Read Up

Ready for some more fun books to check out from your library?  Here are four I like:

The Sea Serpent and Me
Dashka Slater & Catia Chien
This tale of a little girl and a tiny (but rapidly-growing) sea serpent features spare but descriptive wording, but is really made by Chien's gorgeous watercolor artwork.  The story is a gentle adventure that aquarium- and ocean-lovers will enjoy, and it can stimulate fun conversations about real & fantastical animals.

Dragons Love Tacos
Adam Rubin & Daniel Salmieri
"Hey, kid!  Did you know that dragons love tacos?"  The "kid" and his dog look skeptical.  It turns out dragons don't like the delicious tacos you might find at your local taco truck or taqueria; they like the crisp-shell-tomato-lettuce-and-cheese kind you might get from that famous drive-through.  AND THEY HATE   SPICY SALSA--you wouldn't like dragons when they've eaten spicy salsa!  Nothing here but silly fun, as the author describes how you can throw a taco party for dragons.

My Dad!
Steve Smallman & Sean Julian
Simple, rhyming text is only part of what makes this a fun read for toddlers & preschoolers (and a book early readers will be able to read with a little help).  A cuddly-looking father-and-young'n bear pair get into many adventures real-life kids & parents might enjoy: biking, camping, playing ball & reading, and there are plenty of other cute animals around to keep you on each page, exploring together.  The real hook for some children, though, will be the brief episodes of burping and tooting.

Split!  Splat!
Amy Gibson & Steve Björkman 
Super-simple, mostly onomatopoeic, text and bright, large illustrations convey the joyful adventure of a little girl & her dog as the two enjoy a splashy adventure in the rain--and mud!  The book is very easy to read, and gives you and the little one a little something to talk about regarding bringing mud into the home, I'd say!








Check these books out!  Have fun with them, & let me know what you think   Do you have any favorite stories of serpents, or tacos, or bears, dads, rain--or whatever?  Let me know!

Click on this link & READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you!

Storyteller John Weaver

.

The Ten Commandments -- of Reading Aloud

If you've spent much time in your library's picture book section, you've probably spent some time with the work of Mem Fox.  She has created a huge (and growing), well-varied body of work adults & kids love, including The Magic Hat (a favorite of mine), Koala Lou, Whoever You Are, Where is the Green Sheep, Ten Little Fingers & Ten Little Toes, and Tough Boris. 

"Updated and Revised?"  Looks like I may have
 to replace my 10-year-old copy of the book! ;)

In addition to being a prolific author of children's books, Fox is also a well-known literacy expert & advocate.  If you've not seen her book, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, check it out!  The subtitle may sound challenging to you, but Reading Magic is so clear & concise, it's actually a fun breeze to read!  If you consider yourself the "multitasking" type, you could probably digest the book while simultaneously sitting through a TV show, updating your Facebook status--and maybe even ironing (who knows)!  See if your library has a copy, & let me know what you think.  

In the meantime, have a look at Fox's "Ten Read-Aloud Commandments."  There are some quick tips in here that can get you & your family on the road to reading magic right away!

MemFox’s Ten Read-Aloud Commandments

1. Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day 

    reading aloud.

2. Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story

    three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories 

    before they can begin to learn to read.

3. Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and

    don’t be dull, or flat, or boring. 

    Hang loose and be loud, have fun and laugh a lot.

4. Read with joy and enjoyment: real enjoyment for yourself

    and great joy for the listeners.

5. Read the stories that the kids love, over and over and over

    again, and always read in the same ‘tune’ for each book:

    i.e. with the same intonations on each page, each time.

6. Let children hear lots of language by talking to them

    constantly about the pictures, or anything  else connected

    to the book; or sing any old song that you can remember;

    or say nursery rhymes in a bouncy way; or be noisy 

    together doing clapping games.

7. Look for rhyme, rhythm or repetition in books for young

    children, and make sure the books are really short.

