Baby & Toddler Storytimes

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

Jane Cabrera's -- looks fun, I'll have to get it ! Zelinsky's Wheels on the Bus , which is pretty good. WE had a few extra babies today, I believe because some of the libraries have no storytimes during August, (or maybe word has finally gotten out about how much fun we have here). So I looked at our big crowd, and I said, "Well, let's sing something we all know," and we sang the Wheels on the Bus . Everyone in the room launched energetically in to the Wheels on the Bus.  The babies were astonished. Here they were in a strange room in a strange library, surrounded by a bunch of new people and new babies, and everyone knew the same song they did! Everyone in the room joined in and sang together and we were a community of the Wheels on the Bus . I could see those babies thinking, "Wow, this thing is bigger than just me and the baby next to me, huh!" Because I'll be doing school time with the older kids (who are leaving me this week, sob!), I just d...

Oh, we had some very busy little piggies at pig story time today. Kidding!  Actually, many babies (I'm not naming names, Alexandria!) sat still for the whole 20 minutes!  It was amazing!  We got a chance to read some fun books and sing all our favorite songs. Busy Piggies by John Schindel.  This board book series has jusssst enough rhyming text, and jusssst the right pictures.  Olivia's Opposites , a board book by Ian Falconer. Opposites are always fun with babies, esp. Olivia's.  The concepts of in and out and up and down amuse me and them endlessly. Piggy Pie Po by Audrey and Don Wood. I read the first story, and then we took a break and I read the second story. The first was just right for the babies, but I should have prepared a little more for the second story. I wish I'd brought a pen or some crayons for the art, my drum for the beating on the drum, and stopped the reading to count backwards from ten for that page. Five Little Piggies , a board book...

We've talked about dogs. We've talked about cats. Today was Pet Storytime, so we talked about dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds, horses, bunnies, elephants...  Books:  Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton. I played the song instead of reading this, which was a first for me. It went kind of fast, so I had a hard time fishing out my props, but the moms clapped along and I think the kids liked the rhythm. Dog's Day by Jane Cabrera. This short book with its bright, cheerful illustrations and mention of snakes and monkeys and fish is a perfect toddler storytime book.  We even had a dad for the ending! Pet Shop Lullaby by Mary Ann Fraser. This book would have been great if one of the babies hadn't managed to pick the switchplate cover off the wall just at this time and Lydia hadn't realized that she wasn't going to be able to open the closet door and get the toys out early so there was quite a lot of complaining. Emma's Elephant by David Ellwand. This beautiful book ...

Hmmm, what a coincidence. The theme of this storytime was movement and dance and THE BABIES NEVER SAT STILL!!!  They were FULL of movement and dance. It's just absurd how fast they're growing up! I think I actually heard Alexandria pipe up with, "Now it's done!" when we started in on the Teddy Bear song.  Books:  I Can Fly by Ruth Kraus. This book was written in 1951, but it's still as much fun as ever. Ruth Kraus also gave us the even more evergreen Carrot Seed. Her books are just what babies like best: short but with a lot of action. Moon Dance , a board book by Christian Lassen. This book has a nice, gentle, swaying rhythm. I turned off the lights to read this night time, under the sea story. Maybe I should have left them off. Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont. This really is a great book. You'll have to take my word for it, check it out, and read it to your babies some time because by this time, storytime was craaaaazzzy!!! Let's Dance, Lit...