Counting Crows by Kathi Appelt

Illustrated by Rob Dunlavey.

The title sums up this book perfectly. You count crows a few at a time and then snacks until you reach twelve.

Thoughts: A fabulous book. The rhyming text flows beautifully. I love the counting, the snacks, and the sounds. The illustrations with their limited color palette (black, white, gray, and red) are wonderful. I've had fun sharing this book in storytime with several different themes. It's a great book for fall.

Themes: Numbers/Counting, Crows, Fall

(Atheneum, 2015)

Camp Rex by Molly Idle

Camping is a wonderful excursion for friends. But when your friends are dinosaurs, things get interesting.

Thoughts: I Love how the text is almost at odds with the illustrations. There's so much more going on in the illustrations than the text let's on. Makes for a hilarious story. Would pair well with Into the Woods by Susan Gal.

Themes: Camping, Dinosaurs

(Viking, 2014)

Flight School by Lita Judge

Penguin wants to fly. One problem: penguins can't fly. But with a little help from his friends, he just might.

Thoughts: Sweet story that also touches on science a little. (Flightless birds: what makes a bird a bird?) Lovely illustrations.

Themes: Birds, Penguins, Dreams

(Atheneum, 2014)

Peek-a-Boo Bunny by Holly Surplice

Join the bunny in his favorite game--hide and seek!

Thoughts: So glad Holly Surplice has a second book out. I love her About a Bear. This one features the same cast, but the bunny is the star. Lovely illustrations and engaging rhyming text. Would pair well with Hide & Seek by Il Sung Na and Hands Off My Honey by Jane Chapman.

Themes: Games, Rabbits, Forest

(Harper, 2014)

This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris

Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

A film about a moose. The only problem: the star refuses to act like a moose. What's a director to do?

Thoughts: Hilarious! This will be such a fun book to share with kids. Would pair well with Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett.

Themes: Moose, Interactive

(Little, Brown and Company, 2014)

It Is Night by Phyllis Rowand

Illustrated by Laura Pronzek

In the night, where do animals sleep?

Thoughts: Charming story. I wasn't familiar with it, but it seems timeless. I'm glad to make its acquaintance with new illustrations by Laura Pronzek. It Is Night will make a lovely addition to my bedtime storytime. Would pair well with Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue.

Themes: Night, Bedtime

(Greenwillow, 2014)

Is There a Dog In This Book? by Viviane Schwarz

The three cats in the book are sure they don't want to meet a dog. In fact, they spend a lot of time hiding from him, but could they be wrong dogs?

Thoughts: This will be a fun book for kids. The cats are almost hysterical in their hiding from the dog. The flaps are a fun addition.

Themes: Dogs, Cats 

(Candlewick, 2014)

Click, Clack, Peep by Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Farmer Brown just thought Duck was trouble. Now there's a baby duck on the farm and she can't sleep!

Thoughts: Fun, fun, fun! Anyone who has had a new baby will appreciate this book. A great book for spring.

Themes: Farm, Baby Animals, Spring

(Atheneum, 2015)

Sleeping Cinderella & Other Princess Mix-Ups by Stephanie Clarkson

Illustrated by Brigette Barrager

Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White are tired of their stories and decide to switch places. They discover changing stories didn't make them happy, but they have the power to change their stories.

Thoughts: What a fun book. Pair with The Great Fairy Tale Disaster by David Conway. The illustrations are fabulous especially the princesses' clothes. I love that they're not totally Disney. I look forward to sharing this with older kids perhaps at a princess party.

Themes: Folktales, Elementary

(Orchard Books, 2015)

Smick! by Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by Juana Medina

A dog named Smick, a stick, and a chick. Good story, that.

Thoughts: What a lovely book. The text is brief and the illustrations are just right. I love the bold black lines and the addition of some real items (the stick, what made chick). Smick! will be a great addition to my dogs storytime. Pair with City Dog, County Frog by Mo Willems.

Themes: Dogs, Friendship

(Viking, 2015)

Square Cat ABC by Elizabeth Schoonmaker

Companion to Square Cat

Eula is back! This time she has friends who arent other cats and a new hobby. It's an alphabetical adventure.

