Build a Better World: Picture Book List for the 2017 Summer Reading Program

This year's CSLP summer reading theme is Build a Better World, with a focus on Architecture, Building, and Construction. These appealing picture books all tell stories related to these topics.

Building a House by Byron Barton
A construction crew builds a house and prepares it for a family to move in.

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean
A boy narrates the details of the process he and his family undertake to build their new house.

Tinyville Town Gets to Work! by Brian Biggs
Community leaders work together to replace a bridge that causes traffic jams.

Stanley the Builder by William Bee

Hamster Stanley builds a brand-new house for Myrtle the mouse with the help of some other rodent friends.

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
A humble country home survives the changes brought about by an increase in industry.

Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

Mike Mulligan and his supposedly outdated steam shovel, Mary Anne, prove their worth by digging a basement in just one day. 

Billions of Bricks by Kurt Cyrus

This book shows how bricks are laid and what types of buildings are made from them, while also reinforcing some counting concepts.

Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming
Each letter is given a tool-based spin in this alphabet book.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
A picture book biography remembering Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the twin towers several decades prior to their destruction on September 11, 2001.

Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia

An onomatopoetic celebration of the work done by construction vehicles.

Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House by Libby Gleeson, illustrated by Freya Blackwood
When Clancy moves to his new home, he misses his old neighborhood terribly, but when he meets Millie, she helps make the transition more comfortable.

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Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale
A collection of concrete poetry about building.

The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer, illustrated by Carrie Eko-Burgess
This colorfully illustrated rhyming book introduces the people and machines who work to build new homes.

Hush Little Digger by Ellen Olson-Brown, illustrated by Lee White
A piggyback song based on Hush Little Baby for construction-loving kids to sing at bedtime.

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres, illustrated by Christian Slade

This book shows how diggers get ready for bed in routines that mirror kids' regular nighttime tasks.

Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop by Lisa Shulman, illustrated by Ashley Wolff
Another piggyback song, this time about a sheep whose handy farm friends help build a special surprise.

Block City by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Daniel Kirk
An illustrated version of a well-loved poem of childhood.

I Love Tools by Philemon Sturges
A boldly illustrated introduction to the different types of tools used by builders.

Construction by Sally Sutton
Simple text describes the construction of a building which turns out to be a public library.

This is Our House by Hyewon Yum
A little girl reflects on all the history reflected in her family home.

Preschool Story Time, 3/1/17 (Looking at Animals Theme)

Opening Song: Story Time is Starting

Book: Monkey See, Look at Me by Lorena Siminovich

This is the second time I have read this book to this audience, but there were a few different families in attendance this time, so it was new for at least half the room. There was one toddler boy in particular who got really into it and gleefully called out the names of all the animals.

Rhyme: Five Little Monkeys

Book: Mama, Look! by Patricia Murphy, illustrated by David Diaz 

This is a brand-new book, and I love the pictures. It worked really well as a one-on-one read at home, but somehow it seemed to lose momentum in story time, especially toward the end. I would want to try it again before saying it's not a story time book, but for this group, it just didn't work.

Song: Butterfly Gals 

This song always goes over so well. It seemed to be an even bigger hit this time than usual.

Rhyme: See See See

This was a repeat from last week, and the kids did better with it this time around.

Song: Mr. Sun

Song: Put Your Hands Up High

I threw this song in mostly for my own kids, who both love to sing it at home. It was a particular hit with the new families for whom the "punchline" was new. 

Song: Head and Shoulders

Book: What’s Looking at You, Kid? by J. Patrick Lewis and Renee Graef

I think this book was a little bit too similar to Mama, Look! and maybe a bit too long to be the final book. It went okay, but I felt like I needed to talk a lot about each page to create a sense of enthusiasm.

