The Sky is Falling!

Storytime Books:

Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand

Summary: Twenty familiar Mother Goose nursery rhymes use pictures in place of words to entertain as they teach.

Old King Cole

Old King Cole

Was a merry old soul

And a merry old soul was he

He called for his pipe

And he called for his bowl

And he called for his fiddlers three

Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker

Summary:  Count from 1 to 10 with the big fat hen and all of her chicks.  This book revives a familiar rhyme.  Whether you have a baby who likes to be bounced to rhythm, a toddler who's learning number and counting, or a preschooler who can appreciate Baker's surprising ending, the big fat colorful illustrations stretch across pages and invite chorusing a rhyme that children have chanted for generation.

One Two Buckle My Shoe

One, two, 

Buckle my shoe

Three, four,

Shut the door

Five, six, 

Pick up sticks

Seven, eight,

Lay them straight

Nine, ten,

A big, fat hen

Henny-Penny by Harriet Ziefert

Summary:  "The sky is falling.  I must go and tell the king," says Henny Penny after an acorn falls on her head. In this easy reading adventure, Henny Penny is soon joined by her friends, the other farm yard animals until they meet the sly Foxy-Loxy.

Autumn Leaves Are Falling!

Storytime Books:

 

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

Summary:  The leaves have started to fall.  The air is cold.  Squirrel needs to get ready for winter.  He cannot nibble with the mice.  He does not have time to hop with the frogs or run with the dogs.  But there is one thing he can do!

Ouch! by Ragnhild Scamell

Summary:  Hedgehog has just finished building her winter nest and is giving one last yawn before she crawls in, when a juicy apple falls from the tree and gets stuck in her spines.  Now too big to fit into her nest, she asks the help of passing animals in getting it off.  But all their attempts backfire as more things get stuck to her.  When Squirrel pulls on the apple, three of his nuts stick.  When Hedgehog follows Pig's advice to roll on her back, a pear and a leaf are added to the collection.  Finally sporting an apple, three nuts, a leaf, a pear, a piece of paper, a water lily and four blackberries, Hedgehog happens to meet Goat, who welcomes the lunch she has brought him.

Storytime Song:

Ten Little Apples

(Sung to the tune of Ten Little Indians)

One little, two little, three little apples

Four little, five little, six little apples

Seven little, eight little, nine little apples

Ten little apples on the tree

Grey Squirrel by MaryLee on Baby-O-Activity Songs

Roly Poly by Juice Music on If Your Happy And You Know It Volume 3

Pirates...Arrr, Matey!

Storytime Books:

Pirate PiggyWiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox

Summary:  Yo-ho-ho!  The appealing little pig and his friends are swashbuckling through the seven seas!  PiggyWiggy, who's always exploring new career paths, now adds pirate to his adventures of fighting fires and exploring outer space.  He and his friends, including his beloved Teddy, don kerchiefs and eye patches, hoist the skull and crossbones, and set sail to a desert island, on the lookout for buried treasure.  Will they find it?  Of course they will but young readers may have to redefine buried treasure!

PiggyWiggy imagines what it would be like if he and his friends were swashbuckling pirates.

Bubble Bath Pirates! by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Summary:  "BATH TIME!" calls out the pirate mommy.  "ARGHHH!" answer her little pirates.  It's time to walk the plank for these two pirate pretenders.  To the refrain of "Yo ho, yo ho, it's off to the bath we go!" the pirates and their mommy make their way to a bath full of ships and suds and even a pirate rubber ducky.  After all hands on deck have been soaped and swabbed, it's time for a little pirate treasure of ice cream before bedtime!

