Read Up! Dogs at Bedtime

Have you got your library card ready?  Reserve these books now, and check them out!

Goodnight, Good Dog
Mary Lyn Ray & Rebecca Malone
This is a quiet book, quiet like the night.  Bedtime has come, but the dog isn't sleepy.  He's still thinking about his wonderful day in the sun with his family.  He's not ready for bed; he's ready for a new day to begin.  This seems like a very calming bedtime book, to help the people sharing it reflect upon their day, and think a bit about the next one.

Time for Bed, Fred
Yasmeen Ismail
While the dog in Goodnight, Good Dog quietly roams the house for a bit while his family sleeps, Fred is actively, disruptively, joyfully fighting against bedtime.  He's trying to squeeze in as much remaining action from the day as he can, before he is forced to go to bed.  It is probably those 26 pages of activity that finally tired him out!  I love the funny situations and the beautiful, action-loaded watercolor illustrations.

Have you read these books?  What do you think?  If you have any other favorite books to share, I'd love to hear about them!

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

-- Storyteller John Weaver



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Read Up! Shh! We Have a Plan, by Chris Haughton

I love this new book.  It's gotten a lot of laughs every time I've shared it at storytime, and I think you may like it a lot, too!

Chris Haughton's whimsical, collage-style illustrations (actually rendered digitally) are what drew me into this book about four little friends who I think may be up way past their bedtimes. When they see a beautiful bird, the littlest one of them all seems to want to make friends with it--but judging by the nets, I think the others have something different in mind.  They have a plan.  Check this out, and have fun reading aloud in whatever silly little voice comes into your head!  

Check this book out! Have fun with it, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about friends, or birds, or the night--or whatever? Please let me know! 

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

Storyteller John Weaver

Check out the book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling (link HERE)!

Read Up! A fun trio

I've just met these fun characters recently, and I want to make sure you don't miss out!  All feature fun illustrations, and quite a lot to talk about & explore when sharing with the children in your life.




A Monkey Among Us
Dave Horowitz
"Among us?" a child in the group asked the first time I shared this book.  "Yes," I said, "among us!  Here with us!  Somewhere between us--it's among us!"  The book does more than possibly introduce challenging new vocab; it also plays with sounds ("A monkey among a fungus. A monkey, HUMONGOUS"), and lets us get to know a trio of silly animal characters.  I like the collage-style drawings, and the many opportunities to laugh & discuss the increasingly-wacky proceedings.




Early Bird
Toni Yuly
Many parents may be able to recognize this early bird, who wakes up before the sun, raring to go.  Early Bird gets moving, too: across, through, under, up, around and over!  This all happens over the course of several pages, but it's fun to go back and retrace her movements, emphasizing those prepositions.  Of course, the real conversation-starter is when Early Bird meets the Early Worm!



I Can See Just Fine
Eric Barclay
Our first image of Paige shows her holding a book upside-down; the second catches her walking out of the boys' room.  You can imagine what animal she's holding when she announces to her dad that she's found a kitty.  The charm & humor of this book are shouldered almost entirely by Barclay's super-cool retro advertising-art style, which packs in treats on every page.  It may be a book to make kids feel better if they need glasses, but it's a cool sight for anyone.

Check out these books, and let me know what you think!  Do you have any favorite books about monkeys, birds, glasses--or anything else?  Let me know about it, so I can read up!

Storyteller John Weaver

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Read Up!

Time for another small handful of books for you to check out.  The only connecting thread here is that I happen to like them all!

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas
Tony Wilson & Sue deGennaro

Princesses aren't all they're cracked up to be, but real girls--and frozen peas--sure are cool!  That's the premise of this twist on a "once upon a time" classic, and I sure agree!  The prince in this story: his brother married the "pea princess."  His sister-in-law helped him decide something very important: "...he didn't want to marry a real princess...he wanted to marry the exact opposite.  She didn't have to be beautiful or sensitive.  She just had to like hockey and camping and have a nice smile."  So, do you love this book yet?


Why?
Lila Prap

This is a nonfiction book about animals, and what I really like about it is the fact it can be read at two levels.  The first is the silly joke book that asks questions like, "Why do snakes have legs," and then responds to itself with silly answers like, "because they'd hate cutting their toenails."  The second level of this book is the more detailed, true, explanations to all of the questions.  They're more suited to one-on-one reading, or classroom sharing, than the large preschool storytime groups I often face during my book sharing--but this book is up to satisfy whatever group it can!




