Bedtime Storytime for Families

I had my first storytime at the Waltham Public Library on Tuesday evening. It was the first in a series of bedtime storytimes that my co-worker and I will be doing throughout October and November. We advertised with flyers and told the kids they were welcome to come in their PJ’s and bring a teddy bear. I was so excited! I wore my flannel PJ’s with owls on them and fuzzy slippers shaped like bumblebees. A total of six children from toddlers to kindergarteners joined in the fun.

First I read No Sleep for the Sheep, written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic. This book tells the story of a very tired, frazzled sheep. Every time he falls asleep, something wakes him up! The children had fun joining in with the animal sounds.

Then we sang the long version of “10 in the Bed” that I learned as a kid watching Sharon, Lois, & Bram’s Elephant Show. We started with five, because I thought doing all ten would be too long:

Five in the Bed:

There were five in the bed and the little one said
“Roll over, roll over.”
So they all rolled over and one fell out
and he gave a little scream, and he gave a little shout.

Please remember to tie a knot in your pajamas!
Single beds were only made for 1, 2, 3, 4

There were four in the bed and the little one said…

(repeat until you get to one)

There was one in the bed and the little one said

“I’ve got the whole bed to myself!
I’ve got the whole bed to myself!
I’ve got the whole bed to myself!
I’ve got the whole bed to myself!”

For the whole tune, go here.

For our second book, we read Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. I pointed out the Caldecott Honor medal on the front cover and asked the children to pay special attention to the art work in the book to see if they thought it was special enough to win an award.

 

After one of the kids mentioned that they didn’t like bedtime, I decided to read Bedtime is Canceled by Cece Meng and illustrated by Aurélie Neyret. When Maggie and her brother write a note that says “Bedtime is canceled,” they have no idea that it will end up on the desk of a newspaper reporter. Soon the whole town knows there will be no bedtime. Hilarity ensues as the grown-ups become too exhausted to function. Several of the children were laughing out loud for this one, particularly the older ones.

To stretch out and get some wiggles out, we did the Teddy Bear Rhyme:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, reach up high.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the sky.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the light.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say goodnight.

We finished our books out with Il Sung Na’s Book of Sleep. The kids contributed by naming the different animals on the different spreads. In retrospect, I should not have paired this book with Sleep Like a Tiger in that they are pretty similar: different animals sleeping and gorgeous, unusual art.

Of course it wouldn’t be bedtime storytime without a lullaby. So we ended with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

Overall, the children seemed to enjoy themselves. No Sleep for the Sheep and Sleep Like a Tiger were both checked out by children who attended the program.

Waltham Public Library will be having Bedtime Storytime on October 27th, November 3rd, and November 17th at 7:00 PM. We’d love to see you there!