Arrrr! Ahoy Mateys!

It has been a couple of weeks since I posted here...because it has been a couple of weeks since I have performed a storytime. But today we came back strong with "It's a Pirate's Life for Me!" We practiced a spot of "Pirate Speak" which helped us sing a special pirate verse of our opening song. Then we launched into

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This imaginative book is a great read-aloud if you are comfortable with Pirate-Speak. Captain Braid Beard and his crew have a lot to say and do...and a young boy loves their pirate lifestyle (no vegetables, no baths, no bedtimes) until it is bedtime and there is no one to tuck him in, read him a story, or give him a goodnight kiss - besides he has to get home for soccer practice. David Shannon' illustrations kept the kids eyes glued to the pages and had them laughing out loud.

Pirates, Ho! by Sarah L. Thomson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The colorful cast of Pirate characters in this book - which include a GIRL pirate - are brave swashbucklers during the day. Doing as the things that Pirates do. But when darkness falls it is a different story altogether. Told in rhyme, with great illustrations this book delighted the kids at storytime today. We sang "If You're a Pirate and You Know it." (Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It") and modified the verses to match some of the same pirate activities described in the book.

Pirates Don't Change Diapers by Melinda Long

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one sequel that is almost better than the original! In this second Melinda Long/David Shannon pirate book, Jeremy Jacob is visited by his old pirate crew, ready to dig up their treasure. Jeremy's baby sister though has other plans for the pirate crew and they have to change, feed and calm her before they can get to digging. The illustrations are just hysterically funny and the kids today loved them.

Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC by June Sobel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a creative, well illustrated concept book, and the kids really enjoyed the pirates' quest to steal all the letters of the alphabet for their Captain who decides that "R is not enough.......we need other letters to help make us tough." Did I mention that the Captain is a crocodile and the crew consists of a pig, a cat, a rat, and a mouse? The kids loved many things about this book, including the fact that the parrot on the Captain's shoulder wore a pirate hat and that the captain has a duck flotation device around his waist that wears an eyepatch.

Pirates of the Sea! by Brandon Dorman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book might be too long for my mostly toddler audience, but I was wrong. The kids loved this book laughing and commenting on the illustrations, especially when among the pirate treasure there was a teddy bear and a pair of purple pirate underwear. Great rhyming book, great illustrations just the right amount of pirate-speak to make this book a great read-aloud that will appeal to all ages.

Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a charming book about a cute little pekingese with a "boo boo." An unseen companion, helps the little guy imagine that instead of a cute dog with a broken leg, he is an adventurous pirate with a peg leg. With some help, he sails away and finds a treasure which makes him feel better. The illustrations are sweet and the text, told in a Mo Willems' like dialog is engaging and funny.

We closed with a Pirate version of "Row, Row, Row, your boat":

Sail, sail, sail your ship

Gently o'er the sea.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

A pirates life for me!

The kids all stayed to color a pirate ship coloring sheet and it was great fun to have some time to interact with the kids and their parents informally. I did however learn that talking like burly, swashbuckling pirates is very hard on the throat and takes a toll on my voice. Even so, this storytime was worth it.

Wild About Books

Recently, I was asked what I thought the best part of my job was. That answer was easy: sharing my passion for books! At this weeks storytime, the stories were all about characters who were passionate about books.

I started this week's session with:

Read It, Don't Eat It! by Ian Schoenherr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the book that I started my "Wild About Books" storytime with...in simple rhyme and charming illustrations, animals teach book/library etiquette. The kids loved this book, even the very young ones. It is very simple, but the drawings of the animals are filled with charm and expression. Followed by the tradional fingerplay, "Here is My Book." The five children at storytime really participated in this one.

The Incredible Book-Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderfully imaginative picture book about Henry, who loves books, "Just not the way you and I do." When I introduced this book, I mentioned that this was about a boy who had not read our first storytime read and or had not followed the advice of "Read it, Don't Eat it." I worried that this would be too much for my age group (11 months to just under 3) but the book held their interest and they were able to follow it. They even picked up on the subtle humor of the last page! This was followed by the singing of "At the Library" to the tune of "Here we Go Round the Mulberry Bush." Next up:

Read to Tiger by S.J. Fore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful read aloud book. A boy just wants to read his book, but Tiger and his antics prove too distracting. Tiger refers to himself in the third person, so he was fun to create a funny voice for...in addition his antics include great sounds like loud gum chewing "chomps" and karate exclamations. The kids were enchanted by the illustrations and laughed at Tiger's antics. (The boy's book is about a tiger and, in the end, the boys reads the book to Tiger and everyone is happy.)

Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an easy to read aloud book about a dog who just wants to share a passion for books. At first things don't go as planned, but then he pulls a book off the shelf and the illustrations vividly depict dog's joy of reading and all the wonderful things we can imagine when we read. Finally, dog has an opportunity to share all of this in the story - which the kids loved.

Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my favorite book at Storytime. This illustrations are sweet and there are animals and a library...and animal sounds. What more could you ask for in a read aloud? When the kids go back to school the farm animals are sad and bored and wander off to town in search of something fun to do. They see happy people coming out of the library and so, one by one, they go in and ask the librarian for help. The problem is that she can't understand them, until finally the chicken goes in and clucks, "Book, book, book." Finally, the librarian understands and the happy animals return to the farm to read their books. The kids helped me make all the animal sounds and giggled in all the right places. In honor of this book we did a fingerplay, "Three Little Books" edited from a flannel board story found in Storytime Magic by Kathy MacMillan.

We closed with: It's Library Day by Janet Morgan Stoeke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a simple story about a class visit to the library told in rhyme. I really liked the fact that there was diversity and multiculturalism displayed in the characters. This was a great book for baby/lapsit storytime about books and reading.

Although I didn't read it, I did close with a quote from Rosemary Wells on the end pages of Read to Your Bunny:

The most important thing in the first years of a child’s life is the growth of mind and spirit. Singing, laughing and language are the most important things in a child’s life. Reading to your little ones Is just like putting gold coins in a bank. It will pay you back tenfold!

– Rosemary Wells