Blog Post
Storytimes: F is for Farm!
by eapearce
Elizabeth told stories about the farm, farm animals and farmers this week at her storytimes at Traverwood and Westgate. We heard the story of Lazy Jack, a retelling of the folktale about the silly little boy who works for various farmers but can never seem to figure out how to carry home his earnings. We also heard about the cowboy who’s trying to find a horse in the fun story Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash. And, we read about the infamous typing cows in Doreen Cronin’s Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Finally, the farm animals drove the farmer’s tractor in AADL’s felt version of The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book, by Jez Alborough.
AADL storytimes take place at all locations and are open to all. For a complete list of storytimes and locations, visit our Jump page, created for parents and teachers.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Stories-To-Go Kits 2016
by ryanikoglu
Preschool Kits launched in March 2016!
There are 10 new STORIES-TO-GO themes for 2016 that have been added to the Library Collections.
These kits have a pre-selected set of books and media especially for families, childcare centers, preschools, classrooms, home schools with kids ages 2-7 years old.
Every kit has an Activity Folder which includes songs, fingerplays and activities to extend the theme with our children.
The 2016 themes are as follows:
BIG MACHINES ... Diggers, Pushers, and more working machines.
OUTER SPACE ... Stars, Planets and space travel.
BABY SIGNS ... Nursery songs and DVDs for building signing vocabulary with your baby.
ANN ARBOR ... Books that link with major themes in our home town ... Ann Arbor, Michigan.
FAIRIES ... For all fans of fairy lore.
FEELINGS ... Stories about working with strong feelings.
LIBRARIES ... What goes on at the Library?
MONSTERS ... Friendly Monsters and monster fantasy.
SIZE & MEASUREMENT: Math Readiness ... How do you know sizes?
SEEDS to PLANTS ... What plants need and how they grow.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "D" is for DOG
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel and Ms. Betsy brought all dog songs and stories to Storytime.
Stuffed dogs acted-out the story and the audience barked along with the dogs in DOGGIES by Sandra Boynton.
We sang “B-I-N-G-O” ... which can be found on youth CDs SONGS & STORIES For KIDS, BABY BOOST: 48 Interactive Sing-a-longs For Your Little One and LITTLE PEOPLE: Songs From The Farm.
In the story KATIE LOVES the KITTENS ... it is hard to stop bouncing and barking and the kittens keep running away.
For more famous DOG stories try the following favorites:
RAGWEED’S FARM DOG HANDBOOK by Anne Vittur Kennedy ... Learn From The Best!
HARRY The DIRTY DOG and NO ROSES For HARRY ... old dog classics by Gene Zion.
BUDDY And EARL and BUDDY And Earl And The GREAT BIG BABY ... new dog classics by Maureen Fergus.
MISS MOON: Wise Words From A Dog Governess by Janet Hill ... wise words for All with beautiful illustrations!
ZORRO GETS AN OUTFIT and MR BUD WEARS The CONE by Carter Goodrich ... a pitch-perfect dog point-of-view.
BARK GEORGE by Jules Feiffer... a dog fantasy.
The DOGHOUSE ... critters go in but they don't come out. Surprise?
For screen-time try the DVD BARK GEORGE And More Doggie Tails by Weston Woods Studios.
WOOF! ... snooff snurff ... doggie treat, Please.
... pant ... pant ...
Woof.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "B" is for BUTTON
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel presented stories about BUTTONS at Malletts Creek Branch Storytime this week.
PETE The CAT And His FOUR GROOVY BUTTONS ... But when they're lost, does he cry? "Goodness No!"
We practiced "B" sounds while singing the song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" ... "Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me."
We bounced in rhythm to "5 Berry Buns In The Bakery Shoppe".
Then Toad has an interesting solution in “The Lost Button” story from FROG And TOAD ARE FRIENDS.
For more favorite BUTTON tales try the following:
BUTTON UP: Wrinkled Rhymes … the talking clothes in these poems know who's wearing them.
DON’T PUSH The BUTTON … the only rule is don’t push the button!
The SILVER BUTTON … At the same moment that Jodie's baby brother takes his first step, a city's worth of moments unfold around them.
CORDUROY … Corduroy wants one thing. It’s the thing he has lost.
The BELLY BOOK and BELLY BUTTON BOOK … another kind of button.
GRANDMA’S BUTTON BOX … perhaps you have a button box at your house?
ELIZA’S KINDERGARTEN SURPRISE … what Eliza holds in her pocket helps her through her first day at school.
Blog Post
Storytimes: F is for Food!
by eapearce
Last week at storytimes, Elizabeth told stories all about food! Yum!
We heard about Gregory, the goat who is a picky eater in Gregory, the Terrible Eater and counted 15 different flavors of ice cream from Rob Reid’s 15 Scoop Ice Cream Cone. We read the classic The Wolf’s Chicken Stew and clapped along to the rhymes of Linda-Sue Park’s Bee-bim Bop! And of course, a food-themed storytime wouldn’t be complete without a “5 cupcakes” rhyme.
Visit our special Jump page for parents and teachers to see a list of storytimes at all locations.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "K" is for KANGAROOs
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel presented kangaroo stories in Storytime.
POUCH! is a story of 2 baby kangaroos ... just growing out of the pouch!
In the “I’m a Kangaroo” song ... we have lots of bounces and "BOINGS" to do.
