Flannel Friday: Build a Castle

This is an inspired by Flannel Friday idea. I found the idea on Miss Meg's Storytime and then tracked the idea to Falling Flannelboards and then to Mel's Desk.

This was a great idea to freshen up my fairy tales storytime and to use with bigger groups.

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Max and Bird by Ed Vere

Cats chase and sometimes eat birds. It's a fact. When Max meets Bird he plans to chase and maybe eat him. Bird has other plans. He suggests they be friends. Max agrees to be Bird's friend and help him learn to fly. Then they'll revisit the question of chasing and eating.

Thoughts: Max is a fun character. I enjoyed him in Max at Night. The addition of Bird to his story is a good one. Their exploration of friendship and attempts at flying are too funny. Max and Bird will make a great addition to my friendship storytime.

Themes: Cats, Birds, Friendship, Flying (Pair with Flight School)

(Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2016/2017[US].)

Morris Mole by Dan Yaccarino

When the Mole Brothers run out of food, the littlest mole, Morris, knows he can help, but but his brothers won't listen. The world above ground is a marvelous place. Morris sees wonderful things and meets nice people.

Thoughts: A lovely story about how being the smallest or different doesn't mean that you can't do great things. I love the black background used in the illustrations and the bright colors. Morris is quite dapper with his fedora and umbrella.

Themes: Moles, Underground, Siblings

(Harper, 2017.)

Flannel Friday: Blackbird Finger Puppets

I made these finger puppets to use during my numbers storytime. I used the free patterns and rhymes from Plano Public Library.

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Bulldozer Helps Out by Candace Fleming

The bigger trucks and machines are busy at the construction site. Bulldozer wants to help, but they all think he's too little.

Thoughts: A good solid book. The ending was unexpected. The text was much simpler than Bulldozer's Big Day. I love the illustrations. The bold black lines are great.

Themes: Construction, Cats

(Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. Atheneum, 2017.)

Monster's New Undies by Samantha Berger

Monster needs new underwear, but he's sure he won't like them as well as the pair he wore out.

Thoughts: Too funny! Monsters and underwear are two great themes. Together they just might be storytime gold. The illustrations are bright and colorful with a limited palette. I can't wait to use Monster's New Undies in storytime.

Themes: Monsters, Underwear

(Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. Orchard, 2017.)

Bookjoy, Wordjoy by Pat Mora

2018 Cybils Poetry Nominee

This collection is a celebration of the joy books and words can bring to life.

Thoughts: I love the ideas behind this book--to encourage kids to love reading and writing. Mora's Welcome and Note to Educators & Families both entice kids to try their hands at writing. My favorite poems are "Books and Me," "Library Magic," and "Writing Secrets." "Writing Secrets" especially is an invitation for readers to create their words and find joy in the creation. Colon's illustrations are joyful.

(Illustrated by Raul Colon. Lee & Low, 2018.)

Friends and Foes: Poems About Us All by Douglas Florian

2018 Cybils Poetry Nominee

25 poems explore the art of being friends and/or enemies.

Thoughts: This collection is so evocative for me. It brings back memories of childhood friendships and rivalries. Of course I'm an adult, but if the poems can bring those memories to my mind then I believe this book will ring true for the children who read it. Interactions or experiences cannot be simply good or bad. They are a mixture. Florian shows that fact with his poems. My favorite poems are "What Friends Are For," "You Don't," "We Used to Be Friends," "Moved," "Jealous," and "Friendship Is a Flower." As always I like Florian's illustrations because they remind me of what a kid would draw and ergo make the book visually appealing to children.

(Beach Lane Books, 2018.)

Flannel Friday: Penguins

For my penguin storytime in January, I realized I didn't have anything for my flannel board. So I made a set of five penguins along with 2 finger puppets. I used a free clipart image for the penguins and a free pattern from Repeat Crafter Me for the finger puppets.

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A Bunch of Punctuation selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

2018 Cybils Poetry Nominee

14 poems provide an introduction to punctuation.

Thoughts: A fun collection that kids interested in writing will pick up as well as teachers teaching punctuation. The poems are fun and witty. The illustrations are interesting. My favorite poems are "Comma" by Lee Bennett Hopkins, "!!!!!!!!--Superhero Kaboom--!!!!!!!!" by Julie Larios, "Question Mark" by Prince Redcloud, and "Lines Written for You to Think About" by Lee Bennett Hopkins. I love how "Lines..." functions as an invitation to write poetry and explore punctuation.

(Illustrated by Serge Bloch. Wordsong, 2018.)

With My Hands: Poems About Making Things by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

2018 Cybils Poetry Nominee 

26 poems explore all types of making from a child's point of view. 

Thoughts: I love this collection because I am a maker and it evokes wonderful memories from my elementary school art class.  Making is big right now with the makerspace movement in libraries and schools. This collection is timely. My favorite poems are "Card," "Tie-Dye Shirt," "Collage," "Fort," "Origami," and "Snowflakes." They bring back memories for me. For example, I am a card maker, but I remember cutting out holiday clipart from the local newspaper and gluing them on notebook paper to make cards as a child. 

I hope readers will find poems that resonate with them, but also poems that make them want to try a new kind of making. I want to give this collection to my elementary school art teacher and every crafty kid I know. I see myself using poems from this collection as intros to making programs. The illustrations are colorful yet soft and not overly stylized. They remind me of things a kid would actually create.

(Illustrated by Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson. Clarion, 2018. )

H Is for Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku Poems from A to Z by Sydell Rosendberg

2018 Cybils Poetry Finalist

Twenty six haiku capture moments in the city from A to Z.

Thoughts: Haiku has been one of my favorite forms of poetry since I was introduced to it as a high school freshman. In a college Japanese history class, I gave a presentation on haiku. As Rosenberg states in her note"What is haiku?", haiku cannot be gimmicked or shammed. Often writers strict adherence to the 5-7-5 rule results in stilted lines. Thankfully, Rosenberg avoids this. The twenty six haiku in this collection are authentic and fresh. Even though I know they were written some years ago, they have a timelessness. They could have been written yesterday or today. The poems are playful and visceral. The illustrations perfectly complement the poems. H Is for Haiku is a fun collection I think children will enjoy. My favorite poems are "first library card," "holding umbrella," and "lake water melting."  This collection makes me want to write haiku again.

Illustrated by Sawson Chalabi. Penny Candy Books, 2018.

Flannel Friday: Moose

I made these moose back in the fall for my moose storytime.

For the bigger moose, I used a pattern from Make Learning Fun (Rainbow Shape Animals).

For the smaller moose and the muffins, I used clipart. I already had 1 small moose and 1 muffin in my If You Give a... set. I made 4 more muffins and 2 more small moose.

I found rhymes and activities for my moose and muffins at The Door 2 Door Librarian, Make Learning Fun, and One Little Librarian.

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