Family Program / Boxcar Children

A couple of my fall family programs this semester were new programs for me, and this book party based on The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner was one of them:

It was surprisingly challenging to find activities to go along with the Boxcar Children for a library setting.  In the end I went with:

• a scavenger hunt for Boxcar Children book covers
• a book giveaway
• a train craft based on this project from Homeschool Creations
• printing off Boxcar Children book checklists for kids to take home

In the end, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and maybe this program will give you some ideas to celebrate the Boxcar Children with your own patrons!

School is Cool / Fun Fictional Schools

With the first month of school almost finished, I thought it would be fun to round up books that feature fictional schools - that at times seem like a lot more fun than our real schools!

Jedi Academy by Jeff Brown
The School of Good and Evil by Soman Chianani - this is the only book on the list I haven't read yet, but it's been on my to-read list since it was published!
The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale
Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise
The Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Ability by M.M. Vaughan

Check out my Goodreads shelf for a few more suggestions as well!

Read & Make: Butterflies

My fall family story times are in full swing and this week was all about butterflies and caterpillars!

Read:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (of course!) - this was the perfect time to share the pop-up version from my library's staff collection!
Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr.
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek

Rhyme:
My Friendly Caterpillar
My friendly caterpillar (fingers crawl up your arm)
made its cocoon one day (close hands together)
it turned into a butterfly (open hands with thumbs hooked)
and quickly flew away (flap hands)

from Storytime Katie

Make:
Handprint butterflies
Set out paper and crayons and let kids trace their hands for the butterfly's wings and decorate to their heart's content.  We have all these white dot stickers left over from the round CD security rings that the library uses, so I put them out for kids to use as well.

Family Stories Featuring Mice

We've gotten a couple great new books lately that all feature mice - and since this is the only place I can handle mice - I've rounded up a group of books I've both already read and would like to read featuring these furry little protagonists:

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Redwall by Brian Jacques (first in a series)
Who Goes There? by Karma Wilson
Stuart Little by E.B. White
Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse by Torben Kuhlmann
A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (first in a series)
Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck
Where's Mommy? by Beverly Donofrio
The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck
Hermelin the Detective Mouse by Mini Grey

Book Review / Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse by Torben Kuhlmann

This is probably the most beautiful new book I've seen this summer:

Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse by Torben Kuhlmann tells the story of a brave and curious mouse who wants to travel to America.  Unfortunately, when he tries to board a ship, he finds it guarded by a group of vicious cats. Instead, the mouse decided to use in ingenuity to build a flying machine that will carry him to America.  Despite several failed flying attempts, more cats, and owls looking for a meal, the little mouse succeeds in his transatlantic journey.  He makes a splash as he arrives in New York, inspiring a young boy named Charles Lindbergh.

Kuhlmann's story alternates between sections of text and beautifully detailed panels with a style and quality that are reminiscent of Shaun Tan's The Arrival.  Readers will find more to look at each time the book is read.  Perfect for sharing with a small group or one-on-one, Lindbergh will inspire readers to go in search of more titles about the history of flight.

Perfect for readers ages 6 and up.

Summer Science Notebooks

This summer, my co-worker and I put together weekly science activity pages for school age kids that went along with our weekly story time topics.  The topics that we chose (water, color, etc) were so broad that we wanted to create something that older kids could use on their own.  Each activity page includes book suggestions and activities or experiments for kids and families to do together.  We envisioned kids putting their pages together to make a science "notebook" of their own.  If you, your family, or library friends would enjoy these, download a copy of the pages I created below:

Color activity page
Five Senses activity page
Robot activity page
Water activity page

Read & Play: Robots

My last Fizz, Boom, Read summer story time was all about robots!  I found so many fun robot stories and activities for kids just out of the usual story time age range that I might have to do a family robot program in the fall or in the new year.  But here's what worked for my family story time:

Read: 

Robots Everywhere by Denny Hebsen

Lots of Bots by David Carter

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman

Junkyard by Mike Austin

Sing: 

Follow the Band by Jim Gill (he's been my go-to summer musician lately...) along with our usual opening & closing songs

Play: 

This awesome, FREE printable Roll-a-Robot game from Kim of 733 was our post-story time activity.  I actually printed out 2 copies of the game so a few more families/kids could play at once.  I also printed off this fun robot coloring sheet from Dabbles and Babbles for kids to work on while they were waiting for a turn or if they were too young to understand the game.  

