Silly Storytime

Storytime recap!

I know I’ve said it before, but wow, storytime is such great stress relief! We had a crazy half hour when we opened yesterday morning, so I was more than ready to escape the madness and sit down with some books and goofy children. Lucky for me, our theme was silly animals! We read:

Cows Can’t Fly, by David Milgrim
Ducks Don’t Wear Socks, by John Nedwidek
Bark, George!, by Jules Feiffer

The kids seemed to enjoy the books, and liked pointing out the weird things going on in Cows Can’t Fly. Ducks Don’t Wear Socks was definitely the big hit. I think it helped that I acted totally goofy when I read Duck’s exclamations. There was plenty of laughter among the group.

For our craft, we made our own silly animals. I actually recycled the leftover cloud cutouts from last week by cutting them down into smaller shapes. These were the “bodies,” and I gave the kids a bunch of stuff to make their animals with: pipe cleaners, colored pom-poms, crayons, googly eyes, and strips of colored crepe paper. My own animal had a twisty, gold pipe cleaner tail, green and pink spots, a green pom-pom nose, and multi-colored crepe paper hair curls. Sometimes the kids burn through the craft quickly, but this one seemed to get them thinking and spending a little more time on their work. That was kind of cool, because once they got an idea of how their animal would look, they really got into making it look silly.

How to Cure the Bedtime Woes

Itsy Mitsy Runs Away
by Elenna Allen

I learned of Itsy Mitsy while skimming through a copy of Publisher's Weekly. The cover was cute enough to make me want to read the book, so I quickly put in a request to check out my library's copy!

Summary
Bedtime. It's a bad word to children all around the world, and Itsy Mitsy is no different. She hates bedtime. When her dad tells her it's time for bed, Itsy Mitsy (donning the cutest dinosaur costume I've ever seen), declares that she is going to run away. Dad graciously helps her pack, and then tells her she should probably bring a friend, you know, so she won't get lonely. Itsy Mitsy decides this is an excellent idea, and grabs her "most friendly dinosaur, Mr. Roar." As she heads for the door, dad points out that Mr. Roar will probably need a snack. Again, Itsy Mitsy agrees. The suggestions from dad escalate until Itsy Mitsy finds herself loaded down with stuff - all of it necessary, of course - and she falls down in a sudden fit of sleep. Luckily, dad was there to tuck her in.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up 'Till Dawn

As I said, the cover alone was cute enough to entice me, and the contents did not disappoint! Itsy Mitsy is great on so many levels! Colorful illustrations of Itsy Mitsy, dad, and Itsy Mitsy's things are set against simple black and white sketches, that still contain detail and interest. The story itself will appeal to any bedtime-haters, and dad's method is so clever and amusing, you can't help but feel bad for Itsy Mitsy as she tries to accomodate all the things she realizes she'll need in order to successfully run away.

Recommended for all ages, especially those who have trouble going to bed at night!

Dressed for Success

Ducks Don’t Wear Socks
By John Nedwidek
Illustrated by Lee White

Picture book time! Silly animals make for fun stories!

Summary
Adorable little Emily is quite the serious girl. When we meet her, she’s reading The Big Book of Serious Things. So when she meets Duck outside one day and notices he’s wearing socks (while riding a unicycle and juggling, no less), she points out to him that ducks don’t wear socks. But Duck just says he has cold feet and rides off!

Emily continues to encounter Duck around town, always observing him in a new item of clothing. Duck always has a reason for his attire. After a few of these meetings, Emily begins to feel a smile creep up her face, her serious demeanor wavering. And by the end of the book, Emily surprises Duck with an unusual outfit of her own!

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up ‘Till Dawn

Duck is just the guy to make you smile. His responses to Emily's "Ducks don't ..." comments cracked me up, and I loved his adventurous nature. Kids and adults alike will be curious to see what Duck will show up wearing next, and the conclusion of the book is just perfect.

Recommended for all ages! For extra enjoyment, wear a pair of silly socks while reading!

