If You Give A Mouse a Party

For my next children's program I would like to do a party for the mouse, pig, moose, and cat from the If You Give.. Series by Laura J. Numeroff. She has a great website that is chock full of ideas, printables, and online games from the series.

Mouse Cookie Books

I am still in the planning stage - but I hope to do this program in March 2010.

Colorlicious - saluting those popular books by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann

This past Saturday, I hosted a "Colorlicious Party" at my library. I began by reading aloud Pinkalicious and Purplicious by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann. After, all of the children decorated their our own pinkalicious cupcakes. We also served "pink juice" (cranberry juice and ginger ale). The kids also had activities at various tables including word jumbles, pinkalicious coloring pages, and make your own pink, purple and gold bracelets. I was able to get some great ideas for the party from http://www.elizabethkann.com/. It was a great event for a children's library program or even a birthday party - especially for those girly girls who love pink.

What party should I host next?? I'm thinking of a Fancy Nancy Party!

Storytime Ideas

I like storytime when I work at my local public library on Saturdays. I also really like having a theme - which can be difficult when the age range is 0-5 years old. I sometimes walk in to the library with a good theme in my head and then the books I need are not available. This is why I need to prepare in advance! Here is a list of some good websites for Storytime - whether in a school or library setting or at home.

Books to Grow On

The Best Kids Booksite

The Itty-Bitty Bookworm

Any other websites I have missed?

Children's Literature Events

I am back to blogging as I finally have a normal schedule again. The summer was very hectic and we never had a regular routine going. Now my days will be filled with preschool, library storytime, playdates, and the very important nap/quiet time.

I will be busy the next two weekends with exciting Children's Literature events. I am very fortunate to live outside of NYC, and there are many authors signings and festivals here in the next few months.

Here are a few worth mentioning if you love meeting children's authors....

Children's Book Day - Tarrytown, New York
I have attended this event before I had kids and I like it even more now that I have kids. The list of authors who will be signing books is very impressive. This event is divided into three sessions and there are books available for purchase right next to the author. There are even book characters that walk around, and a musical treat from the Magic Garden's Paula and Carol. I personally will be lining up to meet Rebecca Stead because I really enjoyed her When I Reach You novel.

The Great Children's Read - Columbia University, NYC
I attended this event last year with my twins. It is sponsored by The New York Times and Target. The event has famous actors/singers/celebrities reading books aloudon one stage , as well as children's authors and performers on another stage. This event is completely free and there is a huge tent hosted by Target where you may purchase books and cd's of the featured authors. If you look at the schedule you might not know where to go first.

Connecticut Children's Book Fair - Storrs, CT
I have never attended this event, but the fact that Lois Lowry will be signing books is enough for me to drive over an hour. It looks like a fun day for the kids too.


Are there any book festivals or author signings that you have attended?

Poetry for Three Year Olds

I must admit that I haven't been reading many poems to my twins. I have read many rhyming books and Mother Goose which is as close to poetry as I have come. I am also about to take an online course from the Association for Library Service to Children called Sharing Poetry with Children. So I wonder...

What are some good beginning poetry books for preschoolers?

Some recommended poetry collections are...

Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Prelutsky

anthology of 200 rhymes and verse that will turn your preschooler on to poetry.

The Fish Is Me!: Bathtime Rhymes by Neil Philip

Lather up with this collection of 18 effervescent poems about tub-time.

The Llama Who Had No Pajama by Mary Ann Hoberman

These 100 poems include silly poems as well as those that will get children to think about topics ranging from animals to family.

Eric Carle’s Animals Animals compiled by Laura Whipple.
Eric Carle’s vibrant artwork illustrates a selection of poems by a wide range of authors. Best for older preschoolers.

Are there any other favorite poets or poetry books for preschoolers that you like?

How Do Dinosaurs Series is a Favorite!

We have been enjoying the How Do Dinosaurs...series by Jane Yolen for a long time. I was reading aloud How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? when the twins were 6 months old. By the time they were one we were acting out some of the dinosaurs actions such as stomping feet and kissing goodnight. We now have the entire series and it is among our favorite read alouds. There are even 4 board books in addition to the 4 picture books. I just discovered that Scholastic has a great website on the How Do Dinosaurs... series. There are also great plush dinosaurs that go along with the books by Merrymakers. We have collected three of the dinosaur stuffed animals and the twins love to hold the dinosaur while we read the book. Now if I had an endless supply of money - I would buy these adorable dinosaur pj's....

It's All About Eric Carle...

My twins are obsessed with Eric Carle books this week. This obsession started when I borrowed The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories DVD from the library. It really is an adorable cartoon version of five of Eric Carle's books. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is and will always be a favorite, but the twins are asking for other Eric Carle books because of watching the DVD. First we borrowed Papa Get the Moon For Me. This book is excellent because of the fold out and pop out pages. They also enjoy the Mixed Up Chameleon. They seem to compare the book version to the movie version and tell me which parts are missing from the book. On our next library trip they would like to find The Very Quiet Cricket. I am very aware that sometimes the cricket sound is not working in the library's copy of the book and it really is important to the story that the cricket sound works properly. (As a librarian - this is the difficulty of Eric Carle's books...they are just not library friendly). I also want to find the Clumsy Click Beetle...another noise making insect story.

I really enjoy visiting the official website of Eric Carle. I also hope to visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art as well in the future. I'm not sure who will like the museum more - me or the twins.

