Look at Me (Begin Smart Books)

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Making book sharing times enjoyable times helps to develop your child's print motivation, enjoyment of books and reading. Research shows that children who have had enjoyable experiences around books are more likely to stick with learning to read, when that time comes.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: One thing that helps to keep book time enjoyable is to have your child participate in reading the book. This can be done in several ways. For example, having your child turn the pages, letting your child choose the book to be read or a picture to talk about, or having your child chime in with animal sounds or a word or two. Our book today is called Look at Me. This book lends itself to playful interaction because it has a repeated phrase, "Look at me," AND it's a book-a-boo book, making it a game. Everyone, all together, let me hear you say look at me! Good, try it again. Look at me. Good! Now you'll say that as I read the book with you. Share book using peek-a-boo game, having children say the animals and make the animal's sound. [The lion is the first animal. If that is scary for some children, start with a different animal. Some children may be afraid if you cover your own face. Suggestion--Use a doll or stuffed animal and cover it's face to play peek-a-boo.]

My First ABC Board Book (DK)

Early Literacy Aside--Example: Sharing alphabet books is one way to introduce children to letters. This book My First ABC Board Book has bright, clear photographs of things that interest young children.
Share a page or two: For example, on the B page, we see a baby, bananas, a ball, and bread. We see both the upper and lower case letter so children see that the same letter can look different. You can give the book to your child and let him choose a page to talk about. Talk about the pictures and point out the letter.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Naming the letters and pointing to them is a first step to developing your child's letter knowledge, one of the six early literacy skills. You can do this with books and also with signs whenever you are out and about. Remember to keep it enjoyable and stop when your child has had enough. No need to quiz your child on the letters, just expose them to the letters.

Alphabet Song

Early Literacy Aside--Example: Singing the alphabet song is one way to introduce children to letters. Part of letter knowledge, one of the early literacy skills that helps children be ready to read in school, is knowing the names of letters. At first your child may not relate the letters they sing to the written letter. That's ok; this is a first step.The alphabet song is to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
Sing Alphabet Song. Now let's sing it again to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb. The letters come out in a different rhythm. They are less likely to lump l m n o together. Sing Alphabet Song again to new tune.

Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: The beginning of letter knowledge, one of the six early literacy skills, is seeing and recognizing shapes. Researchers have found that children learn to recognize letters by their shapes. I'll be pointing out some ways that you can use books to talk about shapes.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Our next book is Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert. It is really fascinating how you can see the animals just using basic shapes. What animals do you see? Sharing books with stark shapes like this is a first step to recognizing letters later. Read the book. Talk about the shapes as well as the animals. The back of the book are the separate shapes which you can also point out or refer to from time to time as you read the book.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: This is quite a sophisticated book and can be used in many ways with very young children and also as your children get older. Start with simply noticing shapes and bright colors and your older children can make animals from shapes themselves.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Introduction: I'd like to share this book with you called Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. It can be tricky to use with little hands. Sometimes children tear the flaps because they don't have good coordination yet. They do like flap books because they can play with the book and it's a kind of peek-a-boo game.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: This simple story has signs which supports the early literacy skill called print awareness, helping your child understand that print has meaning. Pointing to the words on the signs as you read the book helps children understand that these are the words we are saying.
Read book. Point to the words in the signs as you read.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: As you go around your day, point out signs to your children. Even when your children notice logos like on gas stations, stores, or restaurants, this is the beginning of print awareness.

Please, Baby, Please by Spike and Tonya Lee

Introduction: Our book today is called Please, Baby, Please written and illustrated by Spike and Tonya Lee. Some of the things this baby does may look quite familiar to you! When you read this book to your baby, you can read the words or talk about the pictures.
Read book Please, Baby, Please by Spike and Tonya Lee. When you read the book with your child, don’t worry about getting through the whole book! Leave a little time when you are talking about the pictures, to let your child babble back to you. Now let’s all say this phrase, “please baby please” together. I’ll read part of this book again and let’s all chime in with “please baby please." You’ll notice I made this phrase repeat throughout so your toddler can join in. It is easier with the repetition. You may also like to try sign language. For children who are pre-verbal, can’t say words yet, using gestures is one way they make themselves understood. Just be sure to SAY the words as you use the gestures and encourage your child to do so as well. [See attachment for signs.]
Early Literacy Aside--Example: By encouraging your child to speak, to repeat words, you are helping to develop their narrative skills. This is the expressive part of language which later helps to develop comprehension when they read. Even giving time for your baby to babble as you share books together is helping with to develop this skill. 

