I’ve mentioned before that I am a fan of storyteller Priscilla Howe… Today for a local round-up of kiddie library staff, I shared one of her hilarious “baby” stories, a silly campfire tale about a baby who WANTS HER APPLE JUICE! and a black-eyed ghost that stands in her way. It’s called “The Ghost with the One Black Eye.”
Check out Priscilla doing her thing!
I don’t usually post anything here other than storytime plans, announcements, and the occasional booklist or early literacy tip (and even those posts have been rare lately! Sorry; I am still on hiatus**), BUT I have to come out of the woodwork to declare my love for Beverly Cleary and to wish her a very happy 100th birthday!!! Her Ramona books were some of the first books that really got me excited about reading and writing when I was a kid (I even wrote “Ramona Gets Married” for my Young Author’s book in third grade!)… and they continue to influence me and inspire me today (especially in my writing). I’ve enjoyed re-reading all of the books and writing a paper titled “Ramona Quimby Grows Up: Tracing the Character Development of Ramona in the Henry Huggins and Ramona Series” in library school, visiting the sculpture garden in Portland (and also walking on the real Klickitat Street!), listening to the audiobooks narrated by Stockard Channing, checking out the Ramona statue and exhibit at the St. Paul Public Library, and placing my own middle grade book (that I am working on) in the category: “for fans of Ramona.” I’m a forever fan, and I am so grateful for Beverly Cleary! For a long time, I’ve wanted to be like her: a librarian and a writer. She’s a great role model.
I’ve been thrilled with all of the attention she’s been getting lately. I’m starting a collection of links of posts/articles in her honor that have popped up this year. I haven’t had the chance to read them all yet, but I am looking forward to checking them out (and adding to this list). If I still have any readers out there who have additional links to send me, feel free to post them in the comments section.
ALSC: Celebrating 100 Years of Beverly Cleary
BookRiot: 100 Awesome Things About Beverly Cleary on Her 100th Birthday
Book Riot: To Ramona Quimby, with Love
CNN: Happy 100th Birthday, Beverly Cleary!
GoodReads: 7 Delightful Beverly Cleary Quotes to Celebrate Her 100th Birthday
Horn Book’s Collection of Posts Tagged “Beverly Cleary at 100” (There are multiple pages worth!)
The New York Times: Happy Birthday, Beverly Cleary!
The New Yorker: Beverly Cleary, Age 100
NPR: Beverly Cleary is Turning 100, But She Has Always Thought Like a Kid
Oregon Public Broadcasting: 5 Things About Beverly Cleary
Picture Book Builders: Beverly Cleary’s 100th Birthday!
Publishers Weekly: Beverly Cleary, on Turning 100
Publisher’s Weekly: Beverly Cleary’s Birthday Party of the Century
Publishers Weekly: Still Cleary After All These Years
School Library Journal: Beverly Cleary Turns 100 Today
TODAY Interview
The Washington Post: Beverly Cleary on Turning 100
Yakima Herald: Beverly Cleary’s Formative Year as a Librarian
**Though I am still on hiatus (for now), I WILL be doing another guest storytime at Rakow Branch next Wednesday, April 20 at 10:30!!!
I’ll be back filling in for the Drop-In Fall Storytime over at the Rakow Branch Library in Elgin next Wednesday, November 25 at 10:30 am. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see the Silly Librarian in action! We’ll be having fun with a Thanksgiving theme 🙂
Hello out there! I’m still alive! Tomorrow, I’ll be guest storytime-ing at the Rakow Branch Library in Elgin. I’m looking forward to doing a parrot-themed program with the kids at 10:30 am. I’m not totally done hibernating, but it’ll be nice to get out and play for a little while. 🙂
I am feeling a little sad today, knowing that storytime is starting up again… without me. I’ve had the best group over at the Randall Oaks Branch Library in West Dundee, Illinois these past couple of years, and I already miss them lots! I know that Ms. Susan will do an excellent job.
I have left my job at the library, and I am going on a storytime hiatus for a bit. Among other things, I am planning on focusing on some writing projects. (I have a few picture books and a chapter book that I’m working on!) I would also like to work on this blog a little, maybe finally adding some more videos, book talks, new look… Feel free to check in on me here!
I hope that come spring or summer, I’ll start doing some storytelling events again. I LOVE STORYTIME!
Until then, I’ll be hibernating and thinking about happy memories…
Last Friday, I enjoyed doing a 20-minute toddler storytime for my nephew Jackson’s class at Crystal Lake Montessori School!
OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story
PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1 (Story Cards): Oh! by Kevin Henkes
Flannel: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. (Templates available here.)