You Are What You Eat

Sylvie
By Jennifer Sattler

An adorable pink flamingo named Sylvie. How could I not read this book and share it with you?

Summary
Sylvie appears to be the baby among her flock of flamingoes. After observing her pink relatives and realizing that everyone and everything else at the beach doesn’t have just one color, she asks her mom what makes them pink. Shrimp! Flamingoes eat pink shrimp, so they are, therefore, pink! Sylvie then decides to experiment a little and try eating different colored things. She has a fun day changing colors, but toward the end of her experiment, her tummy begins to get a little full … maybe being just pink is okay for her after all.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up ‘Til Dawn

One look at adorable Sylvie and you won’t be able to resist flipping open this book and devouring it whole (and considering it’s a picture book, you won’t be all that tired in the morning!). Sattler’s illustrations are adorable, and Sylvie’s curious nature is entertaining and fun. I imagine any child would think the same thing as Sylvie – “if I’m pink because I eat shrimp, then I bet different colored foods will make me different colors, too!” Sylvie’s experiment is great fun to watch unfold, and our heroine even learns a little lesson by the end of the story (don’t eat too much or you’ll get a tummy ache!), though she manages to keep a little extra color in her diet in addition to the shrimp!

Recommended for all ages!

In Which Teeth Become Treasure

The Tooth Fairy
By Peter Collington

A wordless picture book! I love these! I feel like my interest in and appreciation of these books has increased since I started exploring graphic novels. There are so many ways to tell a story, and words are not always necessary. A coworker who shares my love of Flotsam handed this book to me this morning and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Summary
As indicated by its title, The Tooth Fairy is about the little lady who collects our lost teeth when we sleep, leaving money in their place. However, the process is much more than just taking a tooth and leaving a coin. The young girl we meet on the first page loses her tooth as she gets into bed, and dutifully places it under her pillow before turning in. In the tree-filled landscape outside her house, a tiny fairy clad in white emerges from a doorway in a tree, and flies into the night. But rather than going straight to the tooth, she goes into a secret tree, where she mines for silver and smelts a coin by hand!

(Can we take a moment to celebrate the awesome Tooth Fairy girl power here? She mines silver and smelts it! Smelts! How cool is the Tooth Fairy?)

After smelting the coin, the Tooth Fairy goes and collects the tooth, leaving her handmade treasure behind. When she gets back to her cute little tree home, she sets up shop again, this time working with the tooth. She cuts strips from it and makes a key for a piano, and the view of her house shows that she has made countless objects from the teeth she has picked up.

As the sun rises, we see the girl find her coin, and the Tooth Fairy is contentedly playing her now complete piano.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
Rating: Up 'Till Dawn

This was an insanely imaginative book and I loved going through the images to discover all the tiny details hidden within. Collington did a great job taking a well-known legend and putting his own spin on it.

I do have to say, I was a little creeped out by all the things the Tooth Fairy made with the teeth. I saw a picture frame, drawer pulls, and an umbrella handle all made of teeth. As much as I support recycling and favor the use of non-ivory products, there was a little bit of a gross-out factor for me. But, to each her own!

Recommended for all ages, especially those with wiggly teeth.

Sit. Stay. Read.

Dog Loves Books

by Louise Yates

A book-loving dog. How can I not share this with you?

Summary

Dog is a book lover of the truest kind. He loves everything about books -- the smell, the feel, all of it! One day he decides to open a bookstore of his very own. But on opening day, no one is there. After two confused customers stop by, Dog begins to feel down. But then he realizes he is surrounded by books, and he begins to read. Dog forgets that he is alone and loses himself in the great stories between the covers! And when a real customer who wants a book comes in, he knows exactly what to recommend, since he's been doing so much reading.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Rating: Early Morning Hours

As with all picture books, it’s easy to get through this in one sitting, but it still deserves a rating that would imply late-night reading! Dog is so sweet! I loved the art in this book and Dog's expressions reminded me of those I've seen on many a real pup. The message of the book is a great one: when you read, you can be transported to any time and any place, no matter what's happening right around you!

Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Just A Few More Minutes! Pleeeeease?

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late

by Mo Willems

I fell in love with Mo Willem's work when I read Knuffle Bunny. The art is funky and fun, and the story is both hilarious and relatable. His other books are a bit more off-the-wall, but still enjoyable. I picked up a copy of Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late while at the library recently, and I just had to share it with you all.

Summary

As with some of Mo Willems' other pigeon books, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late speaks right to the reader. We (the readers), have been asked not to let the pigeon stay up late. The pigeon immediately begins to bargain and distract, denying any signs of sleepiness ("that wasn't a yawn! I was stretching!"), and asking about other activities, like having a hot dog party, or watching an educational show about birds on television instead. He eventually wears himself out and falls asleep on time.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Rating: Early Morning Hours - Well, technically it would be hard to stay up until the early morning hours with a picture book, but this one is worth a few extra minutes beyond bedtime! The pigeon's attempts to stay up are perfectly in tune with what a child might try to do, and his sleepy yawns were convincing enough that I began to yawn as well (although I admit to being completely affected by seeing ANYTHING yawn - if my dog yawns, it makes me yawn, no joke). Definitely a great laugh before bedtime!

Recommended for any age, particularly those who are reluctant to go to bed.

A book!

It's a Book
by Lane Smith

Oh, the book. Everyone wants to know what will happen to it in the years to come. I'll leave that debate alone for today, and instead bring you a fun look at what might happen to those who don't get enough exposure to real books.

Summary
Lane Smith's It's a Book is a picture book that readers young and old can appreciate. A monkey, dressed in a tiny hat and a polka-dotted shirt, just wants to read his book. However, he is continually interupted by a donkey, err, a jackass, as he is labeled on the first page (does this make it wrong for young readers?) who wants to know what the book is. Our curious friend peppers the monkey with questions about the book: "Does it need a password? Can it play music? How do you scroll down?" Tired of trying to explain that "it's a book," the monkey hands it over, only to watch as his irritating companion becomes engrossed in the story of Long John Silver. So the monkey does what any self-respecting book lover would do. He leaves to go to the library, telling the donkey that he does not, in fact, have to charge the book for him when he's done - "it's a book, jackass."

Worth staying up past bedtime?
A book about a book that makes fun of the ever-encroaching world of electronic gadgets and toys? Absolutely worth staying up for! Any adult will appreciate the monkey's exasperated responses to the ever-curious and technology overloaded donkey, and tech-savvy youngsters are sure to be amused by the reparte as well. The illustrations are quite entertaining, and the finale of the whole discussion ("I'm going to the library") was just right.

Recommended for any age. Just be prepared to explain what a jackass is if you have young readers present!

Mmm ... Donuts ....

The Donut Chef

by Bob Staake

I have a confession to make. I'm one of those people who like to children's books to have a lesson embedded in the story. It doesn't have to be overly preachy or obvious or thought-provoking, but just something to make you think, if only a little bit. Even if kids can't always comprehend big meaning and implications, they get the gist of these things.

Now that you know about my lofty ideals (well, one of them), you will understand why I was quite happy to stumble upon The Donut Chef, which is a nod to the overly competitive marketplace of outlandish food items that Americans are so accustomed to.

