Baby & Toddler Storytimes

B o o k s This is Not a Book by Jean Jullien.  Hoooo, what a perfect book for this theme! I think I'll skip the butt crack page for this group though. It's a Little Book  by Lane Smith. This book is fun for acting out -- pretending to chew it, quacking with it, etc.  But the joke is based on sarcasm, and babies just don't get that.  Short & fun though. Might cut a few pages.   Bring a Big Book for contrast. I used Noisy Breakfast. Good and short. Dinosaur vs. the Library   by Bob Shea is about as perfect for a set of babies as any book could be. I didn't use puppets.  I turned my head in one direction and roared for Dinosaur, then turned my head in the other direction and mooed confusedly, or was shy turtle, or was sad owl. But I might leave out that sad owl.  It makes me too sad. Clap Your Hands starring ELMO!  I just grabbed the goofiest book from my office shelf that doesn't get used very often....

B o o k s Pop-Up Commotion in the Ocean by Andreae Silly Faces Board Book -- the kids were a bit shy about this. Deep Sea Dive by Salina Yoon.  Luckily, I had a lot of the puppets for this. Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish by Lorie Ann Grover P l a y s I gathered up all my sea creature puppets and put them in my Old MacDonald bag.  "Let's go fishing!" I told the kids. "Let's throw out our hook!  Reel it in, and see what we caught!" Then I pulled a creature out of the bag.  No! We don't want to keep him! The octopus had too many legs; the shark too many teeth; the dolphin was too nice; the sea turtle was endangered; the sea horse was too beautiful; and finally we caught a fish. (Use the crab too!!!) (Sung to the melody of Wheels on the Bus.) I passed out the scarves and we practiced being waves first. 1. The waves on the sea go up and down, up and down, up and down, the waves on the sea go up and down all day long. 2. The shark in the sea goes snap snap s...

Book : Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  I used Kiz Club   Brown Bear figures. In earlier years, I had hung them randomly around the room, but this year I hung them on the clothesline and, very repetitively, recited, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?" taking each one down by turns and introducing them to the audience.  That worked a lot better -- they actually knew what to look for and say. Play:  Either Five fuzzy teddy bears are in their bed. "Now go to sleep!" their mama said. But one escaped and down the hall he fled! Now 4 fuzzy teddy bears are ready for bed.   "Five bears in the bed and the little one said, roll over, roll over."  The babies seemed to prefer the teddy bears on the wall today -- maybe the idea of so many bears falling helplessly to the ground unnerved them.   Book:   Where's My Teddy by Jez Alborough.  A tiny bit hard for them. Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson.  The moms tried to help out, and quite...

  And how kind all you mamas and daddies are for sharing your A-one babies with me very week.  That roomful of cuteness is overpowering! Books:   I Like It When  by Mary Murphy. Perfect for babies. I used the new board book.. How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You by Jane Yolen. Even if I was reading this mostly to the moms, the babies seemed to enjoy the giant dinosaur puppet I had, and the rhyming text was charming. This is one of Yolen's better books in the dinosaur series. (I didn't use the dino puppet this year, and had to cut the reading short for lack of interest. I don't know if I'll use this book next year.) A Good Day by Kevin Henkes .  (Don't forget your yellow feather!) Very nice. How Kind!   by Mary Murphy.  I love this pay-it-forward in the barnyard telling.  It's a real celebration of happiness and good nature -- and a great readaloud too, because you can do animal voices. I used props for all the actions. When you read "flower", it's n...