HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS PRESENTS PICTURE PERFECT STORYTIME
People have been telling stories since the beginning of time, in many different places and in many different ways. Share the power of these stories with new listeners! TEN TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL STORYTIME
1. Choose books and materials that make you excited 8. After finishing the book, spend a few minutes about storytime. The children will pick up on your talking with your group. Ask them questions to enthusiasm and follow your lead. see if they’ve made any connections with previous knowledge, or answer new questions that might 2. Plan a variety of activities during storytime. Know have come up during the book. Let your group that every storytime group will have different needs. react and process the book together. If you overplan your storytime, you will be prepared if a group needs to be more active. 9. Get up and move once you finish a book. Your group will likely be ready for an activity after sitting for a 3. Define your storytime space. Use a rug or chairs and book. This is especially important if you’re reading cushions to show the area where you’ll be reading. to younger children who have a harder time sitting Before beginning storytime, set expectations for still. your listeners so they’ll know how to behave during storytime. 10. Once your storytime is over, take some time within the next day to evaluate how it went. If this is a 4. Practice reading the book aloud before taking it consistent group of children that you see on a into storytime. Make note of any tricky passages or regular basis, jot down notes about what elements difficult words to read. Use sticky notes attached to worked well or what you would change for next the back of the book to remind yourself of questions time. you want to ask the group or facts/details you want to point out. 5. Use an opening routine to help children realize that storytime is starting. This may be a song that you sing together, a rhyme like “Crisscross Applesauce,” or it can even be putting a magic reading hat on your head. 6. Introduce the book by reading the title. Depending on the age of the group, include the author and illustrator as well. Ask the children what they think the story will be about based on the front cover. Follow up with these predictions at the end. 7. Take natural pauses as you read the book. Ask questions, call attention to smaller details in the illustrations, define new vocabulary words, and check the children to make sure that the group is following the story line.
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Storytime tips prepared by Katie Salo, an Early Literacy Librarian in the Chicago suburbs. Art copyright © 2018 by Holly Hatam. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. THE DIGGER AND THE FLOWER BY JOSEPH KUEFLER
ABOUT THE BOOK
Each day, the big trucks go to work. They scoop and hoist and push. But when Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever.
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• WE BUILT THIS CITY: In the story, the trucks construct • PLANT A SEED: Digger was heartbroken when Dozer cut tall buildings, roadways, and bridges. Provide small down the little flower. But when he noticed the seeds groups of children with building materials such as left behind, Digger knew he could preserve the flower’s blocks, Legos, magnetic tiles, or cardboard. Ask life cycle. After discussing this with the children, have the children to collaborate, design, and build a city them plant flower seeds and take them home. Ask them together. Then have them write about it, including to observe the plants as they grow. Ask the children if creating a name for their city and providing descriptions they can identify the seeds in the plant. Ask parents to of some of the city’s components. Provide kids with an gather the seeds from the flower and plant them so the opportunity to view and read about each other’s cities. children can perpetuate their flower’s life cycle.
• TRUCK STOP: This story features a crane, a bulldozer, • FABULOUS FLOWERS: Assign small groups of children and an excavator/digger. Introduce the kids to different a color. Have them research different types of flowers kinds of construction vehicles. Then have the children of this color. For example, the group that researches choose a vehicle to draw, label, and cut out. They can flowers such as the little blue flower in this book might glue the vehicle onto another piece of paper and add a name the delphinium, morning glory, and cornflower. brief description about its function. Collate the pages Have each group create a poster that includes at least into a book. eight flowers having that color.
• PARK IT: Discuss how the story ended. Where did Digger plant the seeds? What happened to the flowers? Then show the children a map of Manhattan. Ask if they can identify the large green rectangle in the center of Manhattan (Central Park) and discuss how the city built in this book could have been designed differently. Ask the children if they think it would have been possible to include a garden or park in this city. Why or why not?
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Art copyright © 2018 by Joseph Kuefler. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. WHAT’S COOKING, MOO MOO? BY TIM MILLER
ABOUT THE BOOK
Moo Moo serves up another half-baked scheme—and loyal Mr. Quackers goes along for the ride—in this madcap follow-up to Moo Moo in a Tutu. Bon appétit!
