Bedtime Storytime Round 2

When I got to work this Tuesday, I realized that I forgot to bring my pajamas and  fuzzy bumblebee slippers to work. Only in the world of youth services would this be a job crisis! Fortunately, I was able to run out to Marshall’s on my dinner break and get some PJ’s and sparkly blue slippers for this week’s Bedtime Storytime. It just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t dress the part!

We started as always with our hello song and introductions. This week I had seven children and four grown-ups participating. The kids were probably in the 3-6 age range.

After introductions, I read The Goodnight Train by June Sobel and illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. The children did not get as into it as I had expected. In retrospect, I think the whimsical illustrations in this book make it better for a one-on-one reading than a group reading. The pictures are my favorite part, and we were not able to give them the attention they deserve during story time.

We followed this with “5 in the Bed.” See my previous Bedtime Storytime post for the lyircs and the link to a video with the tune.

Next I read–or rather sang–Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.  This is one of my all time favorite picture books, and even though there is no music included I think it just begs to be sung. The kids were tapping and swaying along with the beat, so I think they agreed. One of the participants chose to check this one out at the end of storytime.

We followed this book with a finger play that I learned from day care teachers I used to work with:

This is the baby, ready for nap (hold up index finger)
Lay her in her mother’s lap (put finger in palm)
Wrap her up so she won’t peep (wrap fingers around index finger)
And rock that baby to sleep, sleep, sleep (rock hands back and forth)

After going through it once, I pause for a moment then have the baby wake up crying. I asked the children what they thought the baby needed. One child said “milk” so I pretended to feed a bottle to my finger and then we did the finger play again. We went through it several times until all the children who wanted to participate had the opportunity to do so. The baby got a pacifier, took a bath, and brushed her teeth before finally agreeing to go to sleep.

While we were on the topic of napping, I read I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems. Elephant and Piggie are always a hit, and the children started squealing with delight as soon as I held the book up. Even though they are technically easy readers, I think the Elephant and Piggie books are great fun to read aloud. The characters are so expressive! Needless to say, this book went home with a child at the end of the session.

To get some wiggles we did Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn Around (see previous Bedtime Storytime post for the words to this rhyme if you don’t know them).

Our last book of the evening was Sleepyheads by Sandra J. Howett and illustrated by Joyce Wan. The animals in the book are pictured, but never named, so that children had fun calling out the animal names. The only one that gave them some trouble was the otter–the kids thought it was a cat.

We ended with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and our Goodbye Song. After storytime ended, I could hear children walking around singing “We wave goodbye like this” which is always rewarding!

The Waltham Public Library will have Bedtime Storytime again on November 17th at 7:00PM.

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!