Baby & Toddler Storytimes

We're going to talk about FIREHOUSES tomorrow (yes, I have noticed there's one next door.) We're also going to talk about jumping up and down and stretching and tickling and...wow, this sounds exhausting! I better get plenty of rest tonight!

My gosh! The babies were cuter than ever today! Only...they're looking less like babies every week and more like little guys. "We'll all be in your big kids groups soon," one mom said (threatened?) on her way out the door today. But we had a good time bouncing around today! I even wore my cape and red superhero mask! Books: Superhero Me board book by Karen Katz. Perfect book for this storytime -- trust Karen Katz. And the babies really got into the movements. Chu's Day by Neil Gaiman. I read this mostly because it was new. It's flu season, though, and Chu certainly did sneeze a supersneeze. Sometimes I think Neil Gaiman doesn't understand his own genius though. He can write something as unbelievable wonderful as Instructions or The Graveyard Book and then he tosses off a one-pun joke like this. Coundown! with Milo by Mike Austin. I hadn't tried this as a readaloud before, but the kids were old enough to get into the whole idea of blasting off. Here ...

           Try:  Splish, Splash, Splosh! by David Melling.  Counting Ducks at bathtime TUBBY TIME!   Books:   Tubby by Leslie Patricelli.  Love those Leslie Patricelli books! I had the props for this, so washed my face, played with rubber duck, and dried myself off with a towel. I passed out rubber ducks to the eager toddlers, and that was fine. Next year: Try shaving cream bubbles. Splish, Splash, Splosh! by David Melling. Ducks AND counting.   I'm a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian.  Great book for going over parts of a dinosaur's (very dirty) body. Splish, Splash! by Sarah Weeks. I love this goofy, rhymy book. Maybe next year I'll get around to making a flannelboard of it, or a clothesline. It's a fun, bouncy readaloud, as a bunch of animals crowd into a tub. Didn't get to:  The Three Little Kittens by Galdone or Clifford's Bathtime How to Bathe Your Little Dinosauar by Jane Clarke    board book Songs: Th...

Books: Monday the Bullfrog by Matthew Van Fleet. Boy, did I luck out with this donation. It's a perfect book for baby storytime -- an appealingly large bullfrog that eats brightly colored creatures. Food -- colors -- days of the week -- you see the endless possiblities. And for each new color, I pulled out a different colored strand of beads and put them on. ("What color is this?")  Do Crocs Kiss? An excellent book with a built in Q & A. Do crocs cry? NOOOO! Do crocs clap? NOOO! All I know is crocs go SNAP! The actions are simple enough so that even babies get them. (Note: A great sadness. Someone lifted the flap right up and off this book, and it was returned very inartistically taped together. When books are torn, please don't try to repair them yourself! I glue the edges so the glue doesn't show. I've been reinforcing the pages  (and spine)  with clear shelf paper , but this one got away from me. Dog also by Matthew Van Fleet.  Everyone must know thi...

Wow, did we see some GORGEOUS and AMAZING people here today.  Angels and witches, pirates and puppy dogs, Charlie Brown and Kermit, monsters and a cheerleader... It was QUITE the crowd.

                        Books:  Where is Baby's Pumpkin by Karen Katz. I acted out this cute lift the flap by hiding the objects mentioned around the room.  I didn't have a black cat so I hid my giant black spider under a pile of leaves. I didn't have a cute ghost (or curtains) so I hid a handsome Folkmanis owl behind the TV. I hid a bat mobile in the closet, etc.  Great vocab exercise, and everyone really paid attention! Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino. This segued into Five Little Pumpkins, which I also acted out. I lined up my five pumpkins, ranging in size, on my puppet theater which I spruced up with a ghostly looking cheesecloth.  Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo.  This was a nice, short book, and at the end, as Peter carved up his pumpkin, I plugged in my jack o'lantern and switched it on. It lit up and the babies were so startled Alexandra had to come forth and stick her finger i...

Hi, wonderful parents! Over the years I've been asked by a lot of parents to help find books for their children. For children who are eager readers and not so eager readers, children who want a certain thing or just have to read 20 minutes a day. I can't always be there for you, so I've created this website, with lots of tips and links, to help you with this important job. Secrets to Finding Books for Kids Good luck! Ms. Travis