for me if I do it as a rhyme. So that's what we did. A little boy who normally comes to Read-Along and Preschool story time was out in the library when we started this rhyme. By the time we finished, he was inside the door.
Book: Jack’s Rabbit by Yvonne Jagtenberg
This was the quietest of all the books, and the least engaging for a toddler, but their attention did come back to the book even they briefly got distracted.
Song: Five Little Rabbits Hopping on the Bed
I revamped Five Little Monkeys - this is the song that brought that little boy who liked the turtle rhyme all the way into the center of the room. He got a kick out of changing monkeys to rabbits.
Book: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
This book was a little over the two youngest kids' heads, but they got into making the animal sounds anyway. The parents of one of the girls loved it. The other dad didn't think it was funny! Oops!
Song: Do you know the little dog/cat?
This one is just like The Muffin Man, but instead of Drury Lane, we sang the name of our neighborhood. Then we sang that yes, we do know this dog and this cat who live here.
Book: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and Dean Martin
This book never lets me down. It is the only one of the four that got checked out at the end of the session.
Song: Moon Moon Moon
Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Song: Goodnight
We sang goodnight to our dog and cat, and then, for the heck of it, a frog.
Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It
I use the same hello and goodbye songs at almost every session. Click here for the tunes and words. For descriptions of each of my story times, click here.