Not Me!
Nicola Killen

We're not talking about movies here, but whenever I hear anyone talking about a movie, and they call it "cute," I know that means it is not GOOD.  Well, here we have a very cute book--that I think also happens to be good.  My own rule of thumb has me questioning my judgement, though--so maybe you'd better have a look for yourself!  What I like is all of the clues that children can take in to decide whether the characters of the book are as innocent as they proclaim to be; also, the surprise ending wins me over.  Like I say, see for yourself & tell me what you think.  Maybe it's good, but not at all cute...

Check these books out! Have fun with them, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about princesses, or animals, or too-cute kids--or whatever? Please let me know! 

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

Storyteller John Weaver

Check out the book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling (link HERE)!

Read Up! A pair of silly animal tales

Have you got your library card handy?  Hop over to your local branch's website & reserve these fun books today!


Ribbit!
Rodrigo Folgueira & Poly Bernatene

The frogs are quite surprised to find a pig on their lily pad--a pig that says, "ribbit!"  What is it doing there?  Is it making fun of them?  Pretty soon, all of the animals are trying to figure out the pig, and you can sense their disappointment when the object of their attention disappears. I love the ending of this book, wherein all things become clear.



Hippospotamus
Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross

"Hippopotamus had a spotamus... on her bottomus."  Oh, my--do we really want to read this?  We DO!  So many diagnoses: is it hippopox, or hippolumps, or potomumps--or something else entirely?  When the answer finally comes, you may not be sure whether you are relieved or about to retch. Better re-read the book until you finally figure it out!  I was kind of sick of all of the cutesy rhyming, but the ending makes it very much worth multiple readings.

Check these books out! Have fun with them, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about frogs, or pigs, or hippos, or mysterious red spots--or whatever? Please let me know! 

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

Storyteller John Weaver

Check out the book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling (link HERE)!

Craft Time: A Cookie Mouse Paper Bag Puppet (SIMPLIFIED VERSION)!

Craft Time: Make a Caterpillar Hat!

Craft Time: Make a Mouse Paper Bag Puppet!

Read Up! Four for Fun

From Except If, by Jim Averbeck

When it rains, it pours: my latest load of reading contained a bunch of keepers, and I thought I'd share a few right now!

Shoes for Me!

Sue Fliess & Mike Laughead

An adorable little girl (hippo) has outgrown her shoes, so it's time to go shopping for a new pair.  The store has all kinds of shoes, and this girl is ready to try on every single pair--even if it takes all week!  The art is charming, and the rhymes achieve a chant-like pattern that draws in the reader almost as much as all of the amazing shoes.






Except If
Jim Averbeck
"An egg is not a baby bird, but it it will become one.  EXCEPT IF..." it becomes something else!  We don't meet all of the creatures that hatch from eggs in this short & simple book, but we do meet a few--and we learn not to always assume the egg will hatch to reveal a bird!  The book is circular, meaning it ends where it begins--but not in such a way to make you groan, I promise.  Share this with your favorite dinosaur lover.





I Dare You Not to Yawn
Hélène Boudreau & Serge Bloch
When I saw this book laying on my desk, I couldn't not pick it up.  It wasn't just the audacious dare; it was the bold, colorful & sassy art, another throwback to the 1950s-era UPA cartoons whose style always pulled me in.  Just look at the profile views of yawning creatures inside, their heads gaping open as if hinged in the back!  The idea of the book is that a boy is warning the reader that if a grownup sees them yawning, the next step for them is going to be pajamas & bed.  The challenge of the book is getting through it without yawning; I am yawning repeatedly as 
I write this!


A Gold Star for Zog
Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
The team who brought us The Gruffalo have another great one with this rhyming story for anyone who loves dragons, knights & princesses!  Zog the dragon tries to do well in Dragon School, but he does get a fair amount of help along the way. It seems things turn out best for everyone after they all learn to follow their hearts & their dreams.

Check these books out! Have fun with them, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about dragons, or bedtime, or shoes--or whatever? Please let me know! 

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

Storyteller John Weaver

Check out the new book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling (link HERE)!

Author Spotlight: Dan Yaccarino

 

I've enjoyed the work of prolific author/illustrator Dan Yaccarino for many years now.  His colorful, painted art often captures the look of mid-20th-century advertising art, and is always fun & eye-catching.  The art is enough to draw me into not only his own books, but those he has illustrated for other authors (all of whom owe him a debt of gratitude).  From the simplest of picture books for the youngest children, to beginner chapter books for independent readers, Yaccarino has a lot of creativity to share.  Here are just a handful of my favorites to get you started:


 

An Octopus Followed Me Home
When a little girl comes home with a new eight-legged friend, her father has to remind her of the troubles visited upon him by the rest of her menagerie. The rhyming couplets & big paintings of a funny range of beasts make this a very fun read.