Sign language please baby please

Adult/Child Animal Flannel Board

Introduction: Our next activity is with animals and what they are called. Baby animals are often called something different from the adult animal. This activity helps your children learn these words.[Put up adult and baby animal figures as you say their names, having children repeat them with you. If you like you can pass out the baby animals to each child. You put up the adult animal and the child puts up the matching baby animal as you say the name of it. Have children repeat the words for both adult and baby animals. Encourage adult to help if needed.]
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Saying the words for both the adult and baby animals helps to develop your children’s vocabulary.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Today you saw how we can expand children's vocabulary by giving specific names to things. We did it with animals. You can do the same with the vehicles you see all around you. If your child is calling everything that goes a car, you can say, yes, that’s a car, that’s an SUV, that’s a van, that’s a pick-up truck, and so forth. Even if they can’t say all these words, hearing you say them is how they begin to learn these words. You can also add description, like that shiny yellow car with silver hubcaps. These little things you do throughout the day in enjoyable ways all build your child's vocabulary which later helps them understand what they read.

Adult Animals

Baby Animals

Fire Truck by Peter Sis

Introduction: This book Fire Truck, written and illustrated by Peter Sis, has lots of interesting words in it.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Listen to the many different words your child is hearing, words we might be using in everyday conversation. Because books have three times as many rare words as we use in conversation, it is important for children to hear the language of books. As I'm reading this book, just hold up a finger when you hear a word you would not be using everyday when talking with your child. Then we'll see how many you heard at the end of the book.
Read the book. Ask how many words they heard that they would not use in conversation with their children.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: As you read books at home with your children, you may notice some words they are not familiar with. You don't have to explain every unfamiliar word, but you might choose one to point out and explain. Don't replace unfamiliar words, or they won't hear them. This is how you help their vocabularies grow!

Opening Song for Adult Introduction

Here's a song to encourage parents/caregivers to participate in the storytime.Storytime Announcement (Tune: Yankee Doodle)
Please turn down your cell phones now,
So they will not distract us.
Please join along and sing the songs,
It always helps to practice.
Storytime can help us read.
Storytime is what we need.
Storytime is lots of fun!
Storytime's for everyone.

Early Literacy Aside: Explain: When you participate in our storytime activities, you help to show your children the joy of books, reading, and other language-building activities. They recognize that YOU, the important person in their lives, thinks storytime is important. You help support print motivation, your child's enjoyment of reading, which will later help them stick with learning to read even if it is hard for them.
Submitted by Mary Binda, Augusta County (VA) Public Library

I'm Taking a Trip on My Train by Shirley Neitzel

Introduce book: This book about a train uses pictures for for some words. You can help me by filling in the words when you see the picture.Read book: As you read the book, point to the pictures in the text so that the participants (children and adults) will chime in with the appropriate words.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: (Print Awareness) As you point to the pictures and have children say the words, you are helping them see that pictures represent words. This is the beginning to helping them understand that the written word also represents the words we say. Print awareness is one of the skills children need to be able to learn to read and you are helping to develop this skill when you point to pictures and words as you say words.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: (for Print Awareness) Having words as part of the text of the story is a fun way to write stories with your child. As your child tells you a story, you can write it down and let them draw pictures for some of the repeated words. They see the written words for their spoken words which develops print awareness.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: (for Narrative Skills) Having your young children chime in with a word or phrase, as much as they can remember, is a first step to being able to retell the whole story. Retelling stories helps children develop narrative skills which later helps them understand what they read.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: (Narrative Skills) This is a cumulative story, where the lines are repeated. Having your child say the repeated phrases helps to develop retelling the story which develops their narrative skills, one of the skills that helps with later reading. Retelling stories helps develop their understanding of the story as well.