8. Play games with the things that you and the child can see

    on the page, such as letting kids finish rhymes, and 

    finding the letters that start the child’s name and yours,

    remembering that it’s never work, it’s always a fabulous

    game.

9. Never ever teach reading, or get tense around books.

10. Please read aloud every day, mums and dads, because

      you just love being with your child, not because it’s the

      right thing to do.

READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you!

Read Up! Fall Back into the Dark

Does "Fall Back" hit you like it hits me?  The sudden, (and to me, extreme) darkness leaves me feeling in a state of seasonal jet-lag!  In honor of the event, and to ease the adjustment, I offer some book selections that offer a fun bit of bump in the night.  

I Feel a Foot!
Maranke Rinck & Martijn van der Linden
The story of the blind men and the elephant gets a new lease on life, as a turtle, a bat, an octopus, a bird & a goat fall from their hammock on a moonless night.  Each of the friends thinks they are finding someone just like themselves--and the children in the room all seem to know what it is from the very beginning!  van der Linden's unique, eye-catching art almost begs to be honored with an art project after you finish reading this.

Creak!  Said the Bed
Phyllis Root & Regan Dunnick
I think any parent will be able to relate to this tale of a dark & stormy night, and a bed that keeps getting more crowded.  Things here go to an extreme, which just makes the whole thing that much funnier.

Who's There?
Carole Lexa Schaefer & Pierr Morgan
Little BunBun, all tucked in with his teddy bear Boo, hears an awful lot of noises in the dark of the night, and his imagination takes over.  Of course, there's a perfectly good explanation at the end, and many opportunities for you & the little ones with you to talk about whether the things BunBun is imagining are real.

Dark Night
Dorothée de Monfreid
Why Felix was walking through the forest in his pajamas on a dark night, I do not know--but he certainly got an eyeful!  He does a lot of running & shaking along the way, but ends the evening with a new friend and a big mug of hot chocolate.  It's a story that gives several opportunities to make animal sounds, and is thus a very fun story!  I love the art.

Dinosaurs After Dark
Jonathan Emett & Curtis Jobling
Of course, with dinosaurs on the cover, kids are sold--it doesn't even matter what's inside--but the good news is, there is a lot of fun inside!  Despite a threat or two, these dinos just want to play, and even carry their young friend home.  Needless to say, though, the entire town is a huge mess after a night of dinosaur hide-and-seek.




Check these books out!  Have fun with them, & let me know what you think   Do you have any favorite stories of gentle nighttime fun & adventure?  Let me know!

READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you!

Real-life explorations on a shoestring

I heard an amazing story tonight-- a TRUE one.

I was approached by a library patron who told me he took his family of four to The Exploratorium--a wonderful hands-on family experience in San Francisco--and thanks to printing out FREE tickets through the library website, they saved about $90 in admission costs!  

Did you know your library card can save you a ton of money?

Not only can you save a lot of cash from all the books you don't have to buy, and movie rental fees you can skip; your library may even be able to get your family into some local attractions at no charge!

The Discover & Go program, recently instituted at libraries around the Greater Bay Area, allows you to use your library card to print up free or discounted tickets from home to attractions including aquariums, museums, and botanical gardens.  There's a little something for everyone, and  the savings are substantial! Those of us living in the Bay Area have more opportunities for family education & entertainment than we could ever tally, but taking advantage of everything within reach to us physically can sometimes be out of reach financially.  Now, if you can get to the attraction, you can get in--thanks to your local library!  

