Storytime: Orange/Pumpkins

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 25 minutes + play and craft

I'm trying to have one ST a month about a specific color - October is great for orange! It ended up being mostly a pumpkin theme...

1) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

2) Autumn Orange - Christianne C. Jones

Big bright pictures, all describing orange things in the fall. This was the perfect book to open my orange-themed storytime!!

3) The Little Orange House

This is on Scholastic's site. When I asked the kids if they wanted to see inside the house, they were SO into it. I opened it up and watched their faces light up as they realized what I'd made. :) Even the parents liked it!

4) Pumpkins - Ken Robbins

This was a great one for showing the life cycle of a pumpkin, as it uses real photographs. I did paperclip a bit in this book, just the jack-o-lantern and Halloween stuff at the end. It felt like it was getting long, and we'll do more Halloween-themed books in a few weeks.

5) The Very Hungry Pumpkin

This idea came from someone at a recent youth services meeting for my co-op. Apparently there's a book out there called the Chocolate Chip Ghost, and this little flannel story is similar.

Once there was a little orange pumpkin who was VERY hungry. He ate a banana and turned... what color?...

Continue with other colors and foods like lettuce, strawberries, grapes. For the last one I said he was ready for dessert and ate a chocolate chip cookie! They had a good giggle about that one, then we brainstormed ideas of foods he could eat to become orange again.

6) Five Little Pumpkins flannel

I liked how Abby made this non-Halloween version!

Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate
The first one says "Oh my it's getting late!"
The second one says "Brrr there's frost in the air!"
The third one says "Aww we don't care!"
The fourth one says "Let's run run run!"
The fifth one says "Are you ready for some fun?"
Then whooooo went the wind (kids helped me blow!) and out went the lights
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

7) Ring Around the Pumpkin
I didn't have a real pumpkin yet, so I put a blow-up jack-o-lantern on the floor and we sang a version of Ring Around the Rosie:

Ring around the pumpkin
Orange, big, and round
Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seeds
We all fall down!


8) It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse! - Laura Numeroff

The kids had fun making the different faces along with the pumpkins in this little board book. I also read it in my baby storytime this week.

9) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

10) Playtime/Craft

I brought out the blocks and instruments again, as well as the fake leaves to throw around. For the table activity I put red and yellow paint in small ziploc baggies, which the kids squished until they turned orange (note: you need twice as much of yellow than you need of red!). Then the grownups used Sharpies to draw a jack-o-lantern face on the bag, kind of like our last book.

Other orange/pumpkin ideas:

Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch - Mary Peterson

An Orange in January - Dianna Hutts Aston (didn't fit in October...)

It's Pumpkin Time! - Zoe Hall

The Runaway Pumpkin - Kevin Lewis

Pipe cleaner/beads pumpkin craft (I almost used this, but wanted to really focus on the color orange this time instead of just pumpkins)

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 8

Monster Needs a Costume by Paul Czajak. September 2013.

From Amazon: "It’s almost Halloween, and Monster needs to decide what he’s going to be. With so many options — a fireman, a ballerina, a cowboy, a ninja—how will he ever decide? In this playful, rhyming story, Monster shows young readers that sometimes being creative and daring to try something new are the best solutions."

My thoughts: This is the first book in the Monster & Me series (Monster Needs His Sleep was published in April, and Monster Needs a Christmas Tree just came out this month) and I'm very impressed. This new children's book author knows how to use rhymes that are really fun and don't feel forced. Every parent can relate to their child changing his/her mind. And with Halloween coming up soon it seems like each day they want to wear something different! I'll be on the lookout for more books by this author.

Do your kids have their Halloween costumes planned out yet?

Age: Toddler/Preschool and up

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 7

Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. August 2014.

From Amazon: "In this clever twist on the age-old belief that there’s no such thing as unicorns, Uni the unicorn is told there’s no such thing as little girls! No matter what the grown-up unicorns say, Uni believes that little girls are real. Somewhere there must be a smart, strong, wonderful, magical little girl waiting to be best friends. In fact, far away (but not too far), a real little girl believes there is a unicorn waiting for her. This refreshing and sweet story of friendship reminds believers and nonbelievers alike that sometimes wishes really can come true."