Choose only one skill to highlight (to say the aside).

Pouch by David Stein

Introduce the book: Our next book is Pouch by David Stein. Mother kangaroos carry their babies in a pouch, like a little pocket in front of their stomachs. This baby kangaroo called a Joey is exploring the world and sometimes wants to feel safe in his pouch. Then he yells, "pouch". Can you say that with me? Pouch! Good, try again. Pouch! Each time we come to the word pouch, you say it with me.
Read the book, pointing to the word pouch as you say it.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Print Awareness): The word pouch is written in bold letters which makes it easy to point out as your child says the word. Pointing to the word helps them understand that you are reading the text, the written word. This helps develop print awareness, knowing that print has meaning, one of the early literacy skills.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Print Motivation): By having your child participate in the story by saying "pouch" each time, you are helping to keep your child engaged in the story in an enjoyable way. This helps to develop print motivation, your child's interest and enjoyment of books and reading. Print motivation is one of the six early literacy skills, the one that later keeps children trying to learn to read even when it can be difficult.

Choose only one skill to highlight (to say the aside).

Big Chickens Go To Town by Leslie Helakoski

Introduction to book: Our next book is Big Chickens Go to Town by Leslie Helakoski. There are a couple of other Big Chicken books and I think they are very funny. See what you think.
Read the book taking your cue for voice expression from the pictures.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Vocabulary): This book has so many interesting words. Use them all, like "the chickens bawled, squalled and caterwauled." This is how your child's vocabulary will grow. Even if they (or you) don't understand every word, you can get the idea from the story itself. That's one of the wonderful things about books, they have so many interesting words.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Phonological Awareness): This book has many rhyming words. [Demonstrate with one page. For example, reread the page that starts Shouting voices wobbled.] Wobbled rhymes with bobbled. Flumped rhymes with bumped and rushed rhymes with crushed. Let's think of some other words that rhyme with crushed. They don't even have to make sense. (mushed, brushed, zushed) Pointing out and making rhyming words helps to develop one of the early literacy skills called phonological awareness--hearing the smaller sounds in words. This will later help your child sound out words when they learn to read.

Choose only one skill to highlight (to say the aside).

Eats by Marthe Jocelyn

Introduce book: Our next book is Eats by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter. You will see that they use very stark and bright colors, making it easy for young children to see the pictures. There are just two words on a page, the animal and what it eats. Children let's see what the animal is right on the cover. A monkey! and he is eating a banana. Yummy!
Read the book. Point to some of the words as you read them.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Print Awareness): You may have noticed when I read the book that I not only pointed to the pictures but also to the words. The words are so distinct. It is as if they are part of the artwork. Pointing to the words as well as the pictures helps your child focus on the print. They can see that pictures and words represent real things, part of print awareness, one of the early literacy skills that will later help them to read.

For Vocabulary: Read the book. Add some more information as you talk about the pictures. Fore example: Bees like to eat nectar. See the black and yellow striped bees? They make a buzzing sound. Let me hear you make a buzzing sound. Good! Nectar is a sweet liquid that flowers have and the bees love to eat it.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Vocabulary): Even though there are just one or two words on a page, you may have noticed that I said more than just those words when I read the book. When you read books with your children take time, especially with simple books like this, to add more information to the words on the page. This helps build their vocabulary, learn new words.

Choose only one skill to hightlight (to say the aside).

A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa by Jonathan London

Read book.Say: Some of the pictures in this book have words on the trucks or on signs. Let's see what they say. Choose a page or two with some signs such as MILK or ICE CREAM or MOVERS and point to the words as you say them.
Early Literacy Aside--Empower: In the book A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa, I pointed out the words in the pictures you help develop print awareness. When you are out and about, be sure to point out words as you talk about the signs you see all around you.