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• RESTAURANT ROW: Ask the children to imagine they are • FOOD FAIR: Hold a Food Fair by asking the children to opening a restaurant. Have them choose a name for their bring in one of their favorite foods. Each food should restaurant and create a menu by drawing and labeling be accompanied by a recipe and ingredient list (in 6–8 foods they would “serve” at their restaurant. Then case children in the group have allergies). Discuss have the kids add prices to their menu items. Young which foods were new to children and why they liked children should price items 10 cents or less, while older each other’s contributions. Collate the recipes into a children can use larger amounts. Then divide the group cookbook. in half and explain that one group of children will be “customers” going to a restaurant and “ordering” food, • TAKE A VACATION: Moo Moo and Mr. Quackers decide while the other group will be the “restaurant owners.” to go on vacation, but it doesn’t turn out to be the kind The owners should have order pads (staple several small of vacation Mr. Quackers envisioned. Ask the children sheets of lined paper onto a piece of tagboard). When to write about their ideal vacation destination. Where the customers “order” their food, the owners should would they go? Why? What would they do there? record their choices on the order pad. Then they must total up the bill. The customers can use plastic coins • BANK ON IT: Moo Moo finds Mr. Quackers’ piggy to “pay” for their food. Then have the children switch bank filled with his life savings and decides to buya roles so that everyone has an opportunity to be both restaurant. Ask the children to think about what they an owner and a customer. would do with their life savings. Have them “turn and talk” with a partner to share their ideas. Then have the children design a bank they can use for saving their allowance, birthday money, etc. Banks can be made from materials such as cartons, plastic containers, or boxes.
• SAME AND DIFFERENT: Ask the children to think about Moo Moo’s and Mr. Quackers’ personality traits. How are the two characters alike? How are they different? Have children discuss this in small groups. Then ask the children to think about which character is more like themselves and explain why in writing.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Tim Miller. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. WIDE-AWAKE BEAR BY PAT ZIETLOW MILLER ILLUSTRATED BY JEAN KIM
ABOUT THE BOOK
Every baby bear knows the warmth of spring only comes after sleeping through the cold of winter. For little cub Elliott, however, it’s not that easy. First, something tickles his nose, rousing him from a dream, and then every shadow, noise, and passing thought keeps him up. No amount of fluffing of his pillow or tossing and turning will help. He even tries nudging his mom out of her slumber! But he’s . . . Still. Wide. Awake.
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• WHO HIBERNATES?: Discuss why animals hibernate. will be writing a “how-to” story describing how to fall Then, in small groups or individually, have the children asleep. Introduce the temporal words first, next, then, research and write about animals that hibernate. They and finally, and have the children use these words in should include a drawing of their chosen animal and their story. list several facts about it. Then these pages can be collated into a book. • HOLDING PATTERN: After reading the story, ask the children to recall what part of the story keeps repeating • SUPER SPLENDID SYNONYMS: The author sometimes (“Still. Wide. Awake.”). Ask them when the pattern includes synonyms in this story. Discuss why words finally changes (“Slept. Until. Spring.”). As a group, write such as “dark and dreary,” “whimpered and whined,” a story with a repetitive language pattern. At the end and “shivered and quivered” are considered synonyms. of the story, the pattern should change. Reproduce the Then ask the children to brainstorm other pairs of story and have children illustrate their own copy. synonyms (e.g. big and large, raced and ran, jump and leap). Have each child choose a pair of synonyms to • SPRING HAS SPRUNG!: Ask the children to recall record and illustrate. what things Elliott missed about spring (e.g. “golden sunshine,” “soft grass,” “budding flowers,” or “leafy • I CAN’T SLEEP!: Ask the children if they ever have trees”). Make a list of the characteristics of spring. difficulty falling asleep, and then discuss what they do Then have the children create a spring collage, using a to help themselves get to sleep. Tell the children they variety of materials to design a spring picture.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Jean Kim. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. I AM ENOUGH BY GRACE BYERS ILLUSTRATED BY KETURAH A. BOBO
ABOUT THE BOOK
We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it.