Summary

One day, a charmingly round donut chef notices a busy street corner that he thinks would be the perfect spot for a donut shop. He cleans up the kitchen, whips together some flour, sugar and lard and begins selling his donuts to happy folks of every age (presumably he leased the space before all this, but that isn’t mentioned ...). His donuts are a huge hit, and it's not long before news of his success spreads and a competing donut shop opens up RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

The donut chef suddenly finds himself battling for customers by making unlimited quantities of artful and outlandish donuts in order to compete with his fancy neighbor. Cherry-frosted lemon bar, peanut-brickle buttermilk, gooey cocoa-mocha silk - nothing is too crazy for these donut chefs! But soon, the customers get bored. The donuts don’t even resemble donuts anymore, what with all the crazy flavors, colors and shapes the chefs have baked! But it isn't until one day when a little girl makes a request for a simple glazed donut that the donut chef realizes the beautiful appeal of a classic. He revamps his shop - Amazing Glazed: Simply Glazed Donuts -, and gains back his loyal customers.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Yes, although you might need a snack after you finish! I'm not always a fan of rhyming verse in picture books, but Staake did a great job with this whimsical tale. The art is hilarious (the donut chef is a round and jovial man who looks slightly like the Michelan man, and the customers are a charming array of shapes and colors), and the subtle message is a great one in our modern food world where crazy options abound. Definitely recommended ... and some munchies close at hand!

Spooning

Spoon

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

When I saw the cover of Spoon I quickly realized I was in for a treat. Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of an adorable book called Little Pea that I love. I knew I had no choice but to stop right where I was (straightening the shelves of children's picture books) and see what kind of adventures this cute little guy would be getting into.

Summary
Spoon is a young utensil with a lovely family. However, he's begun feeling down when he thinks of the things his friends get to do that he cannot. Knife gets to cut and spread, Fork spears all manner of foods, and Chopsticks are "cool and exotic." Little does Spoon know, his friends are just as envious of his duties! He's not sharp or dangerous; he gets to measure ingredients; and he is independent and can do things by himself. As she tucks him into bed, Spoon's mom reminds him of the fabulous things he can do, such as dive into a bowl of ice cream, or relax in a mug of hot tea. Spoon realizes he really is a lucky utensil!

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Totally! Spoon was adorable. From the family portrait (members include a set of measuring spoons, a ladle, a strainer, and an ice cream scoop) to the images of Spoon's utensil friends taking part in the various activities they do best, the whole book was a treat. The illustrations were simple yet imaginative, and I found myself recalling my own use of each of the utensils as I read about their adventures. A great treat for all ages!

In a Jam

The Giant Jam Sandwich
Story and pictures by John Vernon Lord
with verses by Janet Burroway

Don't be put off by the slightly out-of-date illustrations in The Giant Jam Sandwich. This book (published in 1972) was a treat to read, especially upon my second reading, out loud, to a group of storytime attendees seeking a break from the summer heat at the library.

Summary
Summer has arrived in the town of Itching Down, and with it, four million wasps. The townspeople, having been quickly terrorized by the bugs, decide that the best way to get rid of them would be to catch them in their favorite sticky treat: strawberry jam. So they set about making a giant jam sandwich that will trap the wasps. The whole town pitches in, making bread dough, baking the loaf, spreading it with butter and jam, and laying it out for the pesky wasps.

Worth staying up past bedtime?
This silly rhyming book is definitely worth it! The lilting, rhyming verse is fun without being too goofy, and the story itself is adorable. A lesson could easily be tied in regarding the power of teamwork and helping one another out. I would recommend it for youngsters up to age 8.

Eat Your Veggies ... Err, Garbage.

Gregory the Terrible Eater

by Mitchell Sharmat

I met Gregory many years ago. Had we actually been friends, I’m pretty sure we would have gotten along. You see, Gregory does not like to eat foods that are considered "normal" for him, and as young child, my eating habits may have been seen as a little odd, too (at least to other children, especially in our current world of sugary snacks and prepackaged everything). As I toddled about in my preschool world, I happily snacked on carrot sticks, raisins, crackers and peanut butter. Candy wasn't on my radar, just as garbage and other “typical” goat foods are not on Gregory’s.

