"A library book, I imagine, is a happy book." Cornelia Funke

"Everything puts me in mind of a story." Ben Franklin

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Storytime: Clothing and Getting Dressed





  • Whose Socks Are Those by Jez Alborough
  • Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett, Illus by Ron Barrett
  • Daisy Gets Dressed by Clare Beaton
  • Shoe-La-La! by Karen Beaumont, Illus. by LeUyen Pham
  • Princess Bess Gets Dressed by Margery Cuyler, Illus by Heather Maione
  • Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin, Illus by Fumi Kosaka
  • Chamelia by Ethan Long
  • Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
If You're Wearing...(Red, Black, etc.)
(Tune: "Happy and You Know It")

If you are wearing red, shake your head
If you are wearing red, shake your head
If you are wearing red
Then please shake your head
If you are wearing red, shake your head

If you are wearing blue, touch your shoe
If you are wearing blue, touch your shoe
If you are wearing blue,
Then please touch your shoe
If you are wearing blue, touch your shoe

If you are wearing green, bow to the queen
If you are wearing green, bow to the queen
If you are wearing green,
Then please bow to the queen
If you are wearing green, bow to the queen

If you are wearing yellow, shake like Jell-O
If you are wearing yellow, shake like Jell-O
If you are wearing yellow,
Then please shake like Jell-O
If you are wearing yellow, shake like Jell-O

If you are wearing black, pat your back
If you are wearing black, pat your back
If you are wearing black,
Then please pat your back
If you are wearing black, pat your back

If you are wearing brown, turn around
If you are wearing brown, turn around
If you are wearing brown,
Then please turn around
If you are wearing brown, turn around

Days of the Week Storytime


  • Today is Monday pictures by Eric Carle
  • The Adventures of Max and Pinky: Best Buds by Maxwell Eaton III (Saturday is Adventure Day)
  • Diary of a Baby Wombat by Jackie French, Illus. by Bruce Whatley
  • Monday is One Day by Arthur A. Levine, Illus. by Julian Hector
  • Meow Monday by Phyllis Root, Illus. by Helen Craig
  • Thirsty Thursday by Phyllis Root, Illus. by Helen Craig
  • Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields Illus. by Scott Nash
  • Saturday Night Jamboree by Lee Wardlaw, Illus. by Barry Root
  • Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Here are the songs we will use:

"Today is Monday"  See the cute YouTube video that I watched to teach myself the tune below.




These are from the super helpful blog: Storytime Source Page :

Days of the Week (Tune of "Adams Family")
There's Sunday and there's Monday,
There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday
There's Thursday and there's Friday
And then there's Saturday.
Days of the Week (clap clap)Days of the Week (clap clap)
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (clap clap)

Mulberry Bush: Days of the Week(Nursery Rhyme Time by Georgiana Stewart)Here we go round the mulberry bush,
Mulberry bush, mulberry bush
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning

This is the way we wake up and stretch…
So early Monday morning

This is the way we wash our hands…
So early Tuesday morning

This is the way we brush our teeth…
So early Wednesday morning

This is the way we comb our hair…
So early Thursday morning


This is the way we put on our shoes…
So early Friday morning

This is the way we eat our food…
So early Saturday morning

This is the way we read a book…
So early Sunday morning

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Fall Storytime begins: Cows!




I've begun my new fall morning Family Storytime with a cow theme. About 22 people showed up, but my audience dwindled as time passed. The kids were pretty small, some from the Babytime group. We went 25 minutes with books and songs. I suppose this will stretch out as the kids become less shy and I chat more with the families.

Book suggestions:

We started out with the book/sing-along Comin' Down to Storytime by Rob Reid.

Cow tales:

The Cow Who CluckedThe Cow Who Clucked by Denise Fleming


Cock-a-Doodle-Moo! Cock-a-Doodle-Moo! by Bernard Most


Millie Waits for the MailMillie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier

Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson, Illus. by Karla Firehammer

The Cow Loves Cookies The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson, Illus. by Marcellus Hall

And a buffalo story for good measure:

Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums by Audrey Vernick, Illus. by Daniel Jennewein

I found this cute song too, on NIEHs Kids' Pages :

Old Mother Leary (or "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" or "There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight")




Original version; written by: Unknown, copyright unknown
Late one night
When we were all in bed
Old Mother Leary
Left a lantern in the shed

And when the cow kicked it over,
She winked her eye and said,
"There’ll be a hot time
In the old town, tonight."

Spoken:
"FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"
Expanded version, most familiar in Chicago:
5 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE!

4 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE!

3 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE!

2 nights ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!
FIRE FIRE FIRE

1 night ago,
when we were all in bed
Old Mrs. Leary left the lantern in the shed
and when the cow kicked it over,
she winked her eye and said
it'll be a hot time, in the old town, tonight!

FIRE FIRE FIRE!

Note -- other "rounds" can be concluded with:

  • Water, Water, Water!
  • Jump, Lady, Jump!
  • Save my Child, Save my Child!

We weren't going to yell "Fire!" in a public building, so I went with Moo! Moo! Moo! ;)