Owl Storytime

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Monday, November 28, 2011


Hello there! How are you owl doing after the Thanksgiving weekend?


If you couldn't tell by my cheesy intro, we sang songs and read books about owls for storytime. The kids even made their very own owl to take home with them. It was a small group of storytimers which was kinda nice after the big rush of visitors we had in our house over the weekend.

Owl Storytime Line-up:


Owl in the Tree


(Sung to "Skip to my Lou")



Owl in the tree says, who, who, who
Owl in the tree says who, who, who
Owl in the tree says who, who, who
Whoooo, who, are you? (Point to a child and have them say their name.)



Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton


A new book that LBD likes. She likes it A LOT. I'm lucky I was able to take it away for the one storytime.



Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr


I was a little nervous to read this book to such a young age group. It's longer and slower than the books I usually read, but I wanted to read it nonetheless because it is simply beautiful.  So, I decided to make it more interactive. As I read I prompted the kids to call out the noises as they came up in the story.. train whistles, dog howls, crunching snow, owl whoo's...  and thankfully it worked.



The Wide-Eyed Owl


A hand motion rhyme adapted from The Land of Nursery Rhymes

There's a wide-eyed owl (forefingers and thumbs around eyes)
with a pointed nose, (forefinger and thumb together to make a point over nose)
with two pointed ears, (clench hands with forefingers pointing up for ears)
He lives high in a tree. (reach up to the sky)
When he looks at you (circles around yes again)
he flaps his wings, (hands to chest and flap elbows)
and says, "Who, Who, Whooo." (cup hands to mouth and hoot)
with claws for his toes. (make hands into claws)



Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan


The kids loved the pictures in this book... especially the owl character. Another new title added recently to the library's collection.



Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood


A great book about a little owl that stayed up to witness the daytime.



Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jen Corace


This book produced the most laughs. A silly crowd pleaser of a little owl who wants to go to bed early.



The Owl Craft:



I got the idea for this owl craft from a few different places like here and here. Since I didn't want to purchase pillow gift boxes, I printed them out on cardstock out using this template and assembled each one. Well, I didn't assemble them all. My mother-in-law pitched in and helped. And couple of the other visiting guests over the holiday helped cut feathers or wings or whatnot. I used cardstock for the eyes, beak, and feet. The tummy feathers are old wallpaper samples and the wings are from felt I found in the library's storage basement.


All the kids had to do was glue the pieces to the pillow box.


Cute, right?



image sources: Little Owl Lost, Owl Moon, Little Owl's Night, Wow! Said the Owl, Little Hoot

This Week

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011


There will be no Storytime Sunday post this week. I was off last Sunday. BUT, they will resume next week and owls will be the theme! While I'm still contemplating which stories to read, I've already picked out a fun, owly craft. As family and friends slowly trickle in for the holiday weekend (the head count is continually rising still), I'm sure a lucky few will be selected to help prep it. I have my extra scissors out and ready.


This year, we're hosting a non-traditional, "Nacho Normal Thanksgiving". Minimal stress, Tex-Mex cuisine including main dish fares of carnitas and crispy shrimp tacos, with visitors from Missouri, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, and Colorado all meeting in the the middle in our little home.


My husband's twin got here Friday and it's been such a treat to have her here before the whole gang arrives. Mornings aren't such a rush (I took longer than a three minute shower today!!), we can cook and clean without having to juggle watching the baby, and we get to do what we love the most; sharing laughs and laughing loud.


What are you doing this year for Thanksgiving? Making anything new? Or old favorites?

Reading Together

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Friday, November 18, 2011


Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrations by James Dean


I'm going to have to buy a copy of this book for LBD for xmas. Not only is it fun to read, and the illustrations hysterical, but she already knows the colors red, blue, and brown from reading it.




Perfect Square by Michael Hall


A must read for all ages about the many possibilities of a perfect square. Another good read to check out by by this author, My Heart is Like a Zoo, featuring the most complex of shapes (and human attributes), the heart.




Humpty Dumpty and Other Nursery Rhymes by Lucy Cousins


LBD dances to "Three Blind Mice". Every time.




Bedtime Bunnies by Wendy Watson


A sweet, little family bedtime story.





Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson


Okay, now this book is way too old for a 16-month old, but I included it because both Will and I thought it was really funny and great for a children ages 4 & up.




Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault, illutstrated by Lois Ehlert


Did you know this week is Kansas Read to Preschoolers? Well, it is! And this is the feature title for 2011.





***"Reading Together" is a sampling of books my husband and I are currently reading with our toddler, LBD. Some are brand new, some are oldies, but goodies. 90% are her personal favorites of which we've read, over, and over, and over again.... Times thirty. To the tenth power.***

image sources: pete the cat, perfect square, bedtime bunnies, limelight larry, chicka chicka

Thanksgiving Storytime

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Monday, November 14, 2011


Thanksgiving is only 10 days away and since I will not be reading in next Sunday's storytime, I took the opportunity to celebrate thankfulness yesterday.



