Moms Club Story Time, 11/9/14

My November story time for my Moms Club was held in one of the local public libraries, which has a Discovery Room. This is an early literacy area for use by children up to age 8 and their caregivers. We did our story time in the first half or our allotted hour and played with the toys during the second half. (Note: It would not be my first choice to hold story time in a room with toys freely available, but there are few free public spaces available, so I make do. Interestingly, Little Miss Muffet (my daughter, then 11 months) was the only child who was distracted by toys the entire time.

Hello Song: Say Hello to Your Toes

Song: If You’d Like to Read a Book

Book: The Grumpalump by Sarah Hayes
This is still one of my favorites. Everyone - two year olds and babies alike - was into it.

Song: Row Row Row Your Boat

Song: Way Up in the Sky

Book: The Bridge is Up by Babs Bell

Song: My Hands Go Up Up Up
I rewrote Here We Go Up Up Up to make it more suitable for the babies who can't stand yet. Here are the new words:

My hands go up, up, up
My hands go down, down, down
My hands go clap, clap, clap
My hands turn round and round

Flannel Board Rhyme: Seven Snazzy Aunties
I love this poem, but I think I am the only one in the world. I might have to retire it from future use.

Song: The Wheels on the Bus

Book: Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia
I had hoped for more audience participation on this one. I probably should have put it earlier in the lineup.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Songs: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / ABCs

Goodbye Song: Open Shut Them Goodbye Song 

Story Time in the Park (MOMS Club), 10/9/14

I'm a little behind in posting story time plans, but it is still technically Fall, so this one is still fairly timely! After the success of my September story time, I decided to return to the park for one more before the weather got too cold. Unfortunately, the pavilion that we used in September was unexpectedly occupied by a local group of senior citizens who were performing aerobics when we arrived, so with no other options readily available, we decided to move to the tennis court. The group was larger than in September - probably 8 moms and a dozen kids or so - and the tennis court proved to be a tricky place to keep toddlers from running all over the place, but even so, we had a nice time.

Hello Song: Say Hello to Your Toes

Song:  If You’d Like to Read a Book

Book:  Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall 

Song:  Autumn Leaves

I made a few minor alterations to this song which I assumed was to be sung to the tune of Mary Wore Her Red Dress. I changed orange to red to make the syllables fit the rhythm and I changed "in the wind" to "all around" to preserve the rhyme scheme. I also left out the laying verse because I just didn't like it.

Book: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Song: Brown Squirrel 

I have never felt so ridiculous swooshing my bushy tail. It's a lot harder to look silly in front of mom friends than it is in front of random story time moms!

Book: A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

Song: Five Little Pumpkins Round
I used a homemade handheld flannel board for this song, and changed each pumpkin to a person's face as they were purchased and carried off to bake a pie.

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big

Songs with Ukulele:  ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep 

Goodbye Song: Open, Shut Them Goodbye Song 

11+ Kids' Books Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

I had never heard of LeUyen Pham when I first became a librarian, but she quickly became one of my favorite illustrators. I love the unique way she draws faces and the details she puts into every character she depicts. Luckily for young readers, she does the pictures for books at a variety of levels, from board books for babies and toddlers to middle grade novels for tweens. Below is a list of just some of the wonderful books she has illustrated. 

 

Board Books

• Pat-a-Cake and All Fall Down by Mary Brigid Barrett
  These two colorful board books provide new spins on well-loved nursery rhymes. Pat-a-Cake explores a little one's sense of touch, while All Fall Down celebrates the joy of play. 
• Whose Toes are Those? and Whose Knees are These? by Jabari Asim
  These two titles help reinforce knowledge of body parts. Whose Toes Are Those? features a little girl character, and Whose Knees Are These? features a little boy.
  
  

Picture Books

• Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio
  After learning that there are no female presidents, Grace decides to become the first! She starts off by running for class president - which gives the reader an opportunity to learn about the American electoral system.
• Freckleface Strawberry (and sequels) by Julianne Moore
  This story is about a little girl with freckles who is desperate to make them disappear - until she realizes they are not that important after all.
• Shoe-La-La by Karen Beaumont
  This rhyming picture book follows four young fashionistas as they search for the perfect pair of shoes. The illustrations are especially fun because parts of them are covered in glitter.
• God’s Dream by Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams
  In this book, Pham portrays children from all around the world engaged in prayer and reaching out to care for one another.

Novels

• Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder
  This fantasy tale is an homage to the works of Edward Eager. It tells of four kids' who travel using a magical wall and have various adventures.
• Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things (and sequels) by Lenore Look
  Alvin Ho is afraid of everything, and in this funny series the reader watches him try to conquer his fears. I especially love the way Pham draws Alvin's friend, Flea, who has both an eyepatch and one leg which is shorter than the other. 
• Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill
  Over the course of one year at Ballard Creek, an Alaskan gold mining community, five-year-old Bo has many adventures with the two men who raise her and their Eskimo friends.

Learn more about LeUyen Pham and her work on her website.