My thoughts: My 4-year-old daughter has a couple of My Little Pony unicorns that are her constant companions. She even brought one of them for show-and-tell at preschool a couple weeks ago. She currently carries it around the house proclaiming it her "favorite book ever!" Even though a fantasy book like this that encourages the idea of unicorns being real is something I might typically avoid, this story is very sweet and the illustrations are beautiful. There are only one or two sentences per page so it's a nice bedtime story. Not to mention I was drawn to the title, as my daughter for the longest time called a unicorn's horn a "un" (yoon). :)

Age: Toddler/Preschool and up

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 6

The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin. July 2014.

From Amazon: "It's bedtime at the Nut House, but little Wally and Hazel Nut aren't ready to go to sleep. 'We're Nuts! We're Nuts! We're Nuts!' Why go to bed when you could be singing and howling at the moon? But Mama Nut insists... 'All little Nuts need to go up to bed!' Who will win this bedtime tug-of-war?"

My thoughts: I'm going to admit something that may be blasphemy among children's librarians: I was not a fan of Pete the Cat when he first came out. Now that he's had a few more adventures, he's still not my first choice for a picture book, but I can read them aloud to storytime kids with gusto if I need to. Listening to the audio clips available of the author reading the books has helped.

I feel the same way toward The Nuts -- it sounds like this book will be the first in a new series by Litwin, so maybe I will grow to like them more as time goes on. As with his others, Litwin has created an audio file of him reading the book and singing the songs, complete with kids singing along. I'm sure this book will be a hit with any kids who already love Pete the Cat!

Age: Preschool and up

Are you an Eric Litwin fan?

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 5

Tea With Grandpa by Barney Saltzberg. April 2014.

From Amazon: "In this sweetly simple, rhyming picture book by acclaimed author/artist Barney Saltzberg, a little girl tells us about her daily tea ritual with her grandfather where they sing and laugh and clink their teacups..."

My thoughts: This book is really simple, with no more than eight words on a page. Without giving away too much about what makes this a cute, feel-good book, I'll just say this would be a great one if your family has relatives who live far away.

Age: Baby/toddler and up

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 4

Mr. Wayne's Masterpiece by Patricia Polacco. August 2014.

From Amazon: "Speaking in front of an audience terrifies Trisha. Ending up in Mr. Wayne’s drama class is the last thing she wants! But Mr. Wayne gives her a backstage role painting scenery for the winter play. As she paints, she listens to the cast rehearse, memorizing their lines without even realizing it. Then, days before opening night, the lead actress suddenly moves away, and Trisha is the only other person who knows her part. Will the play have to be canceled? It won’t be an easy road—when Trisha tries to recite the lines in front of the cast, nothing comes out! But Mr. Wayne won’t let her give up, and with his coaching, Trisha is able to become one of his true masterpieces."

My thoughts: Patricia Polacco is a Michigan author who has written over 50 children's books. This most recent one is based on the true story of how she conquered her fear of public speaking, and celebrates the lasting impact of a great teacher. "He taught me to speak from the heart and to believe in myself. But most of all he taught me that all of us are masterpieces if given the chance and encouragement - to be one."

Age: Elementary and up (very long, I don't even think my 4-year-old would sit through it or understand it all)

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 3

Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman. October 2013.

From Amazon: "When he follows his nose through the woods, Cub discovers a backyard tea party…with cookies!  He is just about to dig in when the hostess of the tea party shows up. And she has several strong opinions on how Tea Party must be played. Cub tries to follow her rules . . . but just how much can one bear take, even for cookies?"

My thoughts: Seeing a "wild" bear cub pretending to be a stuffed animal just so he can get cookies is hilarious. Every time I turned the page I wondered how much more he could endure - it reminded me of little girls who try to put their cats and dogs in fancy dress-up clothes. But the ending is really cute - it's okay to bend the rules sometimes.

Age: Preschool and up

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

Storytime: Fall (part 2)

Age: 2-5 years
Time: 25 minutes + play and craft

I split my fall-themed storytime over two weeks, because there are just way too many good books about fall! Last week had a heavy squirrel-theme, and this week is more leaves-themed.

1) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

2) Mouse's First Fall - Lauren Thompson

I love the "Mouse's First" books. They describe all sorts of holidays very simply for kids.

