Storytime Share

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

I read it once through even though many are already familiar with the book. Then we stand up, put on our imaginary wolf suits, and have them act it out and tell it back to me.
Aside: Narrative skills is the ability to describe things and talk about or tell stories. It is an important skill for early literacy. Acting out stories, or parts of them, using their bodies, helps children internalize and understand what is happening in the story. Encourage your children to practice telling and retelling stories to improve your children’s narrative skills.
Submitted by Alison Towles, Middlesex County (VA) Public Library

Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill

I show the cover of the book and flip through the pages to show my love of a few descriptive illustrations, especially facial expressions that show feelings—mad, scared.
Aside: Read with your child in a comfortable setting so you may share and talk about the book, including what the pictures are saying. When you and your child take time to talk about the pictures, you are helping to make an enjoyable time with the book, which helps print motivation.
Submitted by Carolyn Lewis, Pamunkey (VA) Regional Library

Who Took the Farmer’s Hat? by Joan Nodset

Have children make the sounds of the animals the farmer sees.
Aside: Did you know that according to studies, by playing with sounds, you are developing phonological awareness and your preschooler will be better ready to read in school.
Submitted by Linda Gosnell, Pamunkey (VA) Regional Library

Little Red Hen

I introduce the book and encourage the children to say the “Not I” responses in the book and “I will” at the end as I read. I would use a flannelboard to retell the story, which also keep it enjoyable for the children.
Aside: By having the children participate, both with saying “Not I” and with the flannel board, they enjoy the story more which emphasizes print motivation or the enjoyment of books and reading.
Submitted by Phyllis Arbogast, Blackwater (VA) Regional Library, Carrollton Branch

Mouse Craft

Craft: Give a piece of paper and crayon or marker to each child and adult. Each person can draw an oval for the body of the mouse. For the ears make an M or m. Let’s practice making an M in the air with our hand and arm.
Aside: Don’t worry about if your child does this exactly right or not. Enjoy making the mouse and help him squeak and talk. You can also talk about the shapes your child is drawing. Seeing shapes helps them recognize and draw letters as well.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Introduction: The ability to hear and play with the sounds of words, as in rhyming, is an important skill for reading. To recognize these rhymes and how words are related by sound is part of what educators term phonological awareness.
During the storytime–Book Aside: In this story, each page describes the animal’s mother. Let’s guess what will come on the next page. I will emphasize the word that will rhyme on the next page. For example, if I say “now” guess what animal we will see. The author gives us other clues, like brown and moo. So, we know the animal will rhyme with now—COW!
Craft Activity: Match up animal sounds to the animals or animal rhymes—“I Spy” game with rhyming words—Look a book! See a tree! etc. There are many games you can play at home that support word sound play or phonological awareness.
Submitted by Melinda Gadams, Pamunkey (VA) Regional Library, West Point Branch

Maisy Big, Maisy Small by Lucy Cousins

Read book with time to allow children and adults respond with the opposite word.

Aside: Vocabulary is a very important early literacy skill. By vocabulary, I mean knowing the names, not just of things, but of concepts, feelings and ideas. Today we’re focusing on the concept of opposites!
Submitted by Ellen Abramson, Fairfax County (VA) Public Library System

This Is the Way We Wash Our Face

Song: This Is the Way We Wash Our Face (Sung to the tune of Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush)

Let’s sing this song and tell a little story about how we take a bath.

This is the way we        wash our face               (actions to words to all these)

                                    shampoo our hair

                                    scrub our skin

                                    dry with a towel, etc.

This song helps us learn different vocabulary words about bathtime, like shampoo and scrub. I hope you will talk about this when you take a bath tonight. What other words can you come up with? Talking about interesting, fun words like this will help your children recognize words later on when they read them.
Submitted by Stacey Harwood, Henrico County (VA) Public Library, Twin Hickory Branch

Let’s Go Froggy by Jonathan London

Having your child say a repeated phrase with you throughout the entire book keeps him/her involved. This is one way you support print motivation.
The repeated phrases are “flop, flop, flop” and “Froggy” when his mother calls out to him.
Submitted by Charles Nagel, Chesterfield County (VA) Libraries

Little Bunny Foo Foo: Told and Sung by the Good Fairy by Paul Johnson

You may want to share this songbook with your child at home and oint out some of the phrases. You child will like to sing the refrain with you! Print motivation is this skill that makes reading a book fun and enjoyable.
Submitted by Jackie Anas, Portsmouth (VA) Public Library