Song/Fingerplay: Hands Up High
Read-aloud #2 (Story Cards): Disappearing Snowman
*Flannel: Five Little Snowmen
Song: Silly Hat Song
Read-aloud #3 (Sung): Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, version illustrated by Richard Cowdrey
Action Song: Fun with Hands
Dancing Song: “The Wiggle Song” from Carole Peterson: Sticky Bubble Gum and Other Tasty Tunes
CLOSING:
Closing Song: We Wave Goodbye
*Five Little Snowmen
Five little snowmen round and fat.
Each one wearing a funny hat.
In the morning, out came the sun.
It looked down and melted one.
More Golfview Family Literacy Fun! Happy Holidays, everyone 🙂
Opening Song: “Put Your Finger in the Air” from Pete Seeger: Children’s Concert at Town Hall (live version)
Read-aloud #1: You Make Me Smile by Layn Marlow
Flannel: Rudolph! Rudolph!
Read-aloud #2 (Sung): Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, version illustrated by Richard Cowdrey
Storytell: The Mitten (You can use beautiful visuals as props from Jan Brett’s website here.) (I also used Heather Forest’s musical refrain from her version on her Tales Around the Hearth cd.)
Read-aloud #3: Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Closing Song: “Jingle Bells” from The Wiggles: Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas (with bells, of course!)
Craft: Make holiday cards
Man, this is one long storytime break! Storytime at Randall Oaks Branch Library doesn’t start back up until Monday, January 5!
HOWEVER…
There’s going to be a Family Dance Party at Randall Oaks on Monday, December 15 at 10 am. There will be music, instruments to play with, and more! It’s sure to be a fun time. 🙂
(There will also be additional Family Dance Parties at the Dundee Library. Check out our calendar to find out dates and details for these and all of our fun programs happening while we’re missing storytime.)
More storytime fun with the Family Literacy crowd at Golfview Elementary! Today, we played around with the fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood, and other wolf stories. And, the wolf wasn’t always the bad guy!
Opening Song: Let Everyone Clap Hands With Me
Read-aloud #1: Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf by Rachael Mortimer
Storytelling Activity: The Gunniwolf
Read-aloud #2: Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya
Dancing Song: “Jump Up, Turn Around” from Jim Gill Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times
Read-aloud #3: The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
Craft: Wolf Leaf Craft (I used Ellison die cut leafs rather than real ones)
Our last fall storytime ended with a bang! Lots of Halloween fun… including kids previewing their cute costumes 🙂 We’re now on break until January 2015… I will miss everyone! Happy Holidays! Keep reading!
OPENING:
Opening Song: If You Want to Hear a Story
PROGRAM:
Read-aloud #1: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
*Flannel: Floppy Scarecrow
Song/Fingerplay: Hands Up High
Song/Fingerplay: Blackbirds
Read-aloud #2: Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas
**Fingerplay: Once there was a pumpkin
***Flannel: Pumpkin, Pumpkin
****Flannel: Here is a Jack-o-lantern
Read-aloud #3: Shivery Shades of Halloween by Mary McKenna Siddals
Action Song: If You’re Wearing Red Today
*****Flannel: Five Little Witches
Read-aloud #4: What’s in the Witch’s Kitchen? (flap book) by Nick Sharratt
Read-aloud #5: Brooms are for Flying by Michael Rex
Dancing Song: “Shake My Sillies Out” from Raffi’s More Singable Songs
CLOSING:
Closing song: We Wave Goodbye
*Floppy Scarecrow
The floppy, floppy scarecrow guards his field all day.
He waves his floppy ______ to scare the crows away!
(Have children do the action poem and listen for the different body parts.)
**Once there was a pumpkin
Once there was a pumpkin. (Make a circle with hands.)
And it grew, And grew, And grew. (With each “grew”, make imaginary pumpkin bigger.)
Now it’s a jack-o-lantern And smiles at you! (With a smile, point to each other.)
***Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Pumpkin, pumpkin, round and fat
Turned into a jack-o-lantern just like that!
(Two-sided flannel pieces can be purchased here.)
****Here is a Jack-o-lantern
Here is a jack-o-lantern who’s happy
Here is a jack-o-lantern who sighs
Here is a jack-o-lantern who’s sleepy
Here is a jack-o-lantern who cries
Here is a jack-o-lantern who’s angry
Here is a jack-o-lantern who’s sad
Here is a jack-o-lantern who’s noisy
And, here is a jack-o-lantern who’s glad!!!
*****Five Little Witches
One little witch was fixing her shoe.
Another came along, and then there were two.
Two little witches climbed up high in the tree.
Another started climbing, and then there were three.
Three witched said, “More brooms. We need more!”
Another brought her broom, and then there were four.
Four little witches said, “Through the sky, let’s dive.”
Along came another, and then there were five.
Five little witches flying high in the sky,
“To the moon,” they said. “To the moon, let’s fly!”