Positively Positive!

My latest storytime discovery combines my two loves: a positive attitude and, well, shoes. Pretty genius!


Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
by Eric Litwin
HarperCollins
$16.99
ISBN: 9780061906220

Meet this happy go-lucky cat out for a stroll in his brand new white shoes when he happens to step in a huge pile of strawberries! "What color did it turn his shoes?"

Shoe transformation occurs three more times with varying slants (and oddly enough, another mountain of fruit) but each time, "Did Pete cry?" "Goodness, no! He kept walking along and singing his song."

Pete's song, "I love my ________ shoes," repeated three times, invites audience participation along with the direct, reoccurring questions above. The rustic, colorful illustrations capture the casual, go with the flow nature of this zen cat whose expression remains the same throughout the story. The moral is clearly stated at the end: "no matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song... because it's all good."

Whether children will note the lesson of this big picture perspective and find beauty in their own mistakes is questionable, but also beside the point when the story is so enjoyable.

There's plenty of video inspiration for the tune of the song via an author bookstore reading, and two little ones sharing their memorized version at bedtime.

Thank you to my amazing co-worker Rebecca for sharing the book with me!

Hello Kitty

Meeow and the Little Chairs
by Sebastian Braun
Boxer Books
$16.95
ISBN: 9781906250881

Meeow first caught my eye with his resemblance to Chococat.
Chococat was always my favorite Sanrio character, but Meeow brings stiff competition with his fashionable scarf. Plus he has a mouth! Even better than accessorized smiling cats however, is the direct storytelling, presentation and liveliness perfectly considered for toddlers.

In Meeow and the Little Chairs, Meeow is introduced along with his four friends who have come over to play. His friends are different animals appropriately enough named after the sound they make: Baa the Sheep, Moo the Cow, Quack the Duck and Woof the Dog. Each is featured carrying various colored props, and working together with the special item Meeow finds in his bookbag, they create a very exciting game!

There is a certain genius behind creating the most simple of stories that are engaging for the youngest children. Short, repetitive sentences are combined with dialogic style questions like, "What have you found Meeow?" and "What can they be doing?" to build interest. The concise text integrates concepts of animal names and sounds, colors and imaginative play with opportunities for read aloud extensions using noises and movement. Primary colored cartoon characters are depicted energetically in motion, even more noticeable amid the uncluttered background with boldly sized font.

The cheerful, developmentally conscious approach is exactly captured on the inside jacket flap:

Say hello to Meeow. Like every young child, Meeow has fun making things! Play and learn with Meeow.

Meeow and the Big Box was also published in 2009, with the upcoming Meeow and the Pots and Pans hitting shelves April 6, 2010.

Best of Storytime: Books

To some extent one can predict which picture books children will find entertaining. Stories that mention underwear? Hilarious. Animals making the wrong noises? Unbelievable. Virtually every pop up book? Amazing. And a pigeon insisting on driving a bus? Well okay, I agree that is rather brilliant myself.

When planning my storytimes I include at least one book that I've used before with great success, along with new titles. Since many of the children that attend my storytime speak a language other than English as their first language, I tend to select books that very repetitive to encourage participation along with physical components that can be acted out. The age ranges are approximate and will depend upon your community. These are my highly tested and approved storytime classics.

Books for Toddlers
Across the Stream by Mirra Ginsburg
The Baby Goes Beep! by Rebecca O'Connell
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr (Note: Somehow I only learned within the past year that you can sing this to the tune of the ABC song. It's highly catchy and addictive!)
Freight Train by Donald Crews
From Head to Toe by Eric Carlie
I Went Walking by Sue Williams
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw
Meeow and the Box by Sebastien Braun
Piggies by Audrey Wood
Spots, Feathers & Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
This Little Chick by John Lawrence
Tip Tip, Dig Dig by Emma Garcia
What Shall We Do with the Boo Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood

Books for Preschoolers
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
The Enormous Potato retold by Audrey Davis
Go Away Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
Hi Pizza Man! by Virginia Walters
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont
Let's Play in the Forest by Claudia Rueda
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big, Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt
Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman
Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont
Who Is Driving? by Leo Timmers
Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen

Pop Up/Lift the Flap/Novelty Books for Most Ages:
Charlie Chick by Nick Denchfield
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Opposites by Robert Crowther
One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Peekaboo Blueberry by Barney Saltzburg
Trucks Go Pop! by Bob Staake

My personal style of sharing stories is highly interactive: discussing illustrations, making predictions as to what will happen next, and inviting the audience to join in repeated phrases or sounds. My interest is in young children practicing and enhancing their early literacy skills (particularly vocabulary, print motivation and narrative skills), rather than sitting quietly and listening as research shows children learn most from books when actively involved.

There is no one best way method for storytime; rather, I recommend choosing titles you enjoy and that compliment the way you feel most comfortable sharing books.