3) Five Little Leaves Flannel

From Mel's Desk. The kids helped me with the blowing wind. :)

5 little leaves in the tall tall tree, as bright and pretty as they can be
Along came the wind, blowing all around
And one bright leaf fell to the ground

Four little leaves…

4) The Leaves on the Trees

From Storytime Fun. I have a collection of colored construction paper maple leaves that I spread on the ground in front of the kids (we only had 4 attend that day). When I sang about each color they had to find one or two of them and wave them up in the air.

(Wheels on the Bus tune)
The leaves on the trees are green green green
Green green green, green green green
The leaves on the trees are green green green
All around the town

The leaves on the trees are red and orange...
The leaves on the trees are yellow and brown..
The leaves on the trees come tumbling down... (toss them all up in the air :)

5) Leaves - David Ezra Stein

One of many books out there that talks about bears in the fall and winter.

6) Parachute with leaves

This was the first time this season I pulled out the parachute, and some kids knew exactly what to do and others took a little convincing. We bounced some fake leaves around until they all flew out.

7) We're Going on a Leaf Hunt - Steve Metzger

In my envelope of decorative fall leaves, I came across a handful of large, heavy, bulletin board quality leaves. While looking through this book, I realized I had 3 of the 4 types of leaves mentioned! All I had to do was find a photo of a hickory leaf and print it out on cardstock. Then I put a velcro dot on the back of each leaf, and paperclipped them onto the pages in the book. When we came to them I stuck them on the flannel board. And of course we acted this one out as we read. Love love loved it.

8) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.

9) Playtime/Craft

I brought out the blocks and instruments again, as well as the fake leaves to throw around. For the table activity we did leaf rubbing.

Other fall ideas:

Part 1 (last week)

Welcome Fall - Little Scholastic
It's Fall! - Linda Glaser
Old Bear - Kevin Henkes
Tap the Magic Tree - Christie Matheson
When the Leaf Blew In - Steve Metzger
Leaf Man - Lois Ehlert
Leaves - William Corderoy (I almost used this one instead of Stein's Leaves book this week, I literally waited until the morning of storytime to choose. It's a great little out-of-print book that my library has, that I used during my bear storytime.)

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 2

My Bus by Byron Barton. April 2014.

From Amazon: "My Bus is a lively celebration of vehicles and transportation, occupations, pets, and basic math concepts. The busy bus driver in Byron Barton's preschool tour-de-force has a job to do. He drives his bus along his route, picks up the cat and dog passengers waiting at the bus stops, and delivers them to their destinations—which in this case include the airport, the harbor, and the train station. Along the way, children are introduced to the concepts of addition, subtraction, and sets. A surprise ending of sorts—what will happen to the very last passenger?—makes this a great read-aloud for story time and bedtime. A companion to Byron Barton's critically acclaimed picture book My Car and a standout addition to this beloved author's body of work. Sure to appeal to fans of Richard Scarry, Donald Crews, and books about cars, trucks, and things that go!"

My thoughts: If you/your kids enjoy simple, brightly colored books, Byron Barton is the author for you! He has written over a dozen books about everyday vehicles, dinosaurs, and one of my favorites - The Three Bears. My Bus follows busdriver Joe's day and incorporates counting and math with cats and dogs getting on and off the bus.

Age: Toddler and up - beginning readers may also enjoy reading the simple sentences themselves.

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.

31 Days of NEW Kids Picture Books: Day 1

Three Bears in a Boat by David Soman. May 2014.

From Amazon: "Three bear siblings break their mother’s favorite blue seashell, and rather than tell her, they decide to set out in their sailboat to find her a new one. On their quest they encounter salty sailors, strange new islands, huge whales, and vast seas but no blue seashells. When a treacherous storm suddenly blows in, the three bears find themselves tossed about in their little boat, far from Mama. What will become of their search, and what will it take to bring them safely home? This read aloud shares its best qualities with classic picture books: breath-taking illustrations, epic adventure, and a subtle message about taking responsibility for your actions."

My thoughts: If the name David Soman sounds familiar, it's because he is the bestselling co-creator of Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy. The Amazon description above said it well, this book has beautiful illustrations (I've heard a few people say it's Caldecott-worthy) as well as a simple story about admitting your mistakes instead of running away from them.

Age: Preschool and up

Click here for a list of all posts in this series.