Book Review: Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr.

If you heard a squeal of delight in the library today, it wasn't coming from the children's area. It was coming from the back, where I finally got my hot little hands on Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Lois Ehlert.

I'm a Ehlert fanatic, so there is no surprise that I love this book. The big surprise was that I love it even more than its predecessors: Eating the Alphabet, Planting a Rainbow and Color Zoo. Bill Martin Jr. adds zest with his rhyming, lyrical text. From the beautiful cover to the last pages of large numbers accompanied by illustrations. It is the perfect storytime book.

One World, Many Stories: Africa

It happened, again! The Summer Reading Club is a force of its own. One that demands all of my attention and focus. Now, I'm going to play catch up and finish posting the activities we did this summer.

There are spiders in Africa?!

One of the most famous characters from African folklore is Anansi the spider. Even though I was pretty sure I would have some frightened children on my hands, I still told stories about this trickster.

2s & 3s

Although many children start developing a fear of bugs, especially spiders, at this age, they will always sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." After I read Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric Kimmel, we sang this classic tune. Next, I told the story of The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle with beautiful watercolor laminated figures made by Jo Kay. The children chanted with me, "She was too busy making her web." After sitting for so long, the little ones were ready with some wiggles and giggles. I taught them Criss-Cross Applesauce and partnered them with their caregiver.

Criss-Cross Applesauce

Criss-cross applesauce (parent traces an X on child's back)
Spiders crawling up your back (parent climbs fingers up and down child's back)
Cool breeze (parent blows on child's neck)
Tight squeeze (parent gives child a hug)
Now you've got the shivers! (parent tickles child)

Once all the wiggles and giggles were out, we read The Not So Itsy-Bitsy Spider by Dawn Bentley. I loved this book, but the children were anxious for the next activity. I can't tell if they are always looking forward to the musical instrument/scarf time, or I'm making poor choices in books.

We matched flannel spiders in different colors for the matching game. I used the Ellison die-cut to make 5 different colors of spiders for the children to put on the board. Some of them were even scared to touch the flannel spiders, which I hadn't anticipated. Instead of musical instruments this week, we used the color scarves. I'm always surprised by how much the children enjoy playing with these. We sang our "Wave Our Scarves" together song, which is adapted each week for the activity. Then, we sang "The Spider in the Web" adapted by Miss Angela.

The Spider in the Web
(tune of Farmer in the Dell)

The spider in the web,
The spider in the web,
Spin, spin, oh watch it spin,
The spider in the web.

The spider gets a fly,
The spider gets a fly,
Spin, spin, oh watch it spin,
The spider gets a fly.

The spider gets a _____ (insect name)
The spider gets a ______,
Spin, spin, oh watch it spin,
The spider gets a ____.

Continue naming other insects.

We spun our scarves in circles, then used them to catch the insects flying around (imaginary of course). Last, we listened to Raffi's "Spider on the Foor" and put the scarves on our body parts as he named them. The craft was my favorite part, which doesn't happen very often. We used school glue to draw a spider web on black construction paper. Then, we twisted 4 black pipe cleaners together to form a spider and stuck him on the web. It was very simple and fun with little mess.

Anansi the Spider Story Box Prepared by Angela Garrett, Main Library

4 to 8-year-old Story Time

We learned the word a-HAL-an. This is how they say "hello" in Egypt. I told another frog story. After we were all done for the summer, I was kicking myself for not finding frog stories from all over the world. I really do LOVE frogs!

I told the draw and tell story "Who Saved the Animals" from World Folktales by Jerry Mallett. It was a riddle, but the picture became the animal who was the answer. The older children enjoyed this method of telling. The other story I told was my version of The Leopard's Drum. I made headbands out of leftover bulletin board border by laminating them and sticking Velcro on the ends. Then, I had laminated clipart animals to tape on for the characters. The best part of the story was when I had the "leopard" climb into the "drum." I need a full-time photographer for my programs. Something funny always happens!

For our game, we played "Mummy Wrap" by getting into pairs and wrapping one child with a roll of toilet paper. The first team with one child completely wrapped was the winner. They had a great time with this activity, especially un-wrapping the mummy. The craft was also lots of fun. I found some jungle animal foam stampers. We used paintbrushes to paint the stamper, then stamped paper.



You can't seperate best friends. Alexis and Grace, both age 4, demanded to be wrapped together.

Teen Read: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

I have never minded pop culture references in my fiction. Some of them take me back, while others are completely in the moment. I couldn't understand why readers became so annoyed with these popular references. I even quietly assumed they were snobs... Not high brow enough for you? I would like to say to all the reviewers who took a stand against pop culture in fiction, "I'm sorry."

