Storytime Share

You Can Do Anything, Daddy by Michael Rex

Read the book.
Craft/Activity: In this book, the boy is thinking of bad things that might happen to him. His father is figuring out how to save his son. I am giving each of you [adults and children] a piece of paper. On one side I want you to draw something you think of that is scary for you. On the other side I want you to think of something your Dad or a grownup could do to help you. It is all pretend, make-believe. What can you think of?
Aside: Having your children draw and then tell you about what they drew develops their narrative skills. It also gives us a window into their thoughts.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting

Eat Your Peas by Kes Gray

peaspeaspeas1.doc
Submitted by participants of Saskatchewan Library Association Conference 2008

Pig’s Picnic by Keiko Kasza

Read book. Retell to group using story props. Have the children retell the story as you maneuver the props.
At the end of storytime hold up the handout of Pig’s Picnic and demonstrate how you have cut out the pieces so that the children can retell the story.
Closing Aside: You can strength your children’s narrative skills, the ability to tell stories, by taking home this storytime handout, having your children cut out the pictures and retell the story.
pigs-picnic-hand-out.doc
Submitted by Laura Mikowski, Hillsboro (OR) Public Libraries

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

As you read the book, ask the children to identify the animals in the book. Talk about the landscape in the pictures–where in the world might this take place? Use words the children may not know (arctic, icebergs, ice floes, glaciers, etc.). Also, talk about Tacky the Penguin’s personality, his uniqueness and originality, explaining words children may not know. For an activity, have children and adults draw and color a penguin however they want.
Aside: We used lots of interesting words today with Tacky the Penquin, some were not even in the book. This helps develop your child’s vocabulary. On your way home, talk about being creative and ways your child is unique.
Submitted by David Banker, Radford (VA) Public Library

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

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

In this book there are four animals (point to them on the cover)–a yellow bird, a white dog, an orange fox, and a brown squirrel. For each animal something sad happens, but then something good does, too! Let’s see what happens. Read the book. Sometimes something happens to us that makes us sad, but then we find a way to be happier. I am going to give each person a piece of paper and there are some crayons to share. I would like you to draw a picture of a time you were sad and a time you could make yourself happy. Then tell me or the adult who brought you about your picture. 
Adults, having your child describe their experiences and feelings aloud helps to develop their narrative skills which will later help them understand what they read.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting

Mouse Shapes by Ellen Walsh

Craft: Have various shapes cut out, the same ones used in the book. Each PERSON gets a blank sheet of paper. Using shapes, they make a picture. Encourage the adults to talk about all the shapes and also about what they are making with the shapes, both their own picture and their child’s. The adult can write the child’s name on their the paper and find some of the shapes in the letters.

Adult Aside: Playing with shapes is one way to help your child see shapes in letters and to later identify the letters. For example, this is an N the first letter in your name. See how there is a triangle shampe betweenthe lines? 
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting 

Storytime Handout: Blue Sea

Blue Sea Handout by Saroj Ghoting

Origami House with The Three Little Pigs

Adult Aside: Giving your child props to retell the story helps develop narrative skills. This skill helps children later understand what they read.
Submitted by Saroj Ghoting