Thoughts: Love Eula and so happy she has a new book. This ABC book is something different. It goes through the alphabet, but it's more than a listing of letters. It's a story. 

Themes: Cats, Alphabet, Vegetables

(Aladdin, 2014)

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

This is the story of a bear and how he came to eat your sandwich.

Thoughts: Fun story! Surprise narrator (Dogs by Emily Gravett) and a bear in the city (Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson and Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki). I also like that the bear is black. So many of the good bear books have brown bears and we don't have brown bears in my neck of the woods. I love the illustrations--bright, detailed with a impressionistic feel. 

Themes: Bears, Food

(Knopf, 2015)

The Farmer's Away! Baa! Neigh! by Anne Vittur Kennedy

The farmer's in the field and the animals are having all sorts of fun.

Thoughts: Love the concept behind this book--animal sounds only, no words. This was a fun book to share in storytime and would pair well with Moo! by David LaRochelle. The illustrations are detailed and interesting.

Themes: Animal Sounds, Farm

(Candlewick, 2014)

Flannel Friday: Treasure Chests

I made these treasure chests to go along with my pirate storytime. I used an image from clker as a template and puff paint for the details. I added numbers to the lids to aid the kids in number recognition. Underneath the chests, I placed different colored felt circles. The goal of this set is for the kids to help the pirate duck find her lost treasure. (Hint: it's purple!) I made my pirate duck stick puppet with a free clipart image from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Jessica is hosting the roundup this week.

Important Links:

Flannel Friday Blog

Flannel Friday on Pinterest

Flannel Friday on Facebook

Follow Flannel Friday on Twitter with the hashtag #flannelstorytime.

Our September/October Flannel Friday Fairy Godmother is Amy C.  

The Monkey Goes Bananas by C. P. Bloom

Illustrated by Peter Raymundo

Two islands, one monkey, a bunch of bananas, and a shark. Do you see where this story is going?

Thoughts: What fun! Nice to have a monkey book where an alligator or crocodile isn't the villain. Almost wordless, it really lets the illustrations do the talking. Was great to share in storytime.

Themes: Monkeys, Sharks, Almost Wordless

(Abrams, 2014)

Breaking News: Bear Alert by David Biedrzycki

I think the title says it all.

Thoughts: What a fun book! Would be great to share for outreach storytime at the local elementary school. I love all the detail in the illustrations especially the menu at Teddy's Diner (inspiration for my next teddy bear picnic) and the nods to other famous bears (Pooh, Paddington). Bears touted as heroes remind me of the lion in How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens.

Themes: Bears, Elementary

(Charlesbridge, 2014)

Julia's House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke

"Julia's house came to town and settled by the sea."

(From the beginning, the idea of a moving house conjures up visions of Howl's Moving Castle and Baba Yaga's house. So I know this book will be good.)

Too quiet so she opens her home to lost/misplaced/displaced creatures among them are cats, trolls, Folletti (Italian imps), snail, mermaid, ghost, dragon, and goblins.

Too loud equals RULES.

Happily ever after.

Thoughts: This is a fabulous book. One of my favorites right up there with Dream Animals. 

(First Second, 2014)

Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack

A day in the life of a frog full of captures, escapes, and near death experiences all expressed by two little words--ah ha.

Thoughts: What a fun book! I enjoy sharing this book with my storytime kids. The illustrations are bold and colorful. Pair with other almost wordless books: Red Sled and Red Hat by Lita Judge and Moo! by David LaRochelle.

Themes: Frogs, Ponds, Almost Wordless 

(Chronicle, 2013)

Little Owl's Day by Divya Srinivasan

Companion to Little Owl's Night

Little Owl decides to stay up during the day instead of sleeping so he can experience daytime. He encounters animals and plants he's never seen before.

Thoughts: A lovely book! Lots of detail in the illustrations for kids to notice. The two Little Owl books would make a great storytime as well as a discussion about nocturnal and diurnal animals. Other similar books are Polar Bear Night and Polar Bear Morning by Lauren THompson.

Themes: Owls, Forest, Daytime


(Viking, 2014)

Flannel Friday Roundup for September 8, 2017

Here's your roundup for September 8!