Thanksgiving Storytime Line-Up:


Thanksgiving Song
(Tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle little star", Adapted from Head, Shoulders, Knees, and all that)

Thank you, thank you, very much
For everything that I can touch.
Thanks a lot for nature’s food.
And for when I’m feeling good.
Thank you, thank you very much.
For moms and dads and friends and such.

I'm a Great Big Turkey Song
(Tune: "I'm A Little Teapot", By Jean Warren from Preschool Express)

I’m a great big turkey
‘Cause I’m well fed.
Watch me spread my feathers.
Watch me bob my head.
When I strut around
I waddle, waddle, waddle.
And when I talk
I “gobble, gobble, gobble”.
I’m a great big turkey
And I’d love to stay.
But Thanksgiving’s coming.
So it’s time to run away!


Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette



I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson, illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner



I also created a flannel board with the help of a co-worker for this book using an old lady puppet that looked exactly like this. As she would eat an item in the book, I would remove it from the flannel board and put it in her mouth. I think next time I do this, I wouldn't use the book at all but the illustrations are so great it's hard not to!


Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell



'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey



An Awesome Book of Thanks by Dallas Clayton (you can read the book online here)



Thankful Turkey Craft:



The "Thankful Turkey" craft we made after storytime was inspired by this idea from Amazing Moms.



For pre-storytime, I glued clothespins onto autumn colored cardstock. Once dry I hole-punched the top corners and tied twine that I found to each corner so that it would hang evenly. I also used cut out turkeys and large feathers/leaves from construction paper.



Using leaf stickers, paper turkeys, feathers, and crayons, the kids decorated their "Thankful Turkey" however they wished.



Once they finished decorating, they wrote or drew pictures of what they were thankful for on the paper leaves. I also recommended finding pictures of what they were thankful for at home and clipping them to their turkeys as well (see first example above).



What three things are you thankful for this year?



LBD is thankful for her mom, dad, and Elmo. Naturally.

image sources: Thanks for Thanksgiving, I Know An Old Lady.., Feast for 10, 'Twas the Night, An Awesome Book of Thanks

Art Appreciation

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Friday, November 11, 2011









Next child art prodigy?


LBD has recently taken an interest in the art of coloring. She'll sit down for up to 10 minutes (which is hours in toddler world) scribbling away before trying to color her face. After watching this evolution I got to thinking.... Am I a creativity encourager or an inhibitor (e.g. "Don't color on your face").  Should I be more concerned with cultivating creativity than teaching boundaries? ("We color on paper and not our face. Or the walls. Or the kitty cat.")

Have you ever seen this video of Aelita Andre? I would love to be able to provide a creative space like the one Aelita has. I can only picture my landlords face now if he walked in and saw a display red and blue paint globs hiding the dark wood paneling that covers 80% or our home. I don't believe L's in line to be the next child art prodigy, but I do want to be able to give her the type of environment that will allow her to explore different artistic outlets.

Is there anything special you do with your own kids or students?

For now we'll have to make due with a large pad of paper and a few crayons.

And because I can't make it through a blog post without a book list... here are a few books we like about ART:



Art by Patrick McDonnell


Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh


Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Leonni


Action Jackson by Jan Greenburg, illustrated by Sandra Jordon


Art and Max by David Weisner


Beautiful Oops! by Barney Salzburg


Georgia's Bones by Jennifer Fisher Bryant


The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds


And before you go. A gem of an outake...




Have a great weekend!



image sources: Art,


90-Second Newbery Film Festival

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

"A Wrinkle In Time" In 90 Seconds from James Kennedy on Vimeo.



This was just too ingenious that I had to share...

James Kennedy, author of The Order of Odd Fish, created a national literary film contest for children called the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Kids were encouraged to create a 90-second dramatization of a Newbery winning title (a list of Newbery winners can be found here), upload it to youtube or vimeo, and if chosen, premiered last weekend at the New York Public Library's 90-Second Newbery Film Festival screening hosted by James Kennedy and Jon Scieszka! Rebecca Stead and Ayun Halliday were there too! A recap of the event and featured video entries/winners can be found here and here.

This weekend, James Kennedy and his Newbery Film Festival will be visiting Harold Washington Public Library in Chicago.

I picked up The Order of Odd Fish at the library the other day and ironically am in the process of finishing the 2011 winner, Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool. Too bad the deadline for film submissions has past... LBD could have made her debut as Abilene.