Storytime Song:

A Pirate went to Sea

  (sung to "A Sailor went to Sea, Sea, Sea")

A pirate went to sea, sea, sea

  (move hands in curving motion to show ocean waves)

To see what he could see, see, see

  (place hand above eye and look around)

And all that he could see, see, see

  (place hand above eye and look around)

Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea

  (move hands in curving motion to show ocean waves)

Over the Deep Blue Sea

by Susan Salidor

When I was one, I had some fun, on the day I went to sea

I jumped abroad a pirate ship, and the captain said to me

He said go this way, that way, forward, backward, and over the deep blue sea

When I was two, I tied my shoe, on the day I went to sea

I jumped abroad a pirate ship, and the captain said to me

He said go this way, that way, forward, backward, and over the deep blue sea

When I was three, I skinned my knee, on the day I went to sea

I jumped abroad a pirate ship, and the captain said to me

He said go this way, that way, forward, backward, and over the deep blue sea

When I was four, I closed the door, on the day I went to sea

I jumped abroad a pirate ship, and the captain said to me

He said go this way, that way, forward, backward, and over the deep blue sea

When I was five, I did some hand jive, on the day I went to sea

I jumped abroad a pirate ship, and the captain said to me

He said go this way, that way, forward, backward, and over the deep blue sea

 YouTube video here

The Itsy Bitsy Spider!

Storytime Books:

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

Summary:  The farm animals, etc., horse, cow, sheep, goat, pig, cat, dog, and rooster try to divert a busy little spider from spinning her web, but she persists and produces a thing of both beauty and usefulness.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider Illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

(Children's Classic Nursery Rhyme)

The itsy bitsy spider

Went up the water spout

Down came the rain

And washed the spider out

Out came the sun

And dried up all the rain

And the itsy bitsy spider

Went up the spout again

I Know an Old Lady edited by Ann Owen

Summary:  I know an old lady who swallowed a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, cow, and horse.  Ann Owen presents an illustrated version of the traditional song along with some discussion of its folk origins. Includes music and seven verses of words.  

Storytime Songs:

Good Morning, Mr. Rooster by Super Simple Songs

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Baby Genius

Little Miss Muffet by Juice Music

Apple-mania!

Storytime Books:

Little Mouse's Big Secret by Eric Battut

Summary:  Shh...! Little Mouse has a secret! He's found a delicious-looking apple and doesn't want to share a bite.  So he buries it, and no matter how many of his friends ask what he hid, Little Mouse won't tell.  But when a tree sprouts from the seed of the fruit, there are enough apples for everyone-and Little Mouse realizes some secrets are even better when they're shared.

Ten Red Apples: A Bartholomew Counting Book by Virginia Miller

Summary:  In Bartholomew's garden there stands an old apple tree. Ba loves to climb it, swing from it, and rescue Little Black Kitten from its branches.  But best of all, he loves counting its delicious red apples before George shakes them into a basket to make hot apple pie.  In fact, Ba loves counting so much that he doesn't say "Nah!" once!

Fables: The Hen and the Apple Tree by Arnold Lobel

Summary:  There are many different fables in this book. "The Hen and the Apple Tree" is a fable about a wolf that pretends to be a tree in order to trick a hen.  The wolf tries to get the hen to come out and enjoy the cool shade of his leafy branches.  He did this so he could eat the hen, but the hen was too smart and did not fall for it.  The moral of this fable is "It is always difficult to pose as something that one is not."

Let's Play in the Forest by Claudia Rueda

Summary:  "Let's play in the forest while the wolf is not around," sing the animals in the forest.  "Wolf, are you there?" "I am putting on my underpants," Wolf answers.

As Duck, Bunny, Moose, Beaver, and others play between the trees, Wolf continues getting dressed: undershirt, pants, T-shirt, socks, and shoes.  By the time he has combed his hair and put on his backpack, Wolf is very hungry, and the animals are suddenly very afraid.

Luckily for the animals, Wolf is hungry for pancakes -- his favorite!

I found a cute story on YouTube called Hermie the Worm.  The children participated by saying the phrase "yum, yum, yum," and "do-whop, do-whop".  I used a green balloon to demonstrate the increasing size of Hermie.