Read & Play: Five Senses

My latest Fizz, Boom, Read story time focused on our five senses:

Read:
My Five Senses by Margaret Miller
Rain by Manya Stojic
Senses on the Farm by Shelley Rotner
Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan

Sing:
Jump Up Turn Around by Jim Gill (along with our usual opening/closing songs posted here)

Play:
I was inspired by this tissue box science idea from PreKinders - I didn't have tissue boxes on hand so I just used paper lunch bags instead.  I put small pipe cleaners, beads, pom poms, and bottle caps in each bag with a label to flip up and see what was in the bag if they couldn't guess what it was by feel.  The families seemed to enjoy it - we had lots of people stick around and hang out after story time this week so it was nice to have an easy activity for them to do.

Summer Picture Books

Today is one of the first real warm, humid days we've had this summer to it feels like the perfect time to share some of my favorite picture books for this time of year:

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli - The "dangers" of swallowing those pesky watermelon seeds
Flotsam by David Wiesner - A wordless, beautifully illustrated undersea adventure
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee - Two reluctant boys end up having a great week at grandma's house
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon - A celebration of family & togetherness
It's a Firefly Night by Diane Ochiltree - Perfect for summer evenings when the lightning bugs appear
Camp Rex by Molly Idle - Camping with a T-Rex? What could go wrong??
Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins - A summer day in the life of a city park
Toys in Space by Mini Grey - Ever wonder what happens to the toys you leave outside over night?
Boom! Boom! Boom! by Jamie Swenson - A perfect story for kids who are afraid of thunderstorms

Check for these titles at your local library or bookstore - enjoy!

Book Review / The Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy

The Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis has been one of my favorite series ever  since the first book came out.  The presentation of these books is absolutely beautiful with illustrations by Carson Ellis that bring Colin Meloy's quirky and whimsical world to life.  I have been recommending the Wildwood Chronicles to kids and parents every chance I get and I'm sorry to see this series come to an end. 

The third and final book in this series brings all the separate story lines from the second volume together as Prue, Curtis, the reformed Wildwood Irregulars, and Unthank orphans join forces in an epic fight to save the Wood. Absolutely wonderful storytelling and beautiful illustrations seamlessly combine to make this an amazingly satisfying conclusion to an epic series. 

I love the way all three volumes of the Wildwood Chronicles reflect elements of classic fantasy stories like the ones from C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, but is also clearly a product of Meloy's own quirky creative imagination. 

Give this series to readers who have enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter series, or who enjoy their fantasy with a heavy dose of realism.

Book Review: Hermelin the Detective Mouse

I've finally gotten into my ordering routine this spring, and Hermelin the Detective Mouse by Mini Grey is one of the titles I'm most excited about:

Hermelin is a most unusual mouse.  After making a home for himself in the attic of Number 33 Offley Street, he discovers a typewriter.  One day, he notices the message board where local residents have left notes about their missing jewels and pets.  Suddenly, Hermelin is on the case!  He returns the missing items to their rightful owners with typed notes, but on one knows where to find this mysterious detective.  When the residents search him out, will they accept a mouse as their friend and helper?

Mini Grey, of the Traction Man series and Toys in Space, has created another winning picture book.  The whimsical cartoon-like illustrations provide depth and detail in Hermelin's world that will bring readers back again and again.  They will want to tag along with the detective mouse and will cheer when he finds a young sleuthing partner to join him.  I can't wait for more adventures with Hermelin and Emily!  This one is a must-purchase for my library collection!

