All posts by Children's Staff
Visit to a nursery school
I went to a local nursery school this morning and shared some of my favorite books.
It’s almost Thanksgiving, so I read this book about large family gatherings. And I shared with the teachers something I heard years ago. When Cynthia Rylant first saw the pictures for this book, she didn’t like them. They were so different from what she had imagined while writing the story. But the illustrations won an award that year, so I’m sure she came to love them. Many people are not aware that it is unusual for a writer and illustrator to work together on picture books. Publishers usually make the decisions, and sometimes they create magic!
I also read 3 short books. The children were old enough to help me with these books:
Yuck! is my favorite picture books for groups. The children learn the word and then say it only when I point to it. It is usually hard not to say it before I point. This children were terrific and yelled it out only when I pointed.
I love reading That Is NOT a Good Idea to groups who have never heard it before. The structure of that book is so well executed, adults want to read it again immediately.
Tap the Magic Tree works best in small groups, so children can participate more. We had 4 classrooms together in a large room, but the children were still pretending to do each of the motions with me.
Just so you know… We will certainly visit a nursery school to read about a particular subject – like the importance of taking care of books. But we have a better time when we get to choose books that are great for interaction. Getting children to love books is sometimes the best way to get them to take care of them.
~Maureen
Talk with Your Child!
Stop and ask your child to predict
what he or she thinks is going to
happen next in the story.
Books for 4-6 year olds on Tuesday, November 2
Today we read a Mexican folktale about a clever little lamb who outwits a hungry coyote. Esta bien!
Did you ever wonder what some of your toys do when you’re not around? This story gave us some ideas!
Books for preschoolers on Monday, November 2
I have 2 puppets that give hugs and kisses at the end of all my storytimes. Bobby Bear and Maureen Mouse. It’s almost time for bears to hibernate – and there are many new books about bears – so I concentrated on bears today.
Except that I began with the latest Elephant and Piggie book. It is the newest one, and it’s the second to last in the series. So I featured it.
~Maureen
Toddler book on Monday, November 2
I almost always read from a “Big Book.” Think of a Kindergarten teacher with a big book on an easel as the children gather around for circle time…. We have a limited number of books that are that big, but I use them so that everyone in the room can see the pictures.
Today I did not use my big book Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? Frankly, I’m not sure of the noises that many of those animals make. I went into storytime with a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrations by Eric Carle. The room was full of anticipation. Many grownups said, “I love that book.” This is a group that has been excellent with participation this fall, but I did not expect the level of engagement that I got. The grownups started to read along with me – from memory. It was delightful. The pictures are big, bright and engaging. The story is simple and repetitive. I need to use more of these kinds of books –
no matter the size.
I used this older 1983 copy. The pictures were updated in 1996.
This one ends with a mother rather than a teacher looking at all the beautiful children.
~Maureen
Toddler Time, Friday, October 30
Today we sang “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” in three ways – with an itsy bitsy spider, a great big gigantic spider and a teeny weeny little spider. We also read a book together about ten pumpkins. It was a fun time.
Baby Storytime, Friday, October 30
We had a lovely time today as we joined together with songs, rhymes and a story. Today we read a wonderful book that would be fun to “do” while at home with your baby!
Books for Preschoolers on Wednesday, October 28 and Friday, October 30
We had a few rainy days this week, so our Wednesday and Friday storytimes were all about rain. The stories we read are below. Click on the cover of each book to find it in the library catalog.
Play With Your Child!
While playing with different toys, describe
how they feel, what they look like and what
sounds that they make.
Books for 4-6 year olds on Tuesday, October 27
This week we had Halloween on our minds! We did the rhyme about the five little pumpkins, made some cool 3D paper pumpkins, and of course read some spooky stories:
