• Lists

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 6/27/16

    Summer reading means being busy all week and this weekend was packed with birthday parties, barbeques and graduation parties. That being said, I did get to do some reading – and some great stories at that! I read The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald, who also wrote Under the Egg. I love art…

  • Lifestyle

    Summer Reading: Book Lists and Tips for Every Age

    Penguin Random House is on point right now, promoting audiobooks at the gym and partnering to create Brightly – a resources for families to encourage and engage lifelong readers.  And what I appreciate so much about Brightly is that recommendations are not only books published by Penguin Random House, but by…

  • Lists

    LGBT Pride Month

    I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings Red: A Crayon Story by Michael Hall Worm Loves Worm by J. J. Austrian Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah Hoffman This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa…

  • Activities

    Family Storytime Theme: Fire-Breathing Dragons

    Opening: “Hello” with sign language Hello, friends. (x3) It’s time to say hello. Puppet Meet & Greet: Meet Woolly (monkey puppet) Early Literacy Tip: “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…

  • Activities

    Family Storytime Theme: Superheroes

    Opening: “Hello” with sign language Hello, friends. (x3) It’s time to say hello. Puppet Meet & Greet: Meet Woolly (monkey puppet)  Early Literacy Tip: “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…

  • Lifestyle

    Cruise Into Kindergarten Bulletin Board

    Pennsylvania Public Libraries have created the Cruise Into Kindergarten model to promote early literacy programs and book lists in public libraries.  Many states libraries and associations are adopting similar models to promote just how much public libraries offer their residents in terms of early literacy – in storytimes, STEAM programs,…

  • Reviews

    Book Review: The Nest

    I am not a huge fan of horror fiction… it scares me just a little too much.  Coraline was absolutely frightening, Doll Bones terrified me and even though I’ve met Mary Downing Hahn, I didn’t have to guts to tell her I’ve never read her work because I hate being scared.…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Winter Clothing

    mittens

    I am so impressed with this group of kids, I’ve chosen some longer books and they will sit through them!  The kids were absolutely giggling over Froggy Gets Dessed this morning and love doing our wiggle song, “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom” and really liked jumping to Jim Gills’s “Jumping & Counting”…

  • Lifestyle

    World Read Aloud Day

    Today is World Read Aloud Day, an initiative that calls global attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories.  I’ve mentioned before on my blog that my parents read aloud to us for as long as I could remember.  Evenings were spent snuggled up in my brothers’ room…

  • Activities

    Family Storytime Theme: Colorful Chameleons

    This storytime was awesome!  I enjoy my Saturday crowds because they are a lot of families that I don’t see during the week and are usually very into participating.  The kids LOVED the fish song and (once they figured it out) the “Mmm Ahh” song too!  They were also captivated…