Story Time Starter: Monkeys

Little Miss Muffet loves monkeys, so we read a lot of monkey books at our house. Bring a little monkey business into your own lives with these recommended monkey books, songs, and rhymes for story time.

 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books 

• Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett
  A little girl and her monkey act like the different animals they go to see. Even if you don't have the book on hand, you can tell this story using flannel board pieces or simple movements for the kids to imitate. For an interactive experience, ask the kids to call out animals for "monkey and me" to visit.
• Where's My Mom? by Julia Donaldson
  A monkey can't seem to find his mom, and the butterfly trying to help him has trouble following the clues that will eventually lead the monkey home. This book is laugh-out-loud funny for adults and kids, and though it's a bit long, it tends to keep the audience interested right up to the end.
• Monkey See, Look At Me by Lorena Siminovich
  A monkey fancies himself to be an elephant, rabbit, bird, etc. simply because he can do their movements, but each time, his animal friends set him straight and remind him what a silly monkey he is. This is a bright and colorful book with a repetitive structure and a perfect preschool sense of humor. 

 

Other Possible Books 

• Monkey Do! by Allan Ahlberg
• Ten Naughty Little Monkeys by Suzanne Williams
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
• Two Little Monkeys by Mem Fox
• Curious George by H.A. Rey
• Monkey Colors by Darrin Lunde

Rhymes

• Monkeys on the Bed
  When monkeys jump on the bed, they bump their heads and the doctor must be called. This can also be sung to several different tunes.
• Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree
  When they're not jumping on the bed, the pesky monkeys are teasing Mr. Alligator - until he goes snap! and gobbles them up. Recommended for preschool and kindergarten.
• Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat
  In this version of the classic nursery rhyme, the pussy cat goes to the zoo where she meets a monkey.
• Monkey, Monkey
  In this action rhyme, monkey turns around, dances on his toes, and more until finally it's time for  a nap.

 

Songs 

• I'm a Little Monkey
  This song is best sung with two monkey hand or stick puppets. In a pinch, hands can also double as monkeys.
• Say Hello to the Animals
  Start with the monkey verse, then sing hello to other animals who live in the zoo or jungle.
• Underneath the Monkey Tree
  Play monkey see, monkey do with this song, where kids follow your lead and do silly monkey movements. For added fun, pretend your parachute is a monkey tree and have the kids run underneath to act out their motions.
• What Can a Monkey See from a Tree?
  In this song, name things and creatures that monkeys can see from the treetops. 

Fall Rhymes for Preschoolers (with Printable Booklets)

 

 Help your preschoolers celebrate Fall with the following three rhymes, written by me. I have created a printable booklet to accompany each rhyme, all of which are free to download and yours to share!

 Click to download Signs of Fall. 

On their branches, apples hang.
In their patches, pumpkins sleep.
Under oak trees, acorns drop.
From the treetops, red leaves leap.
We like to see these signs of Fall,

our favorite season of them all!

---

Click to download Down Around the Corner.

Down around the corner
By the big oak tree
Sat three little acorns
looking so yummy!
Along came a squirrel
with a big bushy tail.

She took one acorn
And ran off down the trail.

(Repeat with  two and one acorns)

---

Click to download Four Little Pumpkins Round.

Four little pumpkins round
Sat on the cold, cold ground
Out there in my big pumpkin patch
Emma came walking by
Picked one to bake a pie
Then there were three little pumpkins round.

Three little pumpkins round
Sat on the cold, cold ground
Out there in my big pumpkin patch
Tommy came riding by

Picked one to bake a pie 
Then there were two little pumpkins round.

Two little pumpkins round
Sat on the cold, cold ground
Out there in my big pumpkin patch
Lily came skipping by
Picked one to bake a pie 
Then there was one little pumpkin round

One little pumpkin round
Sat on the cold, cold ground
Out there in my big pumpkin patch
Jeffrey came skating by

Picked it to bake a pie 
Then there were no more pumpkins round.
The End. 

(*Note: This rhyme can also be sung to the tune of Five Green and Speckled Frogs.)

LibraryAdventure.com: Meet Kim Alberts, Children’s/YA Librarian

It's time once again for my monthly interview at The Library Adventure. Meet Kim Alberts of the Hudson Library & Historical Society in Hudson, Ohio!

Story Time Starter: Squirrels

 

One of my most popular blog posts is my Flannel Friday contribution from 2011 about squirrels. Today, I've expanded upon the ideas in that post to provide a full outline of possible books and activities for a squirrel-themed story time session.

 

Miss Katie's Recommended Books 

• A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
  While the squirrel is not the central focus of the story, she is one of four main characters, and Henkes's illustration of her sad face upon losing her nut is perfect for helping kids feel empathy for her disappointment. This is a great one for introducing the squirrel theme, and also just a really positive note on which to start a story time.  
• The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
  This book's repetitive text tells the story of a squirrel who is too busy to play because he must gather food for the winter. The big, bold illustrations are exceptionally good for large story time groups, and the kids can easily engage with the book by calling out the names of the animals in the story and the sounds they make. 
• Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein
  Ol' Mama Squirrel is a force to be reckoned with as she scolds any creature  who threatens her babies with a "Chook chook chook!" This story is fun to read aloud, and funny for the listeners - and Mama Squirrel's plan for outsmarting a bear will especially please preschoolers.

 

Other Possible Books

• Earl the Squirrel  by Don Freeman
• Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert
• The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward
• Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
• Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin
• Micawber by John Lithgow

 

Songs

• Gray Squirrel
  I first learned this song when I worked in a nursery school in college. I like to sing a few verses, mentioning squirrels of different colors. It's fun to name colors of real squirrels (gray, brown, and black here in the DC area) and then throw in some silly ones and ask the kids whether squirrels can be purple, orange, blue, etc. 
• The Squirrel Up in the Tree 
  This song can be sung with stick puppets or you can make up easy motions for the kids to perform. Preschoolers especially enjoy practicing winking. 
• Frisky Squirrel
  This  song, sung to the tune of the Grand Old Duke of York helps kids learn how hard squirrels work to gather food for the winter, and gives them a chance to get their wiggles out at the same time.
  

 

Poems & Rhymes

• Down Around the Corner by the Big Oak Tree
  This is a flannel board rhyme I wrote, but which was inspired by a post at Mel's Desk. Count down from five acorns to zero as one by one squirrels carry them off.  
• Two Little Squirrels (based on Two Little Blackbirds)
  This is a modified version of the Two Little Blackbirds nursery rhyme, which I found on Storytime Katie's blog. It's easy to do with just your fingers, but would also work with finger puppets or stick puppets. 
• The Squirrel
  This anonymous poem appears in a number of children's poetry anthologies. It makes perfect use of onomatopoeia to describe precisely how a squirrel moves. Since only the title mentions that the animal is a squirrel, this can be a great opening for story time, inviting the kids to guess the day's theme. 
• Squirrel, Squirrel
  This rhyme is very similar to Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, but with a squirrel twist. No one will be able to resist shaking their squirrel tails! (This is also a nice alternative to Gray Squirrel for those who don't like to sing.)

The squirrel clipart in the pinnable image above is from AnimalClipArt.net.