You Just Never Know....

Well, last week I felt very discouraged - not a single child showed for our Monday storytime. When I arrived on Wednesday my supervisor had other tasks for me, so we didn't even try to set up for storytime. As a result I didn't post here last week. I prepared a flier, which we placed around the library announcing the storytimes, hoping that it might generate some interest. Well, it did! This morning I had two kids arrive - for storytime - just before it was time to start, and by the time we started the first book, there were ten! This is one of the largest groups they have had for a storytime at the Base Library!

Our theme was "Summer Fun" and I read four books about summer time activities and we did two fingerplays, sang three beach/summer songs and enjoyed a flannelboard rhyme all about ice cream. It was quite a sight to see ten kids all giggling as we got our wiggles out doing "Head, Shoulders, knees and Toes" In a space that was not much bigger than my living room! The kids were attentive, engaged and even participatory!

The first book we read was:
A Fabulous Fair Alphabet by Debra Frasier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book has amazing illustrations and fully captures all the color and excitement of a day at the fair. The kids studied the pictures and reacted to their favorites (like "C" - cotton candy) As a storytime book, I felt it was a bit flat, in spite of the images. We all decided that using "Zucchini" as the last item was somehow wrong...and even the kids expected the last image to be sleeping children driving home with "Z's" circling their heads..."X" stood for exit, after all, and to follow that by Zucchini....well....

We sang about a chocolate ice cream cone (Tune: "Baby Bumble Bee") and then got out a felt ice cream cone and said a rhyme and counted the scoops. Then it was on to

Sheep Take A Hike by Nancy Shaw

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Nancy Shaw's sheep are such fun! This one didn't engage the children quite as well as her "Sheep in a Jeep" but the kids loved the illustrations and the rhyming text of this great hiking adventure where the sheep must deal with loss of a compass, getting lost and having to be rescued from the mud by a moose! I made up a song about taking a summer hike (Tune: "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush") which we sang after this book.


The last two books and songs and a fingerplay was all about one of my favorite summer activities...a visit to the beach:

Sea, Sand, Me! by Patricia Hubbell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


We all loved this beautifully illustrated book about a young girl's visit to the beach told in rhyme. It was great fun to read. The rhythm makes this a great read aloud and girl and her new friend have a very busy day doing everything you possibly can at the beach!


At the Beach by Anne F. Rockwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another day of activity at the beach! Lovely illustrations and simple text describes all sorts of beach activities. The kids expected the last page to describe the ride home, but this book only takes the reader through lunch! We followed this with the fingerplay, "Inchy Pinchy Crab" (based on "Itsy Bitsy Spider"), which the kids really enjoyed.

Everyone stayed for coloring sheets and I really enjoyed being able to spend a little time with the kids and their Moms, Oohing and ahhing over their great coloring and learning names. Hopefully, I will be able to build the sense of community that I have found lacking here. At a nearby public library, the storytime is done by volunteers, but they are amazing - it helps that one is a professional storyteller, another a retired teacher and another is a retired librarian. I was able to swap flannel tips with the retired teacher, and have picked up storytelling hints from the storyteller.

While working at one of the local public libraries, I also performed the annual periodical review for the branch, weeded the reference section and explained how to use e-readers and our e-book catalog to an ever increasing number of library patrons. The format may be different, but the desire to access library materials is still very much the same.