Have you ever felt stuck in storytime planning? Sometimes, no matter how great a theme or the books, I find myself stuck in a proverbial storytime rut. While it’s great to share favorite stories, I also want to evaluate everything we share to find titles that resonate with our community. This month, I’m borrowing an idea from a colleague and sharing a few tried and tested, some true-to-life, and a few new titles around one of our upcoming storytime themes: Home.
Tried and Tested
Books in this category are stories that we’ve tried and loved. Think of them as your go-to storytime favorites, the ones you know will work with just about any audience. These are the books you feel comfortable picking up and reading at a moment’s notice. The best books in this category age well and feel relevant for several ages or uses.
A House by Kevin Henkes
What makes a house? You’ll need a door, windows, a roof, and a family to make it home. Simple text and stunning illustrations make this an instant classic. Questions sprinkled throughout the text encourage engagement with the audience throughout the story. Pro tip: Allow plenty of time for the audience to respond.
Raise the Roof by Anastasia Suen
This cute story shows home construction step by step. First, draw the floor plan. Then, start building! Finally, add a welcome mat and a family. The understandable language and simple concepts make this ideal for toddlers. Pro tip: Sing the story to the tune of “Skip To My Lou.”
Elephants Do No Belong in Trees: Or Do They? by Russ Willms
Trees are home to birds, monkeys, squirrels, and…elephants? Larry the Elephant thinks a tree is a perfect home, but does he belong in the tree? This is a great story to read with an older audience and encourages critical thinking. Pro tip: Be as dramatic as possible while reading.
True-to-Life
Books in this category offer a realistic or factual approach to the topic. They might be nonfiction titles or titles representing diverse cultures and experiences. For homes, examples include nonfiction titles about animal habitats and poignant picture books on homelessness. The best books in this category reflect your community.
You Are Home with Me by Sarah Asper-Smith
While technically a picture book, this story beautifully intersperses animal facts throughout its pages. Gorgeous illustrations show parent and child animals together, from ravens to hoary marmots. The text alone introduces each animal, but small asides on each page add additional context for the avid learner. Pro tip: Focus on the relationship between caregiver and child that creates the bond of home. Don’t be afraid to clip pages for a younger or fidgety audience.
Whose House Is This?: A Look at Animal Homes – Webs, Nests, and Shells by Elizabeth Gregoire
This delightful nonfiction title combines a visual guessing game with fun facts about different animal habitats. The text and fact boxes allow readers to customize their experience to the audience. Pro tip: Focus on guessing the animal for each habitat, then share a selection of facts with the audience. You don’t need to read every line, just some to generate interest.
Mi Casa Is My Home by Laurenne Sala
Bienvenidos! This story introduces different types of homes and family traditions, interspersed with Spanish words and beautiful cultural representations. Pro tip: Introduce new words and phrases and invite families to share some of their own words or traditions. If needed, skip a few rooms to keep the story moving.
New Titles
Storytime benefits from finding new, fresh, and exciting titles. I like to browse incoming picture books, professional reviews, and even recent recommendations from colleagues to add to my repertoire. For this post, new includes books published within the past two years or items new to me through recommendations.
A Good Place by Lucy Cousins
Beetle, Ladybug, Dragonfly, and Bee need a new home. With very different wishes, no place feels just right for everyone. While they try many locations, none of them feel quite right. Together, they must overcome obstacles to find a good place. Pro tip: Talk about what makes a good home for insects, animals, and people. It’s a great lesson in being kind to the needs of others.
A Hat for House: One Storm, Many Helpers by Audrey Perrott
When a storm blows through the neighborhood, poor House loses his roof. It’s hard to feel like yourself when part of you is missing. Different community members show up to help, but will House ever feel whole again? This sweet story encourages us to collaborate and support each other in hard times. Pro tip: Talk about why different attempts to help may (or may not) help House feel better.