Here is the current list of Discover & Go attractions on the Livermore Public Library website; this serves just as an example, as opportunities can change, and I did notice variations in what was available at other Bay Area libraries:

Aquarium of the Bay

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Bedford Gallery

California Historical Society

Cartoon Art Museum

Charles M. Schulz Museum

The Contemporary Jewish Museum

CuriOdyssey

Exploratorium

GLBT History Museum

The Lawrence Hall of Science

Lindsay Wildlife Museum

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

The Marine Mammal Center

Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment

Museum of Craft and Folk Art

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

Napa Valley Museum

Oakland Aviation Museum

Oakland Museum of California

Pacific Pinball Museum

Peralta Hacienda Historical Park

Saint Mary's College Museum of Art

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

The Tech Museum of Innovation

UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

USS Hornet Museum

Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Now, if you do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area, or if your library does NOT yet offer this program, they might still have something similar for you; many libraries have long offered museum passes patrons can "check out" to get into various attractions at no charge.  Visit or call up your library's reference desk & just ask!  If they don't have anything yet, tell them you'd like to have it--and tell your friends to tell them, too!

Speaking of telling your friends: spread the word.  I know you have some friends who not only don't know about these opportunities; they don't event have a library card!  And some of these folks don't even know where the local library is.  Be a good friend, and let them know.  Set a date, and go together, even!  Clearly, membership has its privileges.

Upcoming Events

Storytimes at the Livermore Public Library are in brown; storytelling events are in red.  Keep checking in for updates!

On stage--and on-screen-- prior to performance at San Luis Obispo Children's Museum, October 2012

Monday, November 5

Livermore Public Library, Civic Center

7pm Pajamatime Family Storytime

Tuesday, November 6

Livermore Public Library, Civic Center

Filling in for storytimes:

10:30am Baby/Toddler
11am Preschool

Friday, November 9

Livermore Public Library, Rincon
Bilingual Storytimes:
10:30am Baby/Toddler
11am Preschool

Friday, November 16

Livermore Public Library, Rincon
Bilingual Storytimes:
10:30am Baby/Toddler
11am Preschool

Saturday, November 17
Sunday, November 18
CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND
Lake Merritt, Oakland
Storytelling at 1:30 and 2:30 each day
(weather dependent)

 Monday, November 19

Livermore Public Library, Civic Center

7pm Pajamatime Family Storytime


Friday, November 23

Livermore Public Library, Rincon
Bilingual Storytimes:
10:30am Baby/Toddler
11am Preschool

Monday, November 26

Livermore Public Library, Civic Center

7pm Pajamatime Family Storytime

Friday, November 30

Livermore Public Library, Rincon

Bilingual Storytimes:

10:30am Baby/Toddler

11am Preschool

Saturday, December 1

Sunday, December 2

CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND

Lake Merritt, Oakland

Storytelling at 1:30 and 2:30 each day

(weather dependent)

Monday, December 3

Livermore Public Library, Civic Center

7pm Pajamatime Family Storytime


Friday, December 7
Livermore Public Library, Rincon
Bilingual Storytimes:
10:30am Baby/Toddler
11am Preschool

Menlo Park Library event December 7

Friday, December 7

MENLO PARK LIBRARY

800 Alma Street, Menlo Park

6:30pm Reading Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day for special story/art family event.

Monday, December 10

Livermore Public Library, Civic Center

7pm Pajamatime Family Storytime

**Final Pajamatime Family Storytime of 2012** 

Friday, December 14

Livermore Public Library, Rincon

Bilingual Storytimes:

10:30am Baby/Toddler

11am Preschool

**Final Livermore Storytimes of 2012**

Saturday, December 15

CHILDREN'S FAIRYLAND

Lake Merritt, Oakland

Storytelling at 5:30pm, part of the park's "Winter Wonderland" event.

(weather dependent)

2013

Saturday, January 12

Sunnyvale Library

Storytelling at 3pm

January 18-20

Attending Santa Clara County Reading Council's Asilomar Reading Conference

Saturday, April 27

Sunnyvale Library

2pm: Annual Sunnyvale Library Storytelling Festival

Other recent or upcoming events include storytelling & education for Tibco Software, Congregation Beth Israel, Ballard School in Solvang, Dorris-Eaton Preschool, & The Orinda Preschool.  Private events (for schools, etc.) do not show up in listings above.  For regular updates, connect with me on Facebook!

Storyteller John Weaver

.