Hermie the Worm

I was sittin' on a park bench

Chewin' my bubblegum

(yum, yum, yum)

Playin' with my yo-yo

(do-whop, do-whop)

when along came Hermie the Worm

and he was this big

(blow-up balloon to the size of an apple)

and I said "Hermie, what happened?"

and he said "I swallowed an apple".

Start from the first verse again..

Hermie continues to get bigger and bigger as he eats different fruits,... banana, orange, grapes, strawberries, and a peach.

The end:

I was sittin' on a parkbench

chewin' my bubblegum

(yum, yum, yum)

playin' with my yo-yo

(do-whop, do-whop)

when along came Hermie the Worm

and he was this big

(Let the air out of balloon.)

and I said "Hermie, what happened?"

and he said "I burped".

Storytime Songs:

The Apple Song

(Sung to the tune of Bingo)

I know a fruit that's good to eat

and apple is it's name-o

A-P-P-L-E

A-P-P-L-E

A-P-P-L-E

and apple is it's name-o!



Ten Little Apples
(Sung to the tune of Ten Little Indians)

One little, two little, three little apples
Four little, five little, six little apples
Seven little, eight little, nine little apples
Ten little apples on the tree.

(Countdown: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one)

I Like Apples by William Stark

Toes, Knees, Shoulders, and Head by Kimmy Schwimmy Volume 1

(Available in the library's Media Department)

Leaves are Falling all Around! 

Hibernation

(Sung to Alouette)

Hibernation.  Time for Hibernation.

Hibernation.  Time to go to sleep.

In the winter where's the bear?

Sleeping in its log or lair.

Where's the bear? Log or lair. OH!

Hibernation.  Time for Hibernation.

Hibernation.  Time to go to sleep.

(Shh...Go to Sleep)

Storytime Books:

Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Summary:  Bear is surprised when the leaves start falling off the trees, but when he tries to reattach them, it doesn't work.  Eventually, he gets sleepy, and burrows into the fallen leaves for a nap. When he wakes up, it's spring-and there are suddenly brand-new leaves all around, seeming to welcome him.

Sleepy Bear by Lydia Dabcovich

Summary:  It's getting cold, leaves are falling, birds are leaving, and bear is getting sleeping.  Short simple word phrases and bold outlined illustrations show how Bear hibernates and looks forward to spring.  

Time To Sleep by Denise Fleming

Summary:  Bear can tell...it is time to hibernate.  But before she crawls into her cave to go to sleep, she alerts Snail, who tells Skunk, who tells Turtle, and on and on, until silly, enthusiastic Ladybug awakens Bear to give her the news she already has...it is time to hibernate.

Song & Fingerplay:

Where Is Bear?

(Sung to Where Is Thumbkin)

Where is Bear? Where is Bear?
(Hide hands behind back)

Here I am!  Here I am!
(Show left thumb, then right thumb)

How are you today, Bear?
(Wiggle left thumb)

Very tired, I thank you.
(Wiggle right thumb)

Go to sleep.  Go to sleep.
(Hide left hand behind back, then right hand behind back)


(Continue with Snail, Skunk, Turtle, and Ladybug)

Storytime Songs:

Five Little Leaves  by Lynn Kleiner

Up And Down  by Oomba Baroomba

I Can't Wait to Hibernate  by Brent Holmes



More Books:

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
A leaf Can Be... by Laura Purdie Salas
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson
Trees, Leaves & Bark by Diane Burns
Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

The Wheels On The Bus...

Storytime Books:

Mary Had A Little Lamb by Mary Ann Hoberman

Summary:  This expanded version of the traditional rhyme shows what happens after the lamb gets to school.  Includes music on the last page.

Mother Goose  Rhyme:

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb.

Its fleece was white as snow;

And everywhere that Mary went,

The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,

Which was against the rules;

It made the children laugh and play,

To see a lamb at school.

Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready For School? by Barney Saltzberg

Summary:  Cornelius the pig has his own style when preparing for school in the morning, but he does not really feel ready until he gets a kiss.

Mother Goose Rhyme:

This Is The Way

This is the way we wash our hands,

Wash our hands, wash our hands.

This is the way we wash our hands,

So early in the morning.

This is the way we wash our face,

Wash our face, wash our face.

This is the way we wash our face,

So early in the morning.

This is the way we brush our teeth,

Brush our teeth, brush our teeth.

This is the way we brush our teeth,

So early in the morning.

This is the way we brush our hair,

Brush our hair, brush our hair.

This is the way we brush our hair,

So early in the morning.

This is the way we wave goodbye,

Wave goodbye, wave goodbye.

This is the way we wave goodbye,

So early in the morning.

(Use hand motions)

The Wheels On The Bus by Jane Cabrera

Summary:  "The wheels on the bus go round and round..." Yes, but what's on the bus?  Lots of adorable animals!  And they're not staying quiet.  The lion roars; the monkeys chatter.  The hyenas think the whole scene is ridiculous and are laughing hysterically.  Watch out for the crocodile, whose jaws go snap, snap, snap!

Traditional Song:

The Wheels On The Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round

Round and round, round and round

The wheel on the bus go round and round

All through the town.

(Roll hands over each other)

The people on the bus go up and down

Up and down, up and down

The people on the bus go up and down

All through the town.

(Raise hands high and low)

The horn on the bus goes "Beep, beep, beep

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep"

The horn on the bus goes "Beep, beep, beep"

All through the town.

(Pretend to honk horn)

The wipers on the bus goes "Swish, swish, swish

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish"

The wipers on the bus goes "Swish, swish, swish"

All through the town.

(Put hands in front and swish from side to side)

The driver on the bus says "Move on back

Move on back, move on back"

The driver on the bus says "Move on back"

All through the town.

(Thumb moving from front to back)

Storytime Songs:

Mary Had A Little Lamb by The Countdown Kids

The Wheels On The Bus by Twin Sisters 

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

Storytime Books:

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner

Summary:  Pretty ladybugs, fluttering butterflies, creepy daddy longlegs, and roly-poly bugs are some of the familiar creatures featured in this whimsically illustrated insect album.  Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! will inform and entertain curious little bug lovers everywhere.  

...oh and don't forget to count the ants!

Counting In The Garden by Kim Parker

Summary:  This book invites the reader to count the inhabitants of a garden, from one to ten, such as four bunnies and nine inchworms.

We planted flowers in our storytime garden as we sang this song:

 Out In The Garden
by Jean Warren

Out in the garden

Early in the morning

See the yellow flowers

All in a row

See the happy gardener

Coming out to pick them

Pick, pick, pick, pick

Off she goes

We repeated this song two times, each time changing the color of the flowers.

            
Butterfly Butterfly: A Book of Colors by Petr Horacek

Summary:  A little girl spies a colorful butterfly and plays with it in the garden.  The following day, she finds only a pink worm, a brown spider, a green beetle, a family of red ladybugs, an orange snail, three purple caterpillars, a blue dragonfly, and a yellow bee. She lies down in the grass to wait and suddenly, the butterfly flies into view.

Storytime Songs:

Roly Poly by Juice Music from album If Your Happy And You Know It

Lily The Ladybug by Music with Marnie from album Groovin' Through the Neighbourhood

The Caterpillar Song  by Piccolo Music from album Shake Rattle and Sing

More Bug Books:

I Love Bugs! by Emma Dodd
The Very Greedy Bee by Steve Smallman
In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming
The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn
Bugs Galore by Peter Stein
Big Bug, Little Bug by Paul Stickland

...and all the bug books by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Busy Spider
The Very Quiet Cricket
The Very Lonely Firefly
The Grouchy Ladybug
The Very Clumsy Click Beetle