Spellbound had the potential to be a wonderful book. Star-crossed lovers, Emma and Brendan, had fought against a curse for centuries. Each lifetime they found each other only to lose their love and life in a tragic and painful way. I was hoping for a GOOD version of Fallen by Lauren Kate, which also had the potential to be a good book. Unfortunately, both stories did not live up to the potential.

The narrative was going well until about page 60. Then, the author had a nostalgic moment for the mid-1990s. The effect was so strong, I had to recheck the publication date and scour her web site to find out when she started writing this book. The poor choice of popular references took me out of the story. If there was a meaning to these choices, I simply did not "get it."

Spellbound would benefit from a massive editing effort to rid this book of out-of-date references. There are so many wonderful elements to the book that are lost in the text. The characters are rich and interesting. The story is enticing and, at moments, intense. The voice is witty. I'll leave you with my favorite line from the book and you can make the choice to "take it, or leave it."

"She was so cold, she probably farted ice-cubes." -- Emma, Spellbound

One World Many Stories

We started off the Summer Reading Club with a Bon Voyage Party on Monday, June 6. I don't know if we have official numbers yet, but we were busy the entire 2 hours and had to run people off with sticks at the end.

We had a scavenger hunt where children had to find animals, who were staff wearing animal stickers on their shirts. We had crafts where the children made Eyes of God, Cherry Blossom Trees, and Carnival Masks. The games included a Chopstick Relay Race, Cup Stacking/Card Stacking, Feed the Penguin Toss and Pin the Nose on the Sphinx. Add hot dogs, nachos and slushies to the mix and you have quite a party!

The first week is coming to a close today. We'll add our Thursday Programs next week with performers from the cultures we are studying this summer.

Storytimes and Fun

I started the summer storytimes this week with babies & toddlers, 2s & 3s and 4 to 8-year-olds. The babies & toddlers program was easy to integrate our theme for SRC. I use the Mother Goose on the Loose set-up by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. The legend of Mother Goose started in France in the 1700s, so most of the rhymes and songs I do each week will fall under the category of "Europe." I also found some wonderful multi-cultural versions of Mother Goose in our collection.







For the 2s & 3s we chose a variety of themes: Transportation, Anansi Spider, Families Around the World, Folk Tales, Lullabies, Oceans, Penguins and Music. This past week, we talked about Transportation. I used my normal bag of tricks, but added a couple of extra things. I've added some foreign language to our opening song by teaching different ways to say Hello. The first week we learned "Bonjour" for Europe. We made a sailboat out of shapes.

I went to a Storytelling workshop a couple of weeks ago because I want to incorporate more oral storytelling in my programs. So, for the 4 to 8-year-olds this year, I am telling stories rather than reading from books. The first week, I told the story of The Frog Prince from Germany and The Giant Turnip from Russia. I had volunteers for the turnip story, which would have worked better with older children. All the volunteers were the younger children of the group, and they didn't want to touch each other for the "pulling" part. I had expected the older children to volunteer and the younger ones to watch. It was pretty funny anyway with the little ones adding their own pizazz.

For the craft we made our own frog with a flicking tongue. We painted two paper plates, one red and the other one green. Glued those together, so the colors were facing out. We cut frog legs out of green paper and stuck those in between the two plates and folded the plate in half. We made eyes by glueing cotton balls to the top and cut out small black circles for the pupils. To make the tongue, cut a small slit in the middle of the fold and push a party blower through the hole. Blow to make the tongue go in and out!



Next week we go to AFRICA!

Teen Read: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Baltimore holds more excitement than Amelia van den Broek has ever had in her sheltered life. After both her parents died, Amelia has been in the care of her stoic, proper older brother, August. His only concern is for Amelia to make a good "match."

After only a few social engagements, Amelia suddenly receives a vision from the vespers, or spiritual plane. The beautiful vision entices Amelia to look further, but the further she looks the darker the visions get. What will Amelia predict next when she looks into the future?

Although I do occasionally read historical novels, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a more supernatural element to the story than I was expecting. Fortune telling can go either way being based in fact or leaning toward magic. Amelia never truly discoveres the source of her power, but there is another source of paranormal which I won't disclose. I'll give you a hint, though, "It isn't vampires." Shocking, right?

When we first meet Amelia, she is lost in her drama. She has been mysteriously ruined and August has locked her in the attic. Note: This happens in the first chapter, so it's not a spoiler, End Note. The action of the story takes place the previous summer when Amelia makes her debut into Baltimore society.

Amelia stays with a cousin, Zora, and longs to really belong to the family. She is envious of Zora's relationship with her parents. Saundra Mitchell delves deep into Amelia's emotions and thoughts. My favorite part of the book was actually the writing over the story for once. I didn't have to grind my teeth to get through the book because I wanted to see what happened. Instead, I savored each chapter and dreaded the end. Although Amelia sees the future, the outcomes of her predictions are still surprising.