The perfect debut picture book for our times: a lyrical ode to self-confidence and kindness, for all girls, from Empire actress and activist Grace Byers and newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• IT’S ALL ABOUT ME: Ask the group to recall some of • GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP: Give each child a lined page with the activities that the characters enjoyed doing in the heading “_____’s Gift of Friendship” and have them this story. Then tell the children they will be creating write their name in the blank space. Then ask the a “Me Mobile.” Give each child 3–5 pieces of tagboard. children to walk around the room with their sheets of Have the children draw an activity that they enjoy on paper. They should write a sentence about each child each piece. Hole-punch the top of each piece, and tie on each Gift of Friendship page. For example, a child a piece of yarn to it. Use different lengths and colors of might write, “You are a great soccer player” or “Thank yarn. Then tie each piece to a hanger. you for being such a good friend” on their friend’s page. After the children have circled the room and written • CAN I INTERVIEW YOU?: Discuss how the children in on everyone’s page, they will enjoy reading what their this story are the same in some ways and different friends have written on their own Gift of Friendship in others. Ask the children to interview each other to page. This esteem-building activity celebrates friend- learn about what they have in common and what makes ship and diversity. them different. Celebrate everyone’s similarities and differences by sharing the interviews with the rest of • FRIENDSHIP AWARDS: Have children pull a friend’s the group. name out of a basket. Ask the children to think about that person and decide which of that person’s qualities or skills they would like to highlight. Give the children an award ribbon template and have them write a category in the center such as “Best Reader Award,” “Funny Friend Award,” or “Math Whiz Award.” The children should decorate and cut out the award ribbon. Then hold an Award Ceremony in which you announce the awards and present them to the group.
• I AM LIKE . . . : The author uses similes and lyrical lan- guage to celebrate the joys and talents of the chil- dren in her book. She writes, “Like the sun, I’m here to shine” and “Like the champ, I’m here to fight.” Have the children choose an idea from the book that describes themselves, or ask them to develop their own. The chil- dren should record their idea and illustrate it. Then col- late these pages into a book.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Keturah A. Bobo. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. PETE THE CAT: THE PETES GO MARCHING BY JAMES DEAN
ABOUT THE BOOK
#1 New York Times bestseller James Dean puts a groovy spin to the classic children’s song “The Ants Go Marching” with everyone’s favorite cool cat. Join Pete the Cat as he rocks out to this classic tune with a supercool twist. Children are sure to want to march along with Pete, 1, 2, 3!
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• ONE MORE: Discuss the number pattern in this story, to watch the leader carefully and to follow along with how each page adds another “marching Pete.” Then as the child in front of them. Switch leaders often so that a group, write a story with a similar ascending number many children have an opportunity to lead. pattern. Have the children embellish the story with illustrations. • WHAT TIME IS IT?: Show the children the last few pages of the story and discuss what time is shown on the • FACE THE MUSIC: Ask the children to focus on the clock (7:00). Discuss how to read time to the hour on instruments they see as you reread the story (guitar, an analog clock. (Older children can learn about time tambourine, drums, piano). To highlight these instru- to the hour and half hour.) Then have children construct ments, play snippets of music featuring one of these a clock using a paper plate, pre-cut hour and minute instruments and ask the children if they can identify hands, and a brass fastener. After the clocks are made, the instrument being played. Then have the children pair up the children and have them take turns with one make their own musical instrument. A few examples child naming a time to the hour and the other child include making maracas out of plastic spoons and a showing that time on their clock. plastic egg, making kazoos from a cardboard tube and waxed paper, or designing stringed instruments with a cardboard box and several rubber bands.
• NAME THAT BAND: In this story, Pete’s band is named “Pete the Cat and His Band.” Ask the children to imagine what they would name their own band. Then have the children work in small groups to form a “band.” They must choose a name for their band, and then use the instruments from the previous activity to perform a song for the group.
• FOLLOW THE LEADER: As Pete marches by, his friends march along behind him. Have the children form a single line and play a Follow-the-Leader game. The leader begins marching and the others follow along. Then the leader should change movements, perhaps hopping, skipping, galloping, or tiptoeing. Challenge the children
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Art copyright © 2018 by James Dean. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. FANCY NANCY: OODLES OF KITTENS BY JANE O’CONNOR ILLUSTRATED BY ROBIN PREISS GLASSER
ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s raining, and Nancy hears a strange sound coming from outside. Nancy and Bree decide to investigate, and what do they find? Lo and behold! It’s oodles of adorable kittens! (Oodles is fancy for a lot.) After finding some of the kittens good homes, Nancy and Bree each get to keep one for themselves. That’s until Nancy’s new kitten meets her posh pup, Frenchy. Will Nancy’s two pets ever get along? Will Nancy be able to love them both the same?
