Classics Gone Crazy Themed Storytime

These are three books that I thought would make a fun storytime for the spunky kids.  But they got too spunky yesterday afternoon. I had to stop in the middle of reading Waking Beauty and remind them that I choose to bring this program to them and I don't see why I should continue if I'm going to be met with rude behavior, especially when they're begging me for an art activity. They calmed down after our talk, but I was already upset. I skipped Waking Beauty and powered through Mary so we could get to the art activity (which I didn't think they deserved at that point) and I could go home.

The Eensy Weensy Spider FREAKS OUT! (Big time!) by Troy Cummings
Funny story about a spider who gives up on climbing after she is washed off a waterspout. But her friend ladybug encourages her to venture out again.

The lamp I would drag around.

Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox
   Wilcox's stories that turn fairytales around for a different   perspective are quite funny and pleasantly silly. In this book, based on Sleeping Beauty, the prince doesn 't take the time to listen to the fairy godmothers and so tries every other way to wake Beauty, but with a kiss.

Mary Had a Little Lamp by Jack Lechner
This funny take on the classic nursery rhyme is about a girl obsessed with her lamp instead of a lamb obsessed and stalking a girl.

Fun Mom Stories Themed Family Storytime

I read these books to the spunky mixed-age group and it turned out to be a fun Mother's Day Storytime: 

Skateboard Mom by Barbara Odanaka

Written by an actual skateboarding mom, its a funny story about a boy who gets a skateboard for his birthday when his mom hops right on and began reliving her skateboard queen years. Primitive illustrations, but they work with the cheesy, but fun story.

A Boy Had a Mother Who Bought Him a Hat by Karla Kuski: This is one of those fun stacking rhymes (Cumulative structure to be exact) like I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, where the more you add on, the more fun it is to read and there are opportunities for audience interaction.

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by AngelaMcAllister 

From the title you can probably tell this is a funny, zany story about a kid with a very good imagination.... or is it TRUE?! 

We decorated flower pots as our art activity. 

Circular Stories

I find that I keep getting drawn in by the same type of stories lately. I was calling them domino-effect stories in my head, but the correct trope name is circular or chain stories and these are noted by how the ending leads the reader right back to where the story started.
I have two on my bookshelf now:
Mordant's Wish by Valerie Coursen is a prettily-illustrated book that I found in a donations pile somewhere. In it, a mole sees a turtle shaped cloud and makes a wish that that turtle was his friend. What do you think happens in the end? Of course there's a whole bunch in between and its quite entertaining.

The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown is a beautifully illustrated book that I bought from a Friends sale. In it a chicken comes across a scarecrow who would like a new hat and knew just how to get one. Along the way she also helps a few other animals in order to achieve her goal.

Messy Mice Themed Family Storytime

Again with the kids who don't like to sing songs, etc. I read these books:
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Never read these books until a few days ago, and I don't like them. The kids I read them to had a hard time following the storyline and I saw their little attentions flitter away. 

Mouse Mess by Linnea Rily
This one brought their attentions back. I always hesitated to read this book because the illustrations look so dated to me, but the kids didn't mind and on their own started making really observant comparisons: The cornflakes look like a pile of leaves the mouse jumped into. The mouse looks like he's admiring a cityscape on the milk and cheese page. Turned out to be fun!

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
A fun conversation piece. We ended up talking at length about where the bear was and who was narrating and why we couldn't see them. The mouse didn't come up, but everyone was hungry for a strawberry or two by the end.

We had a Lego playtime after stories.

Pigs! Preschool Storytime

Opening Song: Hello Song (Ella Jenkins)
Literacy: If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
Now that I've read a couple of these to a couple different groups, I don't see what the big appeal is. They're okay. I know I'm going to get a lot of hate for that, but the If You Give a... books are not for me. 
Literacy: Wolf Won't Bite by Emily Gravett
Song: Put Your Finger In the Air
Put your finger in the air, in the air.
Put your finger in the air, in the air.
Put your finger in the air, leave it there about a year!
Put your finger in the air, in the air.

Put your finger on your nose....and feel the cold wind blow!
Put your finger on your cheeks... and leave it there about a week!
Put your finger on your finger on your finger... leave it there let it linger!
Put your finger on your shoe, on your shoe... and leave it there a day or two!
Literacy: Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda 
A really awesome, fun and interactive take on the Three Little Pigs classic. I want to read it all the time and it works awesome with a restless crowd. 
Closing song: Hokey Pokey 


 

This was an outreach storytime I did at a school, so there was no  post-storytime activity.