I would suggest this book for mature readers. The language alone makes it a challenging read compared to most YA novels. The themes are dark, serious and thought provoking. If you could know your future, would you want to see?

Book Review: Thank You, God, For Mommy by Amy Parker

Panda mama and baby are potrayed throughout this board book as a loving family. They have adventures, swing, clean up messes, share a meal with their family and snuggle together to sleep. These are all things mothers do everyday with their little ones. The message throughout is thanking mothers for being mothers.

I wasn't going to post a review for this book, because I didn't care for it. I liked Thank You, God, for Daddy so much better. The rhyme in the verses of the Mommy book were strained. One of the illustrations didn't make sense with the story and seemed out of place. The library only purchased this book, though, so I gave it another look.

The baby in the book is probably one year old. He is walking, but still needs a lot of help from mama. He needs help falling asleep, which leads to my favorite verse in the book:

Thank You, God, for Mommy
And lullabies so sweet-
The rhythm of her beating heart
Can sing me right to sleep.

I probably would have loved this book a year ago, because I would have instantly related to the mama panda. I would have still been rocking my little one to sleep while singing to him. What a difference a year makes?


The main characters of Amy Parker's second board book are lions. The lion cub is a little older than the baby panda. He is a toddler, around 2 years, and he wants to be just like daddy. Bobo and Daddy could be the characters in this book.


I wish I could add the artwork from the first spread. It shows the father and son with capes made from blankets. The next page shows the father measuring the son's height. These are actions that I see happening right now in my son's life. I believe that is the main reason I prefer the Daddy book. However, the verse flows more smoothly than the Mommy book. The rhymes seem more natural. Plus, I find the lions more flattering than the fluffy pandas.

Endings: Farewell, Au Revoir, Adios

Goodbyes are one of the hardest parts of being a child. If you are having a good time, you don't want it to end. After all, it may never happen again. If you have no real sense of time, a week might as well be forever. Ending the storytime on a happy note is just as important as the beginning. As storytime teacher, it is my responsibility to curb meltdowns whenever possible. I do this by having a 5 minute wind-down routine and ending with a craft. I really think the craft is the best way to transition the children out the door.


During the regular season, I pass out name tags outside the storytime room before we all come in together. My closing routine begins with collecting the nametags and trading them for the handout of the week. I've tried lots of different formats and information on the handouts. I've settled on listing the songs we've sung and where you can get the words and music, writing out 1 or 2 fingerplays, listing the books we shared and sharing one early education tip. I leave lots of white space and use one illustration.

Then we share one last song or rhyme before craft time. For the babies and toddlers I sing "Can You Kick with Two Feet" from Mother Goose on the Loose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen.

Can you kick with two feet? Two feet? Two feet?
Can you kick with two feet? Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.

Can you clap with two hands? Two hands? Two hands?
Can you clap with two hands? Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Can you kiss with two lips? Two lips? Two lips?
Can you kiss with two lips? Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

Can you wave bye-bye? Bye-bye? Bye-bye?
Can you wave bye-bye? BYE-BYE!

The parents usually help with the actions for the smaller ones. If the craft I have planned for the older children is too messy, difficult or toxic, I put out toys and let the parents and children play. Sometimes, we make keepsakes especially around holidays.

For the toddler class, ages 2 and 3, I use an adaptation of a favorite "If You're Happy and You Know It." This class is usually up and moving for most of the time.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands to really show it!
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet to really show it!
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet

If you're happy and you know it, wave bye-bye
If you're happy and you know it, wave bye-bye
If you're happy and you know it, wave bye-bye to really show it!
If you're happy and you know it, wave bye-bye

Then, it is time for crafts. We make something related to the theme of the week. I also try to incorporate different skills and art forms. One week, we may cut and glue. The next week, we may glue and color. The next, we may paint with sponges or fingers. The last week, we may use watercolors and stickers. The process is much more important than the end result. Once the child has finished, they are usually ready to leave. The toddler group will take about 5 minutes to complete a craft. Then, they are ready to play in our wonderful children's area.

The preschoolers are a different story. After we finish our "Touch Rhyme" and move onto the craft, we have pandemonium. Well, I may be exagerrating, but just a little. The preschoolers, ages 3 to 5, are artistic tornadoes. They usually take at least 15 minutes to complete the craft. Sometimes, they make plans to continue the art project at home. The result is usually more of a focus on the end product than the process for this age. They want something to take home to display with pride.

Touch your nose, touch your chin
That's the way the game begins
Point to your eyes, point to your knees,
Now pretend like you're gonna sneeze
Touch your ears, touch your hair,
Touch your lips, just right there
Touch your elbow, where it bends,
Jump right up and say, "The End!"

I've searched for the origin of this rhyme, but found it cited on several kindergarten and preschool sites. It may be a traditional? I changed some of the words and added my own silly motions. The end!