What I Read This Week 1/11/2019

I read 3 new (or pretty new) early readers this week that I really enjoyed. None have official Guided Reading levels yet, but all are relatively low level with lots of colorful illustrations-

Float, Flutter by Marilyn Singer

Illustrated by Kathryn Durst

(January 1, 2019)

Party Pigs! by Eric Seltzer

Illustrated by Tom Disbury

(January 1, 2019)

Space Cows by Eric Seltzer

Illustrated by Tom Disbury

(August 28, 2018)

Some more fun ones:

Otter series by Sam Garton

The Adventures of Otto series by David Milgrim

Chicken series by Adam Lehrhaupt

Illustrated by Shahar Kober

*slightly higher level, but still simple and fun

What I Read This Week 5/29/2018

A friendly & uplifting look at a flag many kids may have seen before. The colorful illustrations reflect the tone of the story and I especially like the inclusion of real-life photographs at the end of the story.

Sweet rhyming story for more science-minded friends. Fan's of Andrea Beaty's books (Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Iggy Peck) will also enjoy this one.

A really fun seasons book. I loved the illustrations and the rhyming adds a fun touch.

Super sweet story about the importance of friendship (and sharing carrots). 

Really unique illustrations in a non-fiction book that would make a great bedtime story or storytime read aloud for pre-schoolers.

Loved this one- really reminded me of Natalie Russell's Lost for Words. Very sweet plot about finding your place in a group of  friends and fun, detailed illustrations.

Very sweet twist on a traditional fairy tale. I think the updated illustrations are a huge boost that makes this story a more timely version of classics like King and King.

What I Read This Week 4/13/2018

I've been making an effort to catch most new picture books (and some early to middle grade graphic novels) as they come out, so I thought I would revive What I Read This Week as a weekly roundup of what new things I've read recently. Here's this week:

Hannah Harrison has written my #1 favorite picture book (Extraordinary Jane) and every single one of her books has the most amazing level of detail. Friends Stick Together includes touches like a kangaroo teacher who keeps school supplies in her pocket and a penguin who brings a juice box labeled "salt water" for lunch. These details only add to a sweet story about two new friends learning to appreciate each other.

Another sweet friendship story, this time a graphic novel about two sloths with two very different ideas about adventure. Although the two sloths meet other new friends along their journeys, they remain BSFF (Best Sloth Friends Forever).

Sometimes if you give new things a chance, they might end up finding they're not so strange after all. Perfect for animal fans, silly story fans, and anyone who appreciates simple but perfect illustrations.

I thought this was a really good follow up to the original. The illustrations are still very sweet and I appreciated the variety of women profiled, both professionally (scientists, artists, etc.) and personally (different countries of origin, ages, physical abilities, and more).

This one is not actually new (2015) but I just discovered the sequel to William and the Missing Masterpiece, which is another one of my favorites (and usually a big hit at preschool storytime). The humor will probably go over younger storytimers' heads, but my 4 and 5 year olds liked looking through the detailed illustrations to find clues along with William.

February and March Storytimes- My Experiment with No Themes

I haven't posted in a while, but I thought the return to storytime after our library's spring break was a good time to re-start. I absolutely love storytimes (they're one of my favorite parts of my job) but doing 5-7 a week for a 17 week session sometimes feels like a lot. I found myself only ok with a lot of my themes and finding songs that my very young 2 year old group would like felt like such a chore. Plus, my preschool group right now is preferring longer books and activities over most songs, so it was tough catering to that group and staying on theme. Instead, I've been playing around with the idea of not doing themes at all.

I don't know if no themes would work for everybody. I know I have at least one coworker who really finds her inspiration in themes and enjoys the detective work that comes from finding that one book about mustaches that really does work for two year olds. I felt, however, that families were leaving my storytimes a little unsatisfied and I could find a way to make them have a little more fun.

An post on Jbrary's website (which you can find here) came at the perfect time for me. If you haven't read it yet (and you should), it's all about the flow from activity to activity in storytime, rather than focusing on a theme. This has been working fantastically for me and even though I do have a few themes in my pocket to round out my spring, I feel so much more confident just throwing away my theme if it isn't working for me.

After all of that, we have had a lot of fun in February and March! Here are some books (some older, some newer) that my groups especially enjoyed, along with which group read them:

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Twos, but I suspect my older kids would love it, too)

(Twos)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Twos)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Twos)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Twos)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Twos)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(Big Kids, Threes, mixed-age preschool outreach)

(Twos)

(Big Kids- 4 & up)

(3s, Big Kids, mixed-age preschool outreach)

(Twos)

(Big Kids, but I plan to test it out on my twos group as well)

What do you think about no-theme storytimes? Have they worked for you? Leave a comment and share!

What I Read This Week- 10/17/2017

We've been getting a ton of new picture books in at work lately. Here's a few of my favorites from this week:

LMNO Pea-quel by Keith Baker

Just as funny as Baker's other books. I like that the letters in this one are lower case, so it adds a level of interest for kids who already know the alphabet (as well as still being fun for kids still learning).

South by Daniel Duncan

This book has fantastic illustrations, as well as a heart-warming story. Ocean lovers, animal lovers, and detail lovers will all enjoy this one.

Duck & Goose: Honk! Quack! Boo! by Tad Hills

Duck & Goose are always a fun choice and this a spooky-but-not-too-spooky story perfect for more sensitive readers.

Doris the Bookasaurus by Diana Murray

I love this story about the joy of reading and imagination. It would be a great addition to a bedtime routine or storytime about books.

Pickwick's Picnic by Carol Brendler

I'm always on the lookout for a counting book for older kids that's a little more involved, and this one is perfect. Detailed drawings make it even more fun to investigate.

No Kimchi for Me! by Aram Kim

A really fun twist on a picky eater story. I'd love to read this at a storytime and then bring in some kimchi for kids to try.

Super Manny Stands Up by Kelly DiPucchio

A fantastically sweet story about standing up for yourself and friends. It gave me the same wonderful feeling as Hannah Harrison's My Friend Maggie.

Non-Fiction Picture Books (Everything Else!)

Here are more non-fiction picturebooks which I loved reading, but didn't fit into my Non-Fiction Picturebooks for Storytime list or my Non-Fiction Picturebook Biographies list. Once again, they're all fantastic and worth checking out, but I put stars next to my favorites. Enjoy!

The Incredible Life of Balto (2011) by Meghan McCarthy

I (Don't) Like Snakes (2015) by Nicola Davies, illus. by Luciano Lozano

The Secret Subway (2016) by Shana Corey, illus. by Red Nose Studio

The Navajo Code Talkers (2016) by J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Gary Kelley

How the Sphinx Got to the Museum (2010) by Jessie Hartland

*Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (2015) by Lindsay Mattick, illus. by Sophie Blackall

*Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas (2014) by Lynne Cox, illus. by Brian Floca

Astro the Stellar Sea Lion (2010) by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illus. by Shennen Bersani