Wednesday's Topic: Toddler Time 10/26 Monster Theme

  Today's storytime theme was Monsters. Recently Katie from Storytime Secrets discussed her Monster storytime. I included two of her recommended selections, Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley and If You're a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca and Ed Emberley. To me, Go Away Big Green Monster is a classic and I have a child in storytime who really loves this story.

 So the books for today were: Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort  and


Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley



If You're a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca and Ed Emberley



  This week I forgot my Ipad and I sung all my songs without the accompaniment of a soundtrack. It didn't deter the parents and the kids.

  Favorite songs this week: If You're Happy And You Know It, Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes and Shake Shake Your Hands.

Tuesday's Book Talk: Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster

   This week's review is on a chapter book, Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster. It is the 50th anniversary of the book. Milo, the main character, receives a mysterious gift. It is a phantom tollbooth. He wonders who sent him this strange but intriguing gift. The directions say to put the tollbooth together, get a coin and pay the toll and then proceed. Milo does just that and ends up in a new and unusual land and experiences a number of great adventures on his journey. He meets several endearing and fascinating characters such as: Tock, the Watchdog (who literally is a watch dog), Humbug (a bug character) and Alec (the boy who hangs from the air) who join him on his quest. In addition, he meets several strange characters such as: Faintly Macabre (a which not a witch!), King Azaz the Unabridged of Dictionopolis, King Mathemagician of Digitopolis, Chroma (head of the color orchestra), Dr. Dischord and Dynne and many many more.

  Basically, these characters all represent different aspects that are important in everyday human life, that the book leads us to believe that we all take for granted. Such aspects include: sound, colors, words, numbers and other more abstract concepts. While Milo is off to learn about all this on his journey with his new friends, Tock and Humbug, they must also complete a mission, to find the Princesses Rhyme and Reason, because of course, nothing makes sense without Rhyme or Reason.

  I would recommend this book for children ages 9-12 and believe it would be a terrific choice to read in a classroom. I could imagine all sorts of discussions that could be inspired about this book.

 In this edition, there is an interesting introduction by Maurice Sendak. He mentions that this book is likened to Alice in Wonderland, but I also see comparisions to the Wizard of Oz and even a little of A Wrinkle in Time.

 I will end this review by mentioning my surprise that there has not been a movie made of The Phantom Tollbooth. The 50th anniversary would have been a good time.

Friday's Topic: Information Literacy for Kids

  I just started an information literacy program for kids grades 3-5 at the library. I have learned several very important facts:

1. Information Literacy for Kids may sound like a good name but no one really knows what it is, you can handsell the program but having a catchier name is better. I got some great ideas from PUBYAC if I do the program next time.

2. The Dewey Scavenger Hunt segment game went very well and attracted several kids that were not signed up, so therefore if I do this program, I can disguise it and call it a Dewey Scavenger Hunt and once I get a bunch of kids hooked to that program, they may be willing to come back to learn about the databases

3. One of the databases has games on it. When I mention about coming back for the databases, that would be an important fact to add. Even somehow incorporating some of the game sites from Queens Library website into learning about good websites may work too.

4. Perhaps the timing is not good? I thought having it in the evening would be a good time because parents would be more likely to be able to come too, but I guess they are staying home to cook and watch younger kids? Saturday would be ideal but we are not open on Saturdays.

5. Widening the age range may get more kids

  Here are some positive findings from the first ever information literacy program at my library.

1. As I had mentioned, the kids loved the Dewey Hunt game and that even attracted one of the kids to come for upcoming segments.

2. The kids are willing to learn about the databases if you get them to the program, it is getting them there that is the problem.


 There are two more meetings of this program. I will talk about them in a later blog post.

Thursday's Topic: Halloween Craft 10/19

  For my Halloween craft, for kids 6-11, we did a haunted house collage. On a black piece of paper, the children colored and glued on a haunted house and cutouts of a witch, ghost, cat, pumpkin and bat. They also used foam pieces, sequins and glitter glue to jazz up their creations.  Soon I will post a picture of one. It went very well and considering the weather, the attendance was okay (we had 8 kids). The children had a great time making their creations.

Tuesday's Book Talk: Welcome to Camden Falls by Ann Martin

  Welcome to Camden Falls is the first book in the Main Street series by Ann Martin. This book introduces four girls, Flora, Ruby, Nicki and Olivia. Flora and Ruby are two sisters who recently lost both their parents are going to live with their grandmother, Min. Min is a sweet, energetic woman who co-owns a yarn and knitting store with Olivia's grandmother. Flora and Ruby move into Min's townhome. Olivia, Flora and Ruby's new friend, lives in one of the townhouses near Min. Martin introduces all the inhabitants of the townhouses on the block. Among these people, there is a teenager with Down Syndrome, an old lady with Alzheimers and two teenagers who lost their mother. Martin interweaves these neighbors into Flora and Ruby's story. She also introduces a girl, Nicki, from the wrong side of town, who is introduced to Flora, Ruby and Olivia when she goes to the knitting store with a kindly lady who wants her to learn how to knit.

  Initially, the girls do not get along with Nicki, but an incident that involves a case of mistaken identity brings all four girls together.

  Overall, to me, this book seemed to focus too much on the neighbors and not enough on the four girls. Perhaps this will not be the case in later books in the series. I would recommend this book for girls in 4th-6th grade.

Toddler Time 10/12 and 10/19 Opposites and Jungle Animals

  Sorry I haven't posted here for a while. For the past few weeks I have only been here the maximum of 4 days each week. So I have been trying to complete 5 days of work in that period of time. Now for a little while, I am back to 5 days, I have some time to post.

 The week of 10/12, the theme was opposites.

 Here are the books I read (in addition to Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort)

Big is Big and Little is Little by Patrick Lewis



and

You and Me, We're Opposites by Harriet Ziefert\




The children really liked the You and Me: We're Opposites. The graphics were cute and it was easy for them to follow.

Their favorite songs of the week were: Hokey Pokey and Ring around the Rosie

Overall the turnout has been pretty good!

Toddler Time 10/19: Jungle Animals

 On this rainy, icky day we had a smaller attendance. We had 8 kids instead of our 13-15 kids. The theme was jungle animals. We read (in addition to Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort):

 If I Were a Jungle Animal by Amanda Ellery



and

Monkey Truck by Michael Slack



  The children liked both books but they especially liked If I Were a Jungle Animal, because of the funny predictaments of the main character.

  The favorite songs of the week were: This Old Man, Hokey Pokey and If You're Happy and You Know It.

Tuesday's Topic: Toddler Time Fall Session 1 and Mother Goose session 1

 Last week was the first storytime of the Fall session. The theme was food.  We are going back to having our storytimes in the Cave. This is a new section that was created when the library was renovated with soft seating so children can sit and read or reading/storytime programs can take place in this area ( I posted a picture on the site here but I will post it again on the bottom of this page). This is actually done because we have a program in the fall on Wednesday mornings in the meeting room. I worked in another library where they had so many programs they always did their storytime in the children's room. However, what I like about the Cave, is that it is basically in its own area only partially open to the children's room.  These are the books we read:

Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

Yum Yum What Fun by Mara Bergman

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

   

   Favorite Songs: If You're Happy and You Know It, Hokey Pokey and Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

  New Songs: This Old Man and Old McDonald Had a Farm