Skyscraper Babies by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre
This charmingly illustrated story talks about the lives of both human and animal babies in the city. The rhyming text and colorful illustrations take readers through a day from start to finish as each baby grows up. The parallel stories of human and animal babies show us that we have much in common, no matter where we grow up. Pro tip: Talk about the different types of homes that storytime families come from.
…And You
I love including recommendations for caregivers to extend their learning at home, such as books that work better one-on-one with a caregiver and child. I’ll also share a simple literacy tip they can incorporate into their day. Items in this category are recommendations we can share with caregivers to keep building on the theme.
For Babies: Explore Your Space
As you play at home, show your baby their world from different points of view. Crouch down low and see what’s close to the ground. Lift your baby up high and describe what they can see from further up. Hold your baby level with you and talk about things you see together. The simple act of narrating your world and exposing your baby to different perspectives quickly catches their interest and introduces concepts like shape and space.
For Toddlers and Preschoolers: Explore Your Neighborhood
Walk around your neighborhood and talk about the different types of homes you see. Do you live in an apartment with many buildings and floors? Are there many houses on your street? Do the houses have one story or two? Are there places for bugs or other animals to live in your neighborhood? Asking questions encourages your child to explore the world around them and actively participate in daily activities. You can use these adventures to build on your child’s natural interests and curiosity.
Red House, Tree House, Little Bitty Brown Mouse by Jane Godwin
This story follows a little mouse throughout her neighborhood in the perfect introduction to houses and colors. Different questions throughout encourage the reader. Count the flower petals, name the colors of berries, and even pick ice cream. Pro tip: Make time to find the mouse on each page.
Follow the Line Through the House by Laura Ljungkvist
A quirky exploration following the line takes readers through the various rooms. Additional questions throughout the book encourage readers to engage with the items in each room. Each page has abundant details and experiences to explore, with hidden gems in each reading. Pro tip: Trace the line together and see how everything connects.
What’s Next Door? by Nicola O’Byrne
Poor Carter the Crocodile can’t find his way home. From tracing doors to rubbing his tummy, a new adventure awaits on each page. Can we find a way to get Carter to the perfect home together? Pro tip: Invite your child to participate in each step of Carter’s journey. What do you picture behind each door as you trace it?
For more inspiration for early literacy at home, check out this page from Reading Rockets. It explores homes as a learning experience for young children. What books and tips would you add as tried, true-to-life, or new? Would you like to see more posts like this? Suggest future themes in the comments.
All images courtesy of the author. This post addresses ALSC Core Competency #3: Programming Skills. The author created book cover images via Canva and the featured image of the house is courtesy of Pixabay.
Jaime Eastman is a senior Public Services Librarian and Early Learning Coordinator at the Harrington Library, one of the Plano (Texas) Public Library locations. She’s currently serving as a member of the ALSC Board of Directors. Jaime is also working on at least two ambitious cross stitch projects, dreaming of future travel plans, and reading far too many books at once. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be an author. Writing for the blog and publishing with Children and Libraries feel like a good start, and she regrets nothing about her adult decision to be a librarian doing storytimes who didn’t have to grow up too much.
The post Tried, True, New, and You: Home appeared first on ALSC Blog.
Have you ever felt stuck in storytime planning? Sometimes, no matter how great a theme or the books, I find myself stuck in a proverbial storytime rut. While it’s great to share favorite stories, I also want to evaluate everything we share to find titles that resonate with our community. This month, I’m borrowing an idea from a colleague and sharing a few tried and tested, some true-to-life, and a few new titles around one of our upcoming storytime themes: Home. Tried and Tested Books in this category are stories that we’ve tried and loved. Think of them as your go-to storytime favorites, the ones you know will work with just about any audience. These are the books you feel comfortable picking up and reading at a moment’s notice. The best books in this category age well and feel relevant for several ages or uses. A House by Kevin Henkes…
The post Tried, True, New, and You: Home appeared first on ALSC Blog. Read More
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