 
The Birthday Fish
Another book about a little girl & her potential new pet.  Cynthia really, really, really wants a pony. "Every year she put a pony on her Christmas list.  But no matter how good she was, she never got a pony."  When her birthday comes, Cynthia thinks surely the box from her parents must contain "a very small pony!"  Can she learn to accept her birthday fish?



Deep in the Jungle
"The lion was the king of this jungle and he made sure everyone knew it... The animals couldn't stand him one bit."  When a man found wandering through the jungle offers the lion a job in show business, the offer is snapped right up.  Unfortunately, the lion finds itself, caged, whipped & humiliated in a circus--and worse yet, the other jungle animals are being rounded up, as well!  Will the lion be able to win the animals their freedom--and itself their friendship?  Comeuppance can be hard to swallow--or not!

 

Boy + Bot
Written by Ame Dyckman, & illustrated by Yaccarino, this simple, fun story of a new friendship always has children & adults in storytime groups smiling.  Did you know that robots read to each other, too?  Of course, they read instruction manuals...






Doug Unplugged
Freshly-published (February 2013), this book shows a happy little robot boy who is plugged in for downloading each day so his parents can go about their business.  When something outside the window catches his eye, Doug unplugs and ends up discovering an amazing world!  I've enjoyed reading this to storytime audiences in which the adults are too plugged in to enjoy the events along with their children.  For a few moments, at least, this grabs the attention of some of them.



If you'd like to get a look at more of Dan Yaccarino's books, visit his website.  There are even movie-trailer style book preview films! Do YOU have any favorite books by Dan Yaccarino--or anyone else, for that matter?  Please tell me about them!  Also, please spread the word about these great books, check them out, and read up!

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

Storyteller John Weaver

 

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Check out the new book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling (link HERE)!

Read Up! Another Handful for You to Check Out & Share

"Hey!  That's the bear that lost its hat!"

 All that today's handful of recommendations has in common is that I like each book for one reason or another.  Actually, there is a thread (of yarn) between the last two; I'll get to it when I get to them.  For now, though, let's begin at bye-bye!



 
Time to Say Bye-Bye
Maryann Cocca-Leffler
A great book to share with toddlers, as it shows what may be a typical "busy, busy day" in their lives: playing in the park, "helping" in the kitchen, bathtime and more.  Children can help identify what is happening in many of the familiar scenes, and you can have fun saying the "bye-bye" refrain together.








My New Sandbox
Donna Jakob & Julia Gorton
One by one, a boy shoos visitors away from his new sandbox: a black bug, a red bird, a spotted dog--and something else.  When he's finally by himself, though, will he be lonely?  There's just enough repetition here to make it fun & easy for the young'ns to predict & help with the refrains, and the message at the end is a happy one.









Simms Taback's Safari Animals
Simms Taback
This book is also good for toddlers, but has appeal for much older animal lovers as well--including myself!  A series of barely-disguised animal riddles unfolds until a drawing of an animal emerges, twice the size of the book itself!  The bold, colorful art is very appealing, and each image gives the opportunity to make animal sounds together.







Extra Yarn
Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
"Hey!  That's the bear that lost its hat!"  That was the cry of a young boy in one of my storytimes as I turned to a page of sweater-wearing animals, one of whom was clearly the star of Klassen's I Want My Hat Back.  The bear just appears on that one page, though; the story is actually about Annabelle, a girl who finds a box of colorful yarn.  No matter what she creates from the stuff, Annabelle would discover (in a refrain readers can repeat together throughout the book), "she still had extra yarn."  Older children will enjoy predicting some of the end details of this fun story.



The Hueys in The New Sweater
Oliver Jeffers
 "The thing about the Hueys...was that they were all the same."  All the same until one of them--Rupert--knitted himself a sweater; now he was different.  Before long, everyone would be different--in the exact same way!  It's fun to see the lightbulbs go on over many kids' heads as I share this one.
At a recent storytime, I paired this book with Extra Yarn, due to the link of new sweaters popping up everywhere.    I actually think a great pairing would be Seuss's The Sneetches.  I have some other ideas on the "same" theme; I'll share them before too long!



Check these books out! Have fun with them, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about wild animals, or sharing, or being an individual--or whatever? Please let me know!

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

Storyteller John Weaver

Check out the new book: How to be a Storyteller: Essays and Advice on the Art of Storytelling (link HERE)!