Soaring Superheroes Storytime
Get ready for summer reading with these suggestions for this year’s Collaborative Summer Reading Program theme, “Every Hero Has a Story”:
Super Song
(to the tune of “Bingo”)
There was a kid who wore a cape,
she was a super hero.
S-U-P-E-R, S-U-P-E-R,S-U-P-E-R,
She was a super hero!
(Repeat, gradually replacing each letter with Superman-like arm movements or claps)
Superhero, It’s Just a Job (Action Rhyme)
I’m a damsel in distress and a dragon is chasing me,
his fire is very hot, as you can plainly see,
I call for help, “Someone save me!”
and a hero arrives in answer to my plea!
With a POW, WHAM, BOOM, he saves the day again!
A superhero’s job is to conquer the villain!
I’m a little boy who became too greedy,
I climbed the beanstalk, but now the giant’s chasing me,
I call for help, “Someone save me!”
and a hero arrives in answer to my plea!
With a POW, WHAM, BOOM, he saves the day again!
A superhero’s job is to conquer the villain!
I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time,
when the robber arrives in the bank, I’m collecting my dimes,
I call for help, “Someone save me!”
and a hero arrives in answer to my plea!
With a POW, WHAM, BOOM, he saves the day again!
A superhero’s job is to conquer the villain!
Recommended Books:
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 2011.
Awesome Man is awesome, but his secret identity is one that any child can relate to. After a day fighting crime, a big hug from mom is awesome too!
Charlie’s Superhero Underpants by Paul Bright. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2010.
On a wild and windy day, Charlie’s super-special, superhero underpants go flying by. Charlie begins on a superhero’s adventure to retrieve the underpants and faces a worthy opponent to get them back.
Links
The Logistics of Signing in Storytime
Dawn Babb Prochovnic, author of the Story Time with Signs and Rhymes series, answers the question: “How do you physically hold a book and sign along with it?” with a series of links, videos, and more to help you put more signs in your stories! Check out the post at Dawn’s blog.
Bookmark this Site: Song Catchers’ Library
Need a storytime song about pizza? Looking for some new songs to use with shakers or scarves? Want to find some music to support your STEM programming? Look no further than Song Catchers’ Library, a handy database of music for children’s programming compiled by Heather of littleliteracylibrarian.org and Kelsey of librarybonanza.com. With an ever-growing, searchable database of song references and handy tabs that compile some of the most commonly searched items such as seasons, action songs, and prop songs, this is a site anyone who uses music with children will love. Don’t see a favorite song listed? Just fill out the form on the homepage – Heather and Kelsey are adding to the database every day.
Become a Programming Blogger!
The Public Programs Office of the American Library Association has announced that it is preparing to re-launch its ProgrammingLibrarian.org website and is looking for bloggers!
Bloggers will be asked to write at least one post per month on a programming-related topic. You will write the article, upload it onto the site, preferably with a photo, and ALA will lightly edit it. Post length can vary but 300-500 words is a good estimate.
If you are interested in applying, please send the following to Andriana Bozovic (abozovic@ala.org) by Feb. 27:
- A brief description of your library experience and your interests
- A description of any prior writing experience
- A general theme for your blog (eg, I’m a public librarian blogging on children’s programming) and three sample blog topics/headlines that you might write about
- Attach an informal writing sample (eg, blog post, newsletter article, etc — something that shows your voice)
Seeking a variety of voices — public libraries, academic, school, special; people interested in community-building, tech programming, children’s program, older adult programming; etc. So think about what interests you.
Read Captions Across America on March 2
You’ve probably heard of Read Across America, the national reading event sponsored by the National Education Association every year on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss.
But did you know that this is also the day we celebrate Read Captions Across America? This event, sponsored by the Described and Captioned Media Program, was established to “raise awareness—particularly among children and their parents and teachers—that video-based media can be just as effective at encouraging and fostering reading skills as books, as long as captions are always turned on!”
Read Captions Across America emphasizes captions as a reading tool for ALL children, not just thoise who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Libraries and schools can promote the necessity of captions for accessibility and enhancing reading skills by incorporating Read Captions Across America programming any time of the year. Click here to order event kits and download free materials for your own celebration!
Boogie with Books
We just became aware of the great “Book to Boogie” series on the Library as Incubator Project blog, which pairs great storytime books with dance and movement activities in monthly themed guest posts. This month’s entry features books about the sea, with accompanying activities by Julie Dietzel-Glair, author of the great storytime resource Books in Motion. Check out Julie’s post and the whole series for more idea to put some motion in your storytimes or lessons!
Inspiration, Book Reviews, and a Side of Crafts
Looking for more new ideas to spice up your storytime or classroom? We’ve become big fans of the blog, Read It Again, Mom! Maintained by “A Librarian Mom and Her Kids”, this site is filled with book reviews, storytime ideas, crafts, and fun links to bring our favorite kind of hands-on fun to book programs. In the aftermath of the holidays, be sure to check out this post on things you can make from wrapping paper roll and this super-cute penguin storytime perfect for the wintry days ahead!
10 Great Picture Books About ASL and Deaf Culture
December 3-10 is Clerc-Gallaudet Week, honoring the birthdays of two visionary leaders in the field of American Deaf Education who were born in December: Laurent Clerc on December 26, 1785 and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet on December 10, 1787. Check out this previous post for more information about Clerc and Gallaudet, including program and lesson ideas.
Today we are honoring Clerc-Gallaudet week by sharing our 10 favorite picture books/series about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture:
Creating a Diverse Book Collection
From Lee & Low Books’ blog, The Open Book:
“It’s not easy to create an inclusive book collection. Whether you’re a librarian creating a collection for an entire community, a teacher creating a collection for your classroom, or a parent creating a collection for your children, choosing books that reflect the diversity of human experience can be a challenging job.
That’s because creating a diverse book collection is about more than just making sure X, Y, and Z are represented. It’s not a matter of ticking off check boxes or making sure quotas are filled. For those committed to doing it right, building a diverse book collection requires contemplation, research, and awareness. But the rewards are great: a truly diverse collection of books can turn children into lifelong readers and promote empathy, understanding, and self-confidence.”
Check out the rest of this great post for actionable steps to creating real diversity in your collection: Checklist: 8 Steps to Creating a Diverse Book Collection.
Happy Picture Book Month!
November is Picture Book Month! This international literacy initiative, founded by author and storyteller Dianne de Las Casas, celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. Check out the Picture Book Month website, which features daily posts from “picture book champions” and has lots of great classroom and storytime resources!
Storytime Stuff 