Appropriate for ages 4 and up; reviewed from a digital copy provided by Edelweiss.

Read & Make: Fish

Another fun week of story time focused on fish!  (I really just wanted an excuse to try out Jon Klassen's This is Not My Hat in story time - which made all the grownups chuckle, but I'm not sure the kiddos really got it..)

Read:
Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins
Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood 
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Click Clack Splish Splash by Doreen Cronin
also check out In My Pond by Sara Gillingham

Sing:
The Goldfish Song by Laurie Berkner 

Make:
Fish stick puppets printed from First Palette -
I just printed and roughly cut out a bunch of fish outlines and the kids could color and cut them as they wanted before taping them to a craft stick to make a puppet!

Read & Make: Going to the Library

This story time & craft combination turned out to be one of my favorites of the winter semester:

Read:
Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn
Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates
Baby Bear's Books by Jane Yolen
Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins

Make:
My Visit to the Library foldable mini book - I ended up making this one myself in Powerpoint with clip art in the program - download and print your own copy of the book here!

Book Review / Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Wonder by R.J. Palacio has become really popular lately, and after it was chosen as the Fox Cities Read title for 2014, I wanted to give it a read!

To be honest, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book to read on my own, but I am so glad I did - this is a book that will stick with me for a long, long time.

Wonder is the story of August, or Auggie, who was born with a severe facial deformity that kept him from attending public school until now.  But this year, Auggie starts fifth grade at Beecher Prep, a real school with real students who aren't used to Auggie and his extraordinary face.

What I loved most about this novel are the unique perspectives we get from the characters including Auggie, his sister Via, his classmates, and even Via's boyfriend.  Each section of the book is told from the viewpoint of one of these characters, with the book returning to Auggie's perspective in the final chapters.  Each character's voice is incredibly unique, honest, and completely believable. Though the minds and voices are unique, the longing in each character is the same; they each long to be accepted and loved simply for who they are.  

The overarching theme that I sense in this story is hope.  Life is messy and hard but there are moments and people that make it worth living and sharing with others.  And if we can be a little kinder than necessary with the people around us, maybe we can bring that moment of hope to someone else.

Highly recommended for kids 4th grade and up - and adults too!

Book Review / Ottoline series by Chris Riddell

I've been a fan of Chris Riddell's work for awhile now, and I finally got a chance to read the latest book in his Ottoline series, Ottoline at Sea, which turned out to be just as charming as the rest of the series.

The Ottoline books are some of my favorites to give to the 2nd-3rd grade crowd.  Ottoline herself reminds me a bit of an older Eloise, with an eccentric, independent lifestyle.  With her mysterious companion Mr. Munroe, an ever-growing collection of shoes(she keeps one and wears the other) and frequent postcards from her parent's far flung travels Ottoline has plenty of quirk and charm to share.  It's Chris Riddell's illustrations that really make the story pop for me.  Detailed line drawings and diagrams invite readers into every aspect of Ottoline's enchanted life from her flat on the 24th floor of the Pepperpot Buiding to the "mysterious objects of various kinds" that her parents sent back from their travels.

In this latest installment, Mr. Munroe disappears leaving Ottoline with only a mysterious note as a clue to his whereabouts, sending her on a whirlwind journey to find her dear friend and bring him back home.

Perfect for independent readers who are fans of the Cam Jansen or Nate the Great series.

Story Time Fun / Favorite "Singable" Picture Books

Last month, I posted about using "singable" books in story time and today I want to share some of my favorite titles to use.  Some of these were new to me for story time use, and some are old favorites:

top row:
If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera - any of her books are done deals for me as far as story time goes; they're bright, colorful and use nice rhythmic patterns.
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Jerry Pinkney
Old Macdonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera

bottom row:
Pete the Cat: Wheels on the Bus by James Dean
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Lorianne Siomades

These are all great titles to use for story time; the verses are familiar enough that kids can sing along and it's easy to skip any extra verses added by the authors if you need to shorten things up a bit with your group of kids.