Keith has 2 things to share this week: a visual for the rhyme Tick Tock and Neko Atsume and Bananya.

Kate has Five Pink Flamingos with an original rhyme.

Wendy has a witch!

I have elephants...in a bathtub and on a spiderweb.

Jessica is hosting the roundup next week.

Important Links:

Flannel Friday Blog

Flannel Friday on Pinterest

Flannel Friday on Facebook

Follow Flannel Friday on Twitter with the hashtag #flannelstorytime.

Our September/October Flannel Friday Fairy Godmother is Amy C.  

Flannel Friday: Elephants

This week's storytime theme was elephants and I made a few things to use on the flannel board. The two rhymes I found were variations of the "five little..." rhymes. One used a bathtub and the other a spiderweb. The patterns for the elephants and the bathtub came from clker. The pattern for the spiderweb was a coloring sheet I reformatted. Elephants have wiggle eyes and details in puff paint. The spider web was glued on to a felt sheet to add stability. The bathtub has a puff paint outline that I'm not thrilled with. It was supposed to be silver glitter and came out white. I may redo it.

Moo! by David LaRochelle

Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

A Cow. A Car. A crazy adventure all expressed or described with one word. Moo.

Thoughts: This book is pure magic! And I can testify that Moo! is indeed storytime gold. The kids love helping Cow moo. The illustrations are fun and bright. Pair with other almost wordless books: Red Hat and Red Sled by Lita Judge, Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack.

Themes: Cows, Cars, Almost Wordless

(Walker, 2013)

Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Everybody's favorite bear is back with a new adventure. THis time it's color. Out for a walk in the forest, Bear encounters blue, red, yellow, green, and brown.

Thoughts: Bear Sees Colors will be a great addition to my colors storytime. Pair with Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff. The illustrations are bright and colorful. A great book for spring. The book has potential for discussion and extension activities with kids. For example, naming things that are [insert color],  and the colors that weren't mentioned (orange, purple, pink, black, white, gray).

Themes: Bears, Forest, Colors, Spring

(Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014)

Telephone by Mac Barnett

Illustrated by Jen Carace

A mama bird on the power line sends a message along to her son Peter. But will the message reach him in time and in the same words as it was given?

Thoughts: I have fond memories of playing pass it on in elementary school. This would be a fun book to share with elementary students and then play a game of pass it on. The illustrations are bright and detailed. I like all the  different species of birds. Would pair well with Pass It On by Marilyn Sadler or Flight School by Lita Judge.

Themes: Birds, Words, Talking, Games, Elementary

(Chronicle, 2014)

A Bean, A Stalk, and A Boy Named Jack by William Joyce

Illustrated by Kenny Callicutt

Think you know the story of Jack and the beanstalk? You do? Well, that's nice, but are you sure?

Thoughts: This retelling of a familiar folktale is imaginative and irreverent. I can't wait to share it with students at the elementary school. The humor would be too much for my storytime kids. The illustrations are bright and interesting. I like that the text doesn't tell the whole story. The illustrations give plenty of opportunities for engagement questions.

Themes: Elementary, Folktales

(Atheneum, 2014)

Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet

The famed creator of the fun, interactive picture book Press Here returns this time to play with colors. Tullet covers primary and secondary colors as well as hues and shades.

Thoughts: Oh what fun this will be in storytime. It would also make a great basis for a preschool art program where the kids can play with color.

Themes: Colors, Interactive

(Chronicle, 2014)

Puddle Pug by Kim Norman

Illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi

Percy the pug loved puddles. But his perfect puddle belongs to some pigs and Mama pig doesn't like to share. What's a pug to do?

Thoughts: Too cute! Percy is a wonderful character. The story and its illustrations are great. Fabulous addition to dogs storytime. My favorite illustrations are the map and bringing Petunia home.

Themes: Dogs, Pigs

(Sterling, 2014)

A Moose That Says Moo by Jennifer Hamburg

Illustrated by Sue Truesdell

One girl imagines a zoo. It all starts with a moose that says moo!

Thoughts: Hilarious! Would pair well with My Garden by Kevin Henkes. I love a good book about imagination.

Themes: Zoos, Imagination

(FSG, 2014)