• Activities

    Storytime Theme: Onomatopoeia

    Onomatopoeia storytime header

    I think onomatopoeia is probably one of the coolest English words. Onomatopoeia is basically a word that represents a sounds, think moo, crash, boom, beep! And, it’s a lot of fun at the toddler and preschool level because they’re learning all about the world around them – what sounds to…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Hispanic Heritage Month

    Hispanic Heritage Month Storytime header

    Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from September 15 – October 15 to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic culture in the United States. We’re celebrating by highlighting Hispanic picture book authors and illustrators, music, rhymes, and crafts. I’m going to throw in a huge caveat to this lesson…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Fire Safety

    Fire Safety storytime header

    Fire Safety Week occurs each October and it’s important to make sure your kids have the information they need in case of an emergency. Things like how to dial 9-1-1, or what your address is, or your meeting spot outside the house in case of fire. And while you hope…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Inventions

    Inventions Storytime header

    This was a little trickier of a storytime lesson plan, but I think it’s worth it! Teaching kids about inventing things encourages creativity, imagination, deduction and reasoning and so much more. Plus, it teaches kids that sometimes failing at something the first or (hundredth) time you try something is okay.…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Bicycles

    Storytime Theme: Bicycles Header

    This is a little different in terms of storytimes, because I think it would best suit preschoolers and even early elementary school age. I think if you chose carefully, you could still create a solid toddler plan, but I think the subject matter lends itself more for a little bit…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Circles

    Circle Storytime header

    Here comes a circle storytime! Can you believe I haven’t done a circles-themed storytime before? And while general shape books are easy to find, it’s not as easy to find a specific shape that is the main subject for the entire story. So, with that, I stretched out beyond just…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Peas & Carrots

    Peas & Carrots Storytime header

    I stumbled across this adorable storytime theme as I was trying to think of new ideas to try on my blog and I thought it was too cute to pass up! What’s great about stoytime is that ten different people can host a storytime on the same theme and each…

  • Lists

    12 Read Alikes for Harold and the Purple Crayon

    purple crayon

    Harold and the Purple Crayon is a classic in children’s literature, written by Crockett Johnson. It was published in 1955 by Harper Collins. It’s the story of a four-year-old boy who takes a purple crayon on a nighttime adventure drawing the things he needs for a great big adventure. And…

  • Reviews

    Learn Well, You Will with Star Wars Workbooks

    My most recent review box from Workman Publishing came to me with an awesome surprise – Star Wars workbooks! I was given 3rd Grade Reading and Writing and 3rd Grade Math as well as 4th Grade Reading and Writing and 4th Grade Math, but as you can see from the…

  • Lifestyle

    Sharing Picture Books with Preschool Teachers

    This week, I got the chance to speak in front of preschool teachers during an in-service day about children’s literature trends and share some great new titles that have been published in the past couple of years. The preschool reached out to the library looking for some sort of presentation…