Spider on the Floor by Raffi

Read Spider on the Floor by Raffi or use the Raffi recording on Singable Songs for the Very Young.You can add verses with less familiar parts of the body.
Activity: Give each child a plastic or rubbery spider. As the song progresses have them put their spiders on the correct body part until it jumps back on the floor. (Shopping for spiders around Halloween is the best time for getting creepy rubbery spiders.)
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Using props during a song or story that prompts children to act out the meaning of the words, provides children with a fun and active way to learn new words and to practice their vocabulary skills.
Submitted by Kathleen Moore, Dayton (OH) Metro Library System

Scarecrow, Scarecrow Rhyme and Dance

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Here's a rhyme that you can do anytime and it reinforces rhyming words which develops phonological awareness while having fun at the same time.Do Scarecrow, Scarecrow activity Children stand up with arms bent at elbows like a scarecrow and head tilted. Actions to words. Scarecrow, Scarecrow, turn around Scarecrow, Scarecrow, jump up and down Scarecrow, Scarecrow, raise your arms high Scarecrow, Scarecrow, wink one eye Scarecrow, Scarecrow, bend your knees Scarecrow, Scarecrow, flap in the breeze Scarecrow, Scarecrow, climb into bed Scarecrow, Scarecrow, rest your head.

Submitted by Terri Stringer, Vandalia Branch, Dayton Metro (OH) Public Library

Now Matter What by Emma Dodd

Earlly Literacy Aside--Explain: Welcome. Today we are going to have stories that have elephants in them. [Show elephant puppet] I am also going to highlight vocabulary as a fun way to help your child get ready to read. The more words they know, the easier it will be for them to understand what they read and also to make sense of words as they sound out words.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Very young children learn the names of things they see or see pictures of, like elephant, flowers, mouse. As they get older they understand words for feelings and concepts like sad, happy, good, bad, big elephant, little elephant. And older still, they understand words for ideas like brave, kind, mean. These are examples of ways you can develop your child's vocabulary daily in a fun way. You can use books to help develop all levels of vocabulary. Listen to some of the words as I read our next book. Read No Matter What Early Literacy Aside--Empower: The library has many books with opposites, feelings, and other concepts to help you have fun with vocabulary development with your child. Books from naming items to talking about ideas. Just ask us for some suggestions.

Submitted by Jeanenne Robinson, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Cock-a-Moo-Moo by Juliet Dallas-Conte

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Hello, parents. Today in storytime we are highlighting one of the early literacy skills, phonological awareness. This is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words including rhyming, beginning sounds and today we'll be doing animal sounds. Developing this skill will help children later sound out words as they learn to read.As you read Cock-a-Moo-Moo, note when the rooster crows that the font is large which means to use a LOUD voice. Point out the words for the corresponding sounds. Conclude the story by having the children say cock-a-doodle-do loudly to convey the rooster getting it right. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Hearing and learning animal sounds helps children hear the smaller sounds in words too. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Hearing the rhythm of language and making the sounds of animals, both of these contribute to phonological awareness, hearing the smaller sounds in words, one of the skills that researchers have found helps with reading later on. Take opportunities during the course of the day to point out and to imitate sounds you hear, a car horn, the doorbell ringing, and so forth.

Submitted by Mona Ferguson, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Dog's Day by Jane Cabrera

Read Dog's Day. As you point to the title also point out the letter D in Dog and Day.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Help your children find letters based on the subjects they like. D is the first letter in dog. If your child is interest in trucks, you can point out the letter t. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Remember that letters are everywhere! Have your child make letters with their fingers, whole body,  or playdough.

Submitted by Emily Leachman, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Pigeon books by Mo Willems

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Print motivation is an interest in and enjoyment of books and reading. It is one of the early literacy skills that researchers say are important for children to have before they learn to read. Choose books that you enjoy. Your child picks up on your feelings and understands the enjoyment of books and reading.Read several of the "pigeon" books during the storytime, having fun with them in different ways: acting them out, predicting outcomes, singing "The Pigeon on the Bus" to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus", drawing a pigeon, etc. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Parents, you can see we are building on the book to add to the enjoyment of sharing the book itself. You know your child best and you can use your child's interests to build on the books you read together. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: You may not realize it but by sharing books you and your child enjoy, you are helping to develop your child's print motivation. So, every day continue to share books that you enjoy with your child.

Submitted by Susan Blombert, Sugar Creek Branch, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)