Happy to Be Me Storytime!

This storytime was a request from one of my preschools, and I love it!

Opening Song: If you’re Happy and You know it! (Clap, Stomp, Shout Hurray)

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

If you’re Ready for a Story, If you’re Ready for a Story,

If you’re Ready for a Story, Clap your hands!

Sit Down Song:

The more we read together, together, together

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be,

‘Cause my books are your books and your books are my books,

The More we read together, the happier we’ll be.

Book 1:
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

Show Me If You Can

Sung to: "Go In and Out The Window"

Where is your finger?
Where is your finger?
Where is your finger?
Show me if you can.
Good, now where's your nose?
Now, where is your nose?
Now, where is your nose?
Show me if you can. (Use other body parts.)

Book Two: I like Myself by Karen Beaumont; Illustrated by David Catrow

I Am Special

Sung to: "Are You Sleeping?"

I am special, I am special,
Look at me, Look at me.
A very special person, A very special person
That is me, That is me.

I am special,
I am special,
Yes I am.
Yes I am.
I'm a really neat kid
And a very sweet kid,
Yes I am,
Yes I am.

Some Little Faces

Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"
Some little faces I have seen
Some were sad and some were mean
But the one little face with the smile was the best
That was the happiest of all the rest.

Book Three: I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black; Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Hands On Shoulders

Hands on shoulders, hands on knees,
Hands behind you if you please.
Touch your shoulders, now your nose,
Now your chin and now your toes.
Hands up high in the air,
Down at your sides and touch your hair.
Hands up high as before,
Now clap your hands--one, two, three, four.

Head And Shoulders

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Ankles, elbows, feet and seat, feet and seat,
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat, feet and seat,
And hair and hips and chin and cheeks,
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat, feet and seat.

  

Tony Chestnut

Tony Chestnut knows I love you.   Point to your toes, knees, chest, head, nose, eyes, heart and to a friend.

Tony knows.  (Tony knows.) Point to your toes, knees and nose.

Tony Chestnut knows I love you. 

That's what Tony knows.

Tony, Tony and his sister Eileen.  Point to your toes, knees, toes, knees then lean to the right.

And Eileen loves Neil and Neil loves Pat.  Everyone lean to the right, kneel and pat your shoulders.

But Pat still loves Bob. Pat your shoulders and bounce your head back and forth.

And there's Russell and Skip.  Standup, wiggle your legs then skip in place.

This song is silly, but it's hip. Make a silly face then stick out your right hip and point to it.

How it ends, just one man knows. Turn and point to your bottom.

And guess what (what), it's Tony Chestnut.  

Johnny works with One Hammer

1. Johnny works with one hammer,
One hammer, 1 hammer,
Johnny works with 1 hammer,
Then he works with two.
(Hammer one fist lightly on leg)

2. . . . Two hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs)

3. . . . Three hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs and one foot on the floor)

4. . . . Four hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs and both feet on the floor)

5. Johnny works with five hammers,
Five hammers, five hammers,
Johnny works with five hammers
(Hammer both fists on legs, both feet on floor, and nod head down and up)
Then he goes to sleep.
(Rest head on joined palms, pretending to go to sleep)

And finally - Hokey Pokey!

Closing Song: The More We Get Together

Today's Craft:

We're going outside! So we're drawing self-portraits with Sidewalk chalk!

Recommended Reads:

Hello my Name is Bob by Linas Alsenas

I'm Not by Pam Smallcomb and Robert Weinstock

Best Monster Storytime Songs for Little Monsters

There are so many brilliant monster books for preschoolers out there.

In my library I've, at times, come across an anti-Halloween sentiment in parents but Monsters tend to squeak by.  The other great thing about Monster storytime is you have plenty of opportunities to yell "RAWR" which is both entertaining for the kids and annoying to the desk staff.

I've complied my favorite Monster-themed songs, great for Little Monsters.

If You're a Monster and You Know it

Tune: " If you're happy and you know it"

If you're a monster and you know it shake your horns
If you're a monster and you know it shake your horns.
If you're a monster and you know it then your growl will surely show it. RAWR! 
If you're a monster and you know it shake your horns.

Continue with:
...show your claws
...gnash your teeth
...stomp your feet
...give a roar

(There is an Ed and Rebecca Emberley book that is similar to this, though I prefer just to sing it this way.)

5 Little Monsters 

5 little monsters under my bed
1 crawled out from my bed spread
Mama came in then she said!
"No more monsters underneath the bed"

Continue counting down until there are:
"Now there are no more monsters underneath the bed So Go to Sleep!"


Horns and Fangs 

Tune: "Head and Shoulders"

Horns and fangs,
knees and claws,
knees and claws.
Horns and fangs,
knees and claws.
Eyes and ears and tail and paws.