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• OH BABY: Most children know that baby cats are called • LANGUAGE LEARNING: Nancy speaks words in French kittens and baby bears are called cubs. But do they (merci, au revoir, voilà) in the story. Ask the children know that a baby alligator is a hatchling, a baby goose to share any words they know in other languages. Have is a gosling, a baby llama is a cria, and a baby kangaroo them teach these words to the rest of the group. is a joey? Explore the names of animal babies and list You can also teach the children how to say hello and them on a chart. Then have the children choose a few goodbye in several languages. to record and illustrate. • TAKE CARE: Nancy’s parents remind her that pets need • PICK A PET: Nancy, Bree, and Mrs. DeVine find a stray care and attention. Have a group discussion about cat and kittens, and the girls are lucky enough to keep caring for pets. Then ask the children to write a “how- a kitten. Ask the children what pet they would want if to” story about caring for a pet. (Younger children can they were able to choose. List six of their choices on draw pictures to illustrate their ideas.) a chart. Then have the children indicate their favorite pet on the list. As a group (older children can do this activity individually), total the tallies and make a bar graph representing the data. Ask the children to refer to the graph when answering questions such as, “Which pet is the most popular?” “Which is the least?” “How many more children chose cats than chose dogs?”
• VALUABLE VOCAB: Nancy introduces the reader to new vocabulary words, including “oodles,” “dismal,” “investigate,” “hyperventilating,” “nurturing,” “frantic,” and “mature.” Ask the children to define these words and use them in a sentence. Then challenge the children to include this new vocabulary in a personal narrative story.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Robin Preiss Glasser. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. AVA AND Av a nd the Ribo THE RAINBOW w (Wh Stayed) (WHO STAYED) BY GED ADAMSON
ABOUT THE BOOK
The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. And Ava knew that meant one thing . . . A RAINBOW! And not just any rainbow—this was the most beautiful rainbow Ava had ever seen. She wished that it could stay up in the bright sky forever. When the rainbow was still there the next day, and the next day, Ava realized it was true—the rainbow had decided to stay! Everyone loved the rainbow as much as Ava. And she was happy. But when people start to lose interest in the rainbow, Ava learns that sometimes the rare and special things in life are the most valuable and precious of all.
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• RAINBOW TALK: Have a group discussion about what • TODAY’S SPECIAL: Discuss why people think rainbows causes a rainbow to form. With young children, discuss are special, and why the townspeople in this story how sunlight and rain combine to form a rainbow. Older began to ignore the rainbow. If something occurs children can also learn about white light and refraction. all the time, is it special? What if it snowed all year long, or if we had our birthday every day? Would these • COLOR ME A RAINBOW: Review the colors of the rainbow things continue to be special, or eventually would they and teach the children the mnemonic “ROY G. BIV” to be taken for granted? Ask the children to think about remember the order of the colors. Have children color special things that happen infrequently and write a a rainbow using the correct color order. Children can personal narrative story about a “special” experience also label the arcs of the rainbow to practice spelling they have had. the color words. • PRETTY PRISMS: Provide prisms for small groups of • COLOR CREATOR: Provide pairs of children with primary children. Challenge them to form a rainbow using color paints (red, blue, yellow). Have the children use sunlight or a flashlight. Then discuss how prisms combinations to make more rainbow colors (red and can create rainbows. Show a video (for example, yellow, red and blue, blue and yellow). Before the colors http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1894091 are mixed together, ask the children to predict what /How-do-prisms-create-rainbows) or draw a diagram to new color will form. After mixing colors to create explain how a prism works. orange, purple, and green, the children can paint a picture of their choice.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Ged Adamson. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. IF THE S IN MOOSE COMES LOOSE BY PETER HERMANN ILLUSTRATED BY MATTHEW CORDELL
ABOUT THE BOOK
Rollicking, clever, and a great way to have fun with letters, If the S in Moose Comes Loose is a seriously wild ride from start to finish. When two of Moose’s letters come loose, he vanishes. Poof! But his best friend, Cow, has an idea: she’ll find a G, an L, a U, and an E and glue M-O-O-S-E back together, better than ever! But it’s not as easy as it sounds . . . .
