I had another chance to cover a baby-toddler storytime and had myself a good ol’ time with these storybooks. I also noted the differences in my storytime style and that of the children’s librarian I now work with. Her storytimes are more lively, jump-up-interactive, mine are more musical, story-driven and collective.
Theme: Fractured Fairytales. Let’s look at classic fairy tales and stories that authors have turned upside down or sideways!
Opening song: One Little Finger
Book 1: Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox- This was a stretch for a baby-toddler crowd. It was on the longer side, the illustrations were not large and clear like I would prefer so the kids can see the story, and some of the story made a little anxious because of the questionable political correctness. But, some of the kids and adults started interacting along with me, as they learned the repeating word. And the parents/caregivers laughed at the funny bits, so hopefully, no feelings were hurt in the telling of this tale.
Book 2: Monkey, a Trickster Tale by Gerald McDermott- This was also a stretch, because it was also long, but I think the story is engaging and I love the big colorful illustrations. This isn’t a traditional fairytale, but it is so much like other rambunctious monkey and/or conniving crocodile tales, that I thought it fit the theme. Best read using voices for the monkey and crocodile, and I decided to edit out the crocodile mentioning that it was going to eat the heart of the monkey. I don’t think we need to get that specific with a baby-toddler crowd.
Interaction: Open Shut Them
Book 3: Old Makimba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora- I really enjoy Isadora’s illustrations and reinterpretations of classic tales. With this book I had the group sing along, we asked questions about the animals and the noises they made. I used paperclips to shorten the book, because I knew it wouldn’t make sense to sing through all the animals, and I had the chance to use my silly elephant whistle, which does not come close to making an elephant sound, but looks like it should!
Book 4: This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt- I have been waiting months to use this book in a storytime since I discovered it on the shelf! I passed out musical instruments to the kids and caregivers, and we sang and played along to the tune of “This Old Man,” while I read the words from the book. It was incredibly fun, and I was satisfied.
Closing song: Zoom Zoom Zoom (JT’s version)
Art activity: Wacky collages with foam stickers, crayons, dot painters, tissue paper and yarn. Some masterpieces resulted.