(Faster and Faster!)

Five Little Monsters (Fingerplay)

This little monster has a big red nose
This little monster has purple toes.
This little monster plays all night.
This little monster is such a fright.
And this little monster goes:
"Tee-hee-hee"
"I'm not scary, I'm just silly me."

(Hold up hand and point to each finger)

Monster Pokey

Tune: Hokey Pokey

You Put your right paw in, 

you put your right paw out, 

you put your right paw in and you shake it all about.  

You do the Monster Pokey and you turn yourself around.  

That’s what it’s all about.  

Monster Pokey! Rawr!

Verses: Left paw, Right Claw, Left Claw, tail, horns, teeth, whole Monster self.

(Yes, another Hokey Pokey take off.  So sue me, It's what it's all about!)

Next: My favorite Preschool Monster Books

Banned Books Week Day One: Why Celebrate?

It’s Banned Books Week!

When I celebrated Banned Books Week in my library last year, a lot of patrons were confused?

“Are you celebrating banning books?”

“No, we’re celebrating the fact that we have the freedom to read banned books.”

*Confused look*

“Why is that important?

Why indeed?  I think a couple things were confusing to that patron that day.  To begin with, when one hears the word “banned” it calls up an image of legitimacy.  If something is banned, it must be bad, so why read it?  Instead, banning happens to some of the greatest books that have ever been written.  It is not done with anymore authority than one person or a small group of people’s entitled opinions.

Additionally, the word “ban” seems to indicate legality.  Actually, the letter of the law doesn’t lay with the people who are banning the books, but with the books and ideas within them they’re striking down.

So, why is it important to read celebrate our freedom to read a banned book?

Well, when has ignorance ever been a force for good in this world?

This Banned Books week, I will be discussing the top reasons why books are banned and the books that have been taken out of the hands of readers because of them.  I’m particularly bothered by book banning because the hands these books are ripped out of are typically those of a child.  We shield children from books and ideas to protect them, but what are we actually protecting them from?

Facts about Banned books:

Books Most Frequently Banned in 2010 as reported by the Office of Intellectual Freedom (Source: ALA.org)

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson 
   Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie 
   Reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
3. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley 
   Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, and sexually explicit
4. Crank, by Ellen Hopkins 
   Reasons: drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit
5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins 
   Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
6. Lush, by Natasha Friend 
   Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
7. What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones 
   Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
8. Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich 
   Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, and religious viewpoint
9. Revolutionary Voices, edited by Amy Sonnie 
   Reasons:  homosexuality and sexually explicit
10. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer 
    Reasons: religious viewpoint and violence

Statistics about Banned Books (Source: ALA.org)

Allow me to Introduce Myself

I'm a geek and a Youth Services Programmer for the Library.

They work together really well, and you know why?

Kids are geeks. Or geeks are over grown kids. I haven't figured out which it is. All I know is that, like any self-respecting geek, kids unabashedly love superheroes, games, swordfighting, explosions, dragons, role-playing, cosplaying...the list goes on.

The Library has always been a safe place for geeks. It's free from that dastardly thing called sunlight and there are books on every subject imaginable. Geeks are always wondering, "Am I alone in liking that?" No matter how obscure, ofcourse there is a book on the subject.

My hope for this blog is to show the bridge between little-geek to normal-sized geek. The best children's books for your little geeks. Gateway drugs for your young adult geeks. For the adult geeks, those gems that are far more interesting to read than anything your average book club is making you read, because they remembered to include: superheroes, swordfighting, explosions, dragons, zombies, unicorns and the like.

And before we get into the geek, nerd, dork argument, I'm going to say right here that I don't identify myself as a "geek" because of any definition on the internet, but rather because it rhymes with "chic."

So I can call myself "geek chic."

Because I am, dammit. Think of a typical geek girl. Okay, I'm her, but I'm geek chic. Fill that in how you may, it softens the blow to my ego.

The term "geek chic" has helped me deal with the fact that I am a geek for a while now. Not that people couldn't tell I was a complete geek/nerd/dork my whole life, but I figured if I didn't confirm it I had a chance of people thinking I was normal. The thought of going to a con made me hyperventilate a bit. "Then everyone would KNOW I'm a geek."

I don't try to hide it (as much) anymore. I am what I am. A Bruce Campbell -loving, genre-fiction reading, talking-t-shirt wearing, internet-addicted geek.

But I'm totally "chic" about it.

Interesting side note, I only saw the word "chic" written in "Seventeen" magazine as a girl, so I thought it was "chick." So during the bell-bottom resurgence of Middle School years, I was certain I was "tres' hippy chick."

Embarrassing.