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• NAME THAT ANIMAL: Ask the children to recall the • ANIMAL WORD PLAY: Play two games with animal animals in the story and list them on a chart. Then give names. In the first game, you name an animal and then the group 2–3 clues and have them guess which animal ask the children to come up with words that rhyme. For you are describing. After a few examples, have the example, if you say “goat,” the children could respond children take turns giving clues. To make the activity with “boat” and “coat.” Record the rhymes and then more challenging, include animals that are not on the have the group read them aloud after the game is chart. Older children can write down their clues and finished. The second game focuses on the first letter then switch with different partners. of animal names. You say an animal name, and then the children should suggest other animals that start with • LETTER SWAP: Write a word on a whiteboard or use the same letter. For example, if you say, “chicken,” then magnetic letters to form the word. Tell the children that the children might answer with “cheetah,” “chinchilla,” they will need to change one letter to make a new word. and “chimp.” Again, record their ideas on a chart so At first, tell the children what word they will be forming. that the group can read them aloud after the game. For example, start with the word “name,” but then ask them to change one letter to make “fame,” then “fate,” • WORD SEARCH SAFARI: First model how to make a word then “date,” and then “dote.” Do this several times. search puzzle. Show the children a blank word search Then, give the children a starting word, but let them template (grid with empty boxes on the top of the determine what new word they can form by changing page, six short lines on the bottom half of the page) only one letter. and have them suggest six animals to include in the puzzle. Write an animal name on one of the lines below • LOTS OF LETTERS: Give the children a group of letter the grid, and then put that name in the grid by writing tiles (4–6 consonants and 2–3 vowels) and challenge each letter in one box. The word must be written in a them to make as many words as they can from these straight line either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. tiles. First, do this as a group to model the activity, Then write the next animal name on a line, and then and then have children work individually or in pairs with add it to the grid. After you have put all six animals their own set of letter tiles. Have the children record in the grid, fill in all the remaining boxes with random the words that they make and then instruct them to letters, and then show the children how to hunt for the read the words aloud when they have finished. animal names and circle them. After you model this activity, give the children their own blank word search template and have them make their own puzzle. When completed, they should trade puzzles with a partner.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Matthew Cordell. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. DEAR GIRL, BY AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL AND PARIS ROSENTHAL ILLUSTRATED BY HOLLY HATAM
ABOUT THE BOOK
Dear Girl, This book is for you. Wonderful, smart, beautiful you. If you ever need a reminder, just turn to any page in this book and know that you are special and you are loved.
STORYTIME ACTIVITIES
• DEAR READER: In this story, the authors suggest ways • BE BRAVE: “Listen to your brave side,” say the authors. for children to feel confident and to celebrate who Ask the children to write about a time when they were they are. Ask the children to think about what makes feeling nervous or scared, but decided to be brave. How them feel proud, happy, and strong. Then have the did they overcome their fear? How did this make them children write a “Dear Reader” letter, sharing their own feel? thoughts about celebrating their unique attributes and feeling good about themselves.
• MIXED FEELINGS: Discuss the different emotions that the little girl feels in the story. List these feelings (e.g. joyful, thankful, proud, sad, excited, energetic, silly) on a chart. Then have the children write about a time when they experienced one of these feelings.
• HERE’S WHAT I THINK: The authors suggest that readers “write down your thoughts once in a while, even if it’s just to enjoy the way your pen feels against the paper.” Give each child a personal journal to jot down their thoughts and feelings. Let the children decorate the cover to personalize their journal.
• WORK THE ROOM: The authors say to “Make your room awesome. Make your room you.” Ask the children to design their ideal room. What would it look like? What special features would it have? Have the children draw and label a detailed picture of their dream room.
• SHAKE ON IT: Like the friends in this story, have the children make up a special handshake with a partner. Then have them demonstrate it for the rest of the group.
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Art copyright © 2018 by Holly Hatam. Permission to reproduce and distribute this page has been granted by the copyright holder, HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.