One of my most favorite pastimes with my boys when they were young was reading aloud to them. Whether we were taking a break from playing with toys or settling in for bedtime, escaping into the words and pictures of a book while snuggled up with my little ones was such a bonding experience. Especially reading before going to bed. The tradition and ritual of storytime was something we all looked forward to every night. I remember I set a limit of three books, but undoubtedly, one child would plead for “one more” or "read it again" and I almost always gave in.
Our storytimes actually extended into middle school, with me reading The Hobbit aloud. I’m sad to say it seems like life got in the way and we never finished that book, but I am happy we enjoyed our storytimes together for as long as we did.
Recently, Macaroni Kid National offered me the opportunity to host a HarperCollins Children's Books Picture Perfect Storytime and I immediately signed up. Almost anything involving books is a “yes” with me. A Picture Perfect Storytime is a storytime with a little extra pizzaz. Harper Collins provides related activities that help enrich the storytime experience for your child and hopefully enhance their love of books and reading. Last week a small group of Macaroni Kid readers and their little ones joined me at Lakeshore Library in Metairie for the event. I read Good Day, Good Night by Margaret Wise Brown and The Penguin and Lollipop by Tadgh Bentley, books I specifically chose for our group of mostly two year olds. Everyone, adults and children alike, loved both books.
If you are a fan of Good Night Moon, I’m confident you will enjoy Good Day, Good Night, written by the same author. The storyline is simple and sweet, following a bunny as he says hello to things he sees out and about during the day – “to the birds in the skies and the bees in their hives, to everything one by one. And as the sun starts to set, it’s time for the little bunny to say good night. Good night, kitty Good night, bear Good night, people everywhere.” The rhythm of the words are pleasing and soothing, keeping everyone's attention at our storytime. This one seems like a no brainer for the perfect bedtime book. One of the seven activities offered is to ask the children about what the sky looks like during the day compared to at night and to draw a picture of both. An activity page with designated frames for a Day Sky and a Night Sky is provided.
The Little Penguin and the Lollipop is super fun and engaging, as it asks the audience to help Little Penguin with his problem. His friend Kenneth is upset because Little Penguin ate his lollipop. Nothing Little Penguin is doing is making Kenneth feel better so Little Penguin needs your help. The kids at our storytime loved being silly and shouting "razzle dazzle lollipop" to try and help Kenneth cheer up. One accompanying activity was about making a card. In the story, Penguin makes a card for Kenneth hoping to cheer him up. The activity card says to ask the children about when people send cards (birthdays, Christmas) and then help your child make a card for someone special.
To add some spice to your storytime, I highly recommend the books and activities on HarperCollins Children's Books' Picture Perfect Storytime list. Below is a summary of the current titles. And remember, each title comes with accompanying activities you can download for you and your child to complete. Be sure to visit the Picture Perfect Storytime page for everything you need to make your storytimes memorable and enriching. Happy reading!
Blue vs. Yellow by Tom Sullivan
Good Day, Good Night by Margaret Wise Brown
A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars by Seth Fishman
I Love You Like a Pig by Mac Barnett
In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes
Little Penguin and the Lollipop by Tadgh Bently
Little I by Michael Hall
Love Triangle by Marcie Colleen
On a Magical Do Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna
Runny Babbit Returns by Shel Silverstein
Fun Facts:
1) Harper Collins has been publishing since 1817 - 200 years!
2) Good Day, Good Night was never published during Margaret Brown Wise's lifetime. Harper Collins published it in October 2017.
3) Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups is another fun book by Tadgh Bentley.
4) There is a GIVEAWAY going on you don't want to miss. You can win TWO sets of picture books (1 set for you and 1 for a friend) from HarperCollins Children's Books valued at $365.80! Enter below to WIN! http://bit.ly/2zWJqLT