Story Time Fun / Tips for Sharing "Singing" Books

The first series of story times that I run for my library in January are called "Book Boogie" story times. They're basically more informal (if you can get more informal than our regular sessions) story times that are heavily focused on music & movement as a way to get kids (and me!) back into the story time routine before starting our official family sessions.  In past years, I picked out wintry books that had lots of fun rhymes and sounds like Jan Carr's Frozen Noses or Nicola Smee's Jingle Jingle.

This year I decided to use only books that "sing" or books based on songs.  I want to use more music and singing in my story times and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out using a type of book that I tend to shy away from.  In past story times, these kinds of books always seemed really short, or I was never sure if just reading the text was ok, or if we should be singing the text instead.  After a couple of what I thought were very successful story times, there's a couple ways I've come up with for sharing books that "sing".

1. Sing it together!  Sing slowly, with pauses for the page breaks so everyone can follow along.  Even though the kids can't read the words, they're seeing a visual representation of the words they're singing.

2. Singing and reading the song is ok - repetition is good!  Sometimes the written version of the song includes extra or different verses so reading the song and kids are super happy to sing along especially when they know all the words.

3. For shorter texts, talk about what's happening on the page - I used a picture book version of The Itsy Bitsy Spider that included illustrations that fleshed out the Itsy Bitsy Spider's story beyond the text which gave us a perfect chance to talk about the new parts of the spider's story.

4. Use actions or even instruments!  Incorporating the song motions, sign language and even using instruments like bells or shakers is another fun way to add an extra element to singing books.

Maybe these tips are super obvious, but for story time newbies (like me!) they were really helpful.  Some of these things I already do anyway no matter what type of book I'm sharing, but it seems to help when I am more intentional about them when sharing "singing" books.  Watch for another post this week about my favorite "singing" story time books as well!

Picture Book Advent / The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clark Moore

This beautiful new edition of a well-loved poem was a no-brainer choice for Christmas Eve!

The Night Before Christmas has beautiful new illustrations from Holly Hobbie (of Toot & Puddle).  Her work has updated the story for a new generation while still adding to the magic of Clement Clark Moore's poem.  This is such a fun story to share with young readers - it's one that I really enjoy reading aloud!  A wonderful choice for sharing with the whole family around the Christmas tree or just before bedtime!

Thanks for joining me on this little Advent series!  Even though I did miss a couple days, I hope you still found some new favorite stories and books to share with your loved ones this season.  Merry Christmas!

Picture Book Advent / The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie DePaola

This picture book from beloved author and illustrator Tomie dePaola brings a new perspective to the Nativity story:

In The Birds of Bethlehem by Tomie dePaola, the story of the Nativity is told from a bird's eye view.  The feathered friends that live in Bethlehem have noticed lots of people flooding into town and a bright star in the sky.  They decide to fly off and find out for themselves what wondrous thing has happened in the tiny stable.  This book is a great introduction to the Christmas story for children ages 3 and up.

Picture Book Advent / Tallulah's Nutcracker by Marilyn Singer

Ballet picture books are all over the place, but this series by Marilyn Singer featuring a tousled-haired and freckled heroine named Tallulah stand out from the crowd with heartfelt stories and beautiful illustrations.

Tallulah's ballerina dreams have finally come true - she has a role in a real ballet, a production of the Nutcracker!  Tallulah works hard for many weeks and misses out on some of her favorite holiday activities, like parties and picking out a Christmas tree.  Finally the big night arrives!  But when Tallulah's dancing debut doesn't turn out quite the way she had imagined, she'll discover that being a ballerina is more than just learning the steps.  Tallulah's Nutcracker is a wonderful book to share with aspiring dancers and ballerinas this season.