KATY NO-POCKET is the story of Katy who has no pouch to keep her baby close.
If you like kangaroos and you like stories, here are more favorite kangaroos:
NIGHTY-NIGHT COOPER by Laura Joffe Numeroff.
ADELAIDE The FLYING KANGAROO by Tomi Ungerer.
HEART In The POCKET by Laurence Bourguignon.
I LOVE IT WHEN YOU SMILE by Sam McBratney.
DO KANGAROOS SEAT BELT by Jane Kurtz.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A KANGAROO? by Mercer Mayer.
BIG RED KANGAROO
A KANGAROO MOB
Now you can "hop and jump all day!".
Do you have a pouch?
Blog Post
Hooray for Owls!
by manz
This week at storytime Ms. Amanda brought some cute owl stories featuring a playful owl, a sleepy owl, and a reading owl. Owls sure do have a lot of interests!
In the wonderfully illustrated Hooray for Today!, Owl wakes up and is ready to play but the friends he wants to play with are still sleeping! Whooooo wants to play? This is by the same author as Hooray for Hat!, and both are recommended.
In I’m Not Reading!, Baby Owl is trying to read a story to Tiny Chick, when they keep getting interrupted by more and more bouncy chicks who also want to hear the story. It’s an adorable and cute picture book by Jonathan Allen to read together.
We then met an owl in Good Night Owl who was trying to go to sleep but he kept hearing a loud SQUEEK. He then tears his house apart searching for the noise. It’s quite silly! What’s silier than an owl in a bathrobe tearing the roof off his house?
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "C" is for COOKIE!
by ryanikoglu
Cookie Monster says, "C is for Cookie!"
That's good enough for Ms. Rachel in Storytime too!
IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE is a cautionary tale that takes you in a circle right back where you started from.
Banjo Betsy and Ms. Rachel led the action song "Gonna Walk, Walk, Walk" ... until we need to "Sit Down."
This action song can be found on the the following recordings ... HONK! HONK! RATTLE! RATTLE! and RISE And SHINE.
The WOLF’S CHICKEN STEW is a Chef's kitchen story. The Wolf is fattening up Ms. Chicken for his stew ... but there is a surprise.
All of his cooking is successful in a new way!
If you like cookies, you may enjoy more favorite "Cookie" stories as follows:
B. BEAR And LOLLY: Catch That Cookie!
WATCH The COOKIE!
OLIVIA VENDE GALLETAS
The GINGERBREAD MAN LOST IN SCHOOL … and many more versions of the Gingerbread characters.
The COW LOVES COOKIES
The DOORBELL RANG
The DUCKLING GETS A COOKIE
SUGAR COOKIES: sweet little lessons on love
WHO TOOK The COOKIES FROM The COOKIE JAR
NO MORE COOKIES!
FABULOUS FOOD … a recorded CD full of songs and rhythm including “Who Stole The Cookies”!
And don't forget to play with Cookie Monster in C Is For COOKIE!
YUMMO!
Blog Post
"A" is for ANGELS and ANIMALS ... in the snow!
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel brought stories about things that can happen in the SNOW.
A PERFECT DAY tells what happens when the first perfect snow falls.
We sang/acted-out “This Is The Way …” we get dressed for snow … musically accompanied by Ms. Banjo Betsy.
The HAT by Jan Brett … tells a newer version of a very old Ukranian folktale The MITTEN. The forest animals find a cozy hat in the snow and squeeze inside for warmth.
For more of Ms. Rachel’s favorite winter stories try the following:
The SNOW BEARS … Mama Bear can’t find her cubs. She does find three adorable “snow bears” however.
IF IT’S SNOWY And YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR PAWS! … an action song and picture book.
SNOW ... animals prepare for winter snow.
WAITING For SNOW ... anticipation !
WINTER IS For SNOW ... and a brother ... and a sister.
TWELVE DAYS Of WINTER ... a school counting book.
ANNIE And The WILD ANIMALS ... See what Annie sees as she looks for her cat.
WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND ... the words to the song and pictures. Can you sing along?
Blog Post
PreK BITS - “W” is for WINTER Wonderland
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel presented stories of WINTER outdoor PLAY at Storytime this week.
UNDER MY HOOD I WEAR A HAT … a dressing story of sequence.
“Hat, Jacket, Pants and Boots” … an action song that speeds up. It is sung to the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes” recorded on the CD SINGIN’ And GROOVIN’: 25 Best Sing-Along Songs
10 On The SLED … a sledding story to count on.
For more stories of WINTER try these favorites:
KATY And The BIG SNOW … a classic by Virginia Lee Burton.
NANUK The ICE BEAR … a polar bear family story.
The WINTER TRAIN … all aboard!
WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND … you can sing while you read.
LEMONADE IN WINTER: A Book About two Kids Counting Money …
OVER And UNDER The SNOW … secret worlds can be found.
IF IT’S SNOWY And YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR PAWS … another sing-along book.
RED SLED ... an almost wordless adventure in pictures! YOU tell the story.
SUPER SNOW DAY SEEK And FIND … a picture puzzle book of snow day fun.
Be sure to wear two pairs of mittens and two pairs of pants!
The more it snows tiddley-pom, the more it goes tiddley-pom,... the more it goes tiddley-pom on snowing.