What are some of your favorite Eric Carle books?

What We Are Reading Lately...

Our trip to the library provided the opportunity to borrow two brand new books! I just love brand new books - never touched and crisp and clean....




Puppies and Piggies - C. Rylant
a new picture book from Cynthia Rylant for the youngest of readers . I really like the rhyme and how the story takes us around the farm to meet various baby animals. Adorable illustrations - the twins love it.




The Tushy Book - F. Manushkin
one of my new favorite picture books. This is our second time borrowing it from the library because my twins were asking for it. It's all about tushies and it even has a website here.



I Took My Frog to The Library - E. Kimmel
this is one of my favorites from my school library days. Some of the story situations are out dated...card catalog anyone?, but the animals taking over the library made my kids smile and ask for it to be read again.

A Cuddle for Little Duck - C. Freedman
a new board book about a little duck's day. Cute rhyme and cute pictures. Great bedtime read.

Maisy Dresses Up - L. Cousins
Maisy gets read a lot in our house - this is a cute story about Maisy going to a costume party. Did I mention the twins love Maisy? We have our own Maisy Dolls. We have a Maisy playset. We even have a Maisy game. Maisy books are perfect for 2 year olds...and even for 3 year olds...not sure how long this fascination will last.

Anyone else have a child fascinated with a book character ???

Revisiting Arthur and DW

I was looking for some new characters to introduce to the twins and I found the "B" shelf at the library...and there was books by Marc Brown.

I remember how popular Arthur books by Marc Brown were in the 80's and 90's. I even remember reading Arthur's Eyes and watching it being featured on Reading Rainbow. There is also a great Arthur TV series on PBS Kids. I find the original stories early in the series to be the best written ones. I think my two favorite read alouds are Arthur's Valentine and Arthur's Halloween.

It is also fun to see how Arthur's sister DW (Dora Winifred - for those in the know) has evolved into her own book series. The twins have read two DW books...DW Flips and DW's Lost Blankie. The DW books are shorter and an easier to follow for the youngest readers.

What should my next Arthur or DW book be? Any other favorites?

Scholastic Warehouse Sale up to 80% off

Yesterday we went to a Scholastic Warehouse Sale at our nearest Scholastic Book Fair Headquarters in CT. To find one in your area - just type in your zip code or select your state. I recommend signing up for a Fast Pass and it even comes with a coupon. I used to work in a school district as a school librarian, but I am currently home with my kids. There is nobody checking if you are a current employee or not. If you are currently working for a school you can use a tax exempt form for even more savings. We found many titles we were looking for at the sale - we saved mostly 50% off the cover price although newer titles were only 25% off.

We found for the twins library :

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy

Scaredy Squirrel

KnuffleBunny Too

No David!

and a cute Dr. Seuss ABC card game

For Mommy:

The Willoughbys and The Last Lecture

We also found various stuffed animals, pencils and gift items.

A great way to find popular books at great savings!

What We Are Reading Lately...

We have visited the library a lot this past week with all of the rain. We selected a variety of books to read.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat - L. Colandro
a variation on There Was an Old Lady... cute for Halloween, but the rhyming is very awkward - the twins like it.

Ten in the Den - J. Butler
a version of the song Ten in the Bed/Roll Over - this is really cute - my daughter loves it. Great to read after reading or singing the original book or song.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? - M. Willems
this is our first book we have read in the Elephant and Piggie series. Just as cute as Mo's picture books - we will be checking out more soon. The twins love it.

Duck at the Door - J. Urbanovic
we read Duck Soup first by mistake, but this is the first book with Duck and Brody and friends. I like it much better and so do the twins. They like reading while holding the Max duck from Kohl's.

Maisy at the Library - L. Cousins
Big big Maisy fans in this house. We like these newer Maisy books - especially when she visits our favorite place. We also love visiting the Maisy Fun House website.

One Duck Stuck - P. Root
this is a book I have seen on many lists for toddlers and we finally read it. The twins love repeating the "I Will I Will" phrase. Cute read aloud.

Eileen Christelow and those monkeys!

We are big fans of the Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow. The illustrations are so much fun and I don't know what mom doesn't relate to the last page. I went to the library and picked up a few more Five Little Monkeys books...

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in A Tree - almost as much fun as jumping on the bed - great for storytime and can easily be made into a finger play or felt board. The twins loved saying "snap" for the Mr. Crocodile.

Five Little Monkeys Bake A Cake - cute and fun but not my favorite - not the twins favorite either.

Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do - this is a better story - the twins love when they get dirty all over again. I find the illustrations are more fun to look at than the actual story.

We seem to have a few more Five Little Monkeys books to get... Five Little Monkeys Wash The Car, Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping and Five Little Monkeys Play Hide and Seek.

I really like Eileen Christelow's website. There are great additional activities for the classroom and information on all on her books.

What We Are Reading This Week....

This week's trip to the library included:

Time to Pee! by Mo Willems
we are going to be potty training soon - this was a fun if not sophisticated potty book
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
our favorite new book - love using my grumpy voice!
Move by Jenkins/Page
I like Steve Jenkins' illustrations - this was simple and quick, but not so much fun for the twins.
Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins
a Lucy Cousins book without Maisy! We like the fun fishy pictures.
Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic
Went to Kohl's and bought the plush doll so we had to read the book - it's an ok story, but a bit much for 3 year olds.