Silly Hat Storytime

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Monday, November 7, 2011


Aren't these little owls the cutest? I was going to do owls for storytime this week, but I'm still waiting on a new owl book to arrive. Instead, I decided with colder weather on the horizon, storytime would be devoted to reading books about hats.  All stories read were slightly silly and there were a couple where characters make a unique fashion statement wearing something peculiar on top of their heads.


It was the biggest turnout yet.


A big 'Thank You' to those who were able to stop by!



Silly Hat Storytime Line-Up:


Silly Hat Song

(To the tune: This Old Man, Adapted from SurLaLune Fairytales)

On my head, I wear my hat.
It is such a silly hat
I wear my hat here and there and to and fro.
Where else can my silly hat go?
On my foot, I wear my hat.
It is such a silly hat
I wear my hat hear and there and to and fro
Where else can my silly hat go?
On my elbow, I wear my hat
It is such a silly hat
I wear my hat hear and there and to and fro
Where else can my silly hat go?
On my knee I wear my hat.
It is such a silly hat
I wear my hat hear and there and to and fro
Where else can my silly hat go?


Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina



A Hat fr Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke



Under My Hood I Have a Hat poem by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Fumi Kosaka



I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (seen before here)




Imogene's Antlers by David Small


A Boy and His Bunny by Sean Bryan, illustrations by Tom Murphy



The Silly Hat Craft:



This craft was so simple and so fun and of course oh so silly.


For pre-storytime, I picked up a few stacks of old newspapers out of the recycling bin at work and folded and stapled the the hats together using these instructions.


After I made the hats, I went through a bunch of left over craft supplies on hand from previous programs at the library and found all kinds of goodies. Bows, feathers, ribbons, buttons, stickers, pom poms...



When it was time to make silly hats after storytime, kids picked out a pre-folded newspaper hat and decorated them with silly trimmings provided using either liquid glue or staplers (with help from a grown-up) to secure their bobbles to their hats.


The best part? The kids wore their hats all around the library once finished.




image sources: owls from corrella design, caps for sale, hat for minerva louise, under my hood, i want my hat back, imogene's antlers, a boy and his bunny

New Kids Fiction Must Reads

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Saturday, November 5, 2011


The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

By: Caherynne M. Valente, Illustrations by Ana Juan

Recommend Reading Age: 10 & up

Published: May 2011, Feiwell & Friends

"September is a girl who longs for adventure. When she is invited to Fairyland by a Green Wind and a Leopard, well, of course she accepts. (Mightn’t you?) But Fairyland is in turmoil, and it will take one twelve-year-old girl, a book-loving dragon, and a strange and almost human boy named Saturday to vanquish an evil Marquess and restore order." (Amazon)

I'm going to go ahead and go there and say The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making was the most enjoyable book I've read all year. I adored this gorgeous, heartfelt book from start to finish and have been recommending it to children and adults alike. The language is lush, full of depth and whimsy and I don't think there was one chapter where I didn't want to pick up my red pen, marking passages with large stars and bold underlines in the library's copy. That will have to wait until I own a copy of my own.


Wonderstruck


By: Brian Selznick


Recommended reading age: 9 & up


Published: September 2011, Scholastic


"Set fifty years apart, two independent stories—Ben's told in words and Rose's in pictures—weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder." (Goodreads)


After reading Selznick's 2008 Caldecot winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, over the summer I was impatient for Selznick's latest, Wonderstruck, to be released. And while I enjoyed reading Wonderstruck as much as The Invention of Hugo Cabret (and maybe even a pinch more), I was surprised to find the story so distinctively different. Perhaps in my mind I was anticipating a Hugo Cabret II, but other than Selznick's prized picture/text format, Wonderstruck was more mysterious and at the same time more real/realatable. The book starts in two parallel stories being told, one in pictures and one in words, but eventually fuses into one where the central characters learn about their family, and thus find themselves.


ps. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is to be released as a movie this Thanksgiving. You can view the movie trailer here.



Liesl & Po

by Lauren Oliver, Illustrations by Kei Acedera

Recommended Reading Age: 8 & up

Published: October 2011, Harper Collins

"Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey." (Goodreads)

Rising star author of the extremely popular teen titles Before I Fall and Delirium, Lauren Oliver, makes her debut appearance into the world of children's books with Liesl & Po. Ghosts, murder, and "The Otherside".  When I first started to read this book, it crossed my mind that it may be too dark for children. Ghosts, murder, "The Otherside".... but the more I thought about it, death is something we all have to face at various stages of life. It is a part of life. When we censor death from children, I feel like it leaves them even more confused and uncomfortable with it's nature. Even I uncomfortably squirm when the subject arises, but I feel Lauren Oliver did a masterful job approaching such a difficult subject. In Liesl & Po's adventurous world of magic and supernatural, their story isn't one of loss, rather it's a tale of friendship, perseverance, and moving on.

Image Sources: The Girl Who Circumnavigated.., WonderstruckLiesl & P0

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