Summary

Gregory's parents are worried about their son. Try as they might to tempt him with all sorts of yummy foods fit for a goat - tin cans, boxes, coats, pants - he has no desire to eat these "normal" foods. Instead, he asks for cereal, toast, orange juice, vegetables, eggs, fish, bread, and all manner of foods that his parents just don't understand. In desperation, they take him to the doctor, who says that picky eaters like Gregory must slowly learn to appreciate proper foods. So his parents add a shoelace to his spaghetti, some chopped up rubber heel in his string beans. He begins to enjoy the new foods, and progresses to eating things like his soup AND the soup can, and his ice cream AND the carton it came in. Gregory’s parents are pleased, and Gregory happily announces that he is “learning to like everything.”

Unfortunately, Gregory goes a little wild with his new array of food choices, and a binge follows. After a fitful night when he has agonizing dreams and stomachaches from the abundance of food he just ate - eight flat tires, a three-foot piece of barber pole, a broken violin, and half a car - he realizes that he must take his foods in moderation. His parents see the sense in this as well, and they all enjoy a balanced breakfast of scrambled eggs, two pieces of waxed paper, and orange juice.

Worth Staying Up Past Bedtime?

Yes, oh yes. Gregory’s tale is hilarious and a great lesson in learning moderation. Just as Gregory learned to not overindulge in any one food, kids will see that they should not do so either. If you will allow me to get on my soapbox for a moment, I will also say that I think stories like this are particularly relevant today, given the fact that so many children are subsisting on prepackaged, sugary foods that have little nutritional value. The illustrations are fun and colorful, and the story moves along at a comfortable pace. I would love to see this story used in preschool storytimes and as a way to open discussion about trying new things.

Reviews

This delicious book turns on its head what is healthy and what is junk food. It will not only delight young readers, but will hopefully have the intended consequence of teaching children and parents a lesson about improving children's' eating habits. - Children’s Literature

Aggle flaggle klabble!

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

by Mo Wiliems

Summary

In Mo Williems’ Knuffle Bunny, Trixie, who is still at the age “before she could even speak words,” goes to the laundromat with her daddy. The two walk through a Brooklyn neighborhood, then arrive at the laundromat, where Trixie’s antics distract her father, causing him to shove her beloved Knuffle Bunny into the wash with all the clothing. As the two walk home, Trixie realizes Knuffle Bunny is gone, and does her best to tell her daddy what’s wrong. But without words, her cries and sputters do nothing more than baffle her father.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

You definitely need to stay up to find out what happens in Knuffle Bunny. This book is a treat and I found myself laughing out loud at Williems’ depiction of young Trixie’s behavior. The sepia-toned photographs of a real neighborhood layered with color sketches are fun to explore, and Trixie’s attempts to tell her father that Knuffle Bunny is missing had me in stitches. Williems has done an excellent job of portraying the toddler temper tantrum: babbled words ("aggle flaggle klabble! wumby flappy!"), going “boneless” when her daddy tries to pick her up, and eventual wide-eyed shock and worry as the family tries to find her beloved toy. Any child who has ever lost or misplaced a favorite toy will relate to this story, and adults will recognize the children they have known, making this a great read for any age.

Reviews

"Personalities are artfully created so that both parents and children will recognize themselves within these pages. A seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text." School Library Journal

“Willems chronicles this domestic drama with pitch-perfect text and illustrations that boldly depart from the spare formula of his previous books. Sepia-tone photographs of a Brooklyn neighborhood provide the backdrops for his hand-drawn artwork, intensifying the humor of the gleefully stylized characters--especially Trixie herself, who effectively registers all the universal signs of toddler distress, from the first quavery grimace to the uncooperative, "boneless" stage to the googly-eyed, gape-mouthed crisis point. Even children who can already talk a blue streak will come away satisfied that their own strong emotions have been mirrored and legitimized, and readers of all ages will recognize the agonizing frustration of a little girl who knows far more than she can articulate. Jennifer Mattson, Booklist

In the library

This book can be enjoyed by young children and adults alike. Read aloud and use exaggerated voices and faces to express the emotions of the characters. Go “boneless” like Trixie does for extra laughs.

Module 5

Week of Sept. 28 - Oct. 3