Songs with Shaker Eggs:

• Shake My Sillies Out
• Can You Shake Your Egg With Me?
• ABCs

Song: We All Go Traveling By 

The original version of this song is transportation-themed, but I wrote my own verses to help it match the "looking at animals" theme. These are the four verses I used: 

• bluebird… tweet tweet tweet
• yellow duck… quack quack quack
• green frog… ribbit ribbit ribbit
• red snake… hiss hiss hiss

Song: These Are My Glasses

Song: Chickadee

April Story Time Themes

In April, I like to do story times about rain, chickens, birds, bunnies, libraries, and jazz.

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Rain (April Showers) 

Suggested Books:

• Rain by Robert Kalan and Donald Crews
• Rain Dance by Kathi Appelt 
• Rain by Manya Stojic 
• Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle and G. Brian Karas 
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema and Beatriz Vidal 

Extension Activities:

• Rain, Rain Go Away
• I Like to See the Raindrops Fall
• Red Umbrella Keeps Me Dry
• The Itsy Bitsy Spider 

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Chickens 

Suggested Books:

• Chicken Big by Keith Graves
• Minerva Louise by Janet Stoeke
• Bob by Tracey Campbell Pearson 
• Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jeff Mack 
• Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker 

Extension Activities:

• I Know a Chicken
• I Had a Little Rooster
• Los Pollitos
• Over in the Barnyard 
• Five Eggs and Five Eggs 

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Bunnies 

Suggested Books:

• Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams
• Moonlight by Helen V. Griffith, illustrated by Laura Dronzek
• What Does Bunny See?: A Book of Colors and Flowers by Linda Sue Park
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd 
• Brown Rabbit in the City by Natalie Russell

Extension Activities:

• Bunny
• Hippety Hop
• Hop Your Bunnies
• Here is a Bunny 

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 Jazz Appreciation Month

Suggested Books:

• This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt, illustrated by R.G. Roth
• Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora 
• A-Tisket A-Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald and Ora Eitan
• Jazzmatazz by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Bruce Degen
• Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie 

Extension Activities:

• The Wheels on the Bus
• Ten Little Monkeys 
• ABCs
• Momma Don't Allow
• A-Tisket, A-Tasket

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Birds

Suggested Books:

• Birds by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek
• Birdsongs by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Steve Jenkins 
• Mockingbird by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Paul Howard
• Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Dylan Metrano
• A Home for Bird by Philip C. Stead

Extension Activities: 

• Chickadee 
• Color Rhymes
• Two Little Blackbirds
• Way Up in the Sky
• Chickadee Tree 

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National Library Week (April 9 -15, 2017)

Suggested Books:

• I Took My Frog to the Library by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Blanche Sims 
• Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson
• D.W.'s Library Card by Marc Brown 
• Quiet! There's a Canary in the Library by Don Freeman
• Bats at the Library by Brian Lies 

Extension Activities:

• Library Song
• Book Bear, Book Bear
• If You'd Like to Read a Book 
• These Are My Glasses

Preschool Story Time, 2/22/17 (Birds Theme)

Opening Song: Story Time is Starting 

Book: Birds by Kevin Henkes
I was a little unsure about this book because it doesn't have a straight narrative, but this group really enjoyed it.

Song: Way Up in the Sky

Book: No Two Alike by Keith Baker
I really enjoying reading this aloud. It's really just about the concepts of same and different, but birds are the characters, so it was a good fit.

Rhyme: Two Little Red Birds

Book: North, South, East, West by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
I borrowed this from the library for my three-year-old who has been learning about direction. When I first read it to her, I wasn't sure kids at story time would get it, but I decided to take the chance and I was pleasantly surprised. It did go over quite well.

Song: The Little Bird

Songs with Shaker Eggs: 

• Sing a Song of Sixpence 
• Shake Your Egg, Shake Your Egg and Sing a Happy Song 
• Can You Shake Your Egg with Me?

Song: Mr. Sun

Book: Hooray for Today by Brian Won
This is a good story time book because of its bold illustrations and repetitive structure. It's kind of predictable, but no one seemed to mind.

Rhyme: See See See

Book: Mockingbird by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Paul Howard
I have noticed that singable books do well with this audience, so I decided to end with this one. It worked very well, even though I think some people were puzzled by the changed lyrics to Hush Little Baby.

Song: Chickadee