Many times, way too many to count, there are books that come into the library that I would love to develop a story or laptime around. But alas, for whatever reason, it seems the book sits in my 'to be contemplated' pile and I don't get around to working up a program.
Well, I'm not waiting anymore!
Here follows a list of books that I absolutely love, have not worked up in a program, but deserve to be shared.
Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku, by Lee WardlawOPL Link
A delightful picture book that needs a good telling. From getting adopted--including the dreaded car ride--to the squishy 'presents' cats sometimes leave, to the eventual cat-ipulation of being adopted in turn by the cat. This book needs a talented teller who can tell with pauses, significant looks, and wonderful expression. Another animal-ated book that needs a super teller, Woof, Meow,Tweet-Tweet by Cecile Boyer (OPL Link)
Tops and Bottoms, by Janet StevensOPL Link
My most favorite trickster tale of all time! Great for telling in the Spring (planting), the Fall (harvesting), or even just for anytime fun ('cause who doesn't enjoy the littlest of folks outwitting the big bully-folk?).
It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folktale by Margot Zemach
OPL Link
A classic yiddish tale of perspective. One that delivers it's message without leaving that bad taste in your mouth of the less artful of pedantic lesson-teaching books. I would love to do an active storytime with this book, something that incorporates a lot of kids (in character) playing their noisome parts, or (sans enough kids at storytime), segmenting the audience into 'sound' groups that chime in and build up the level of noise as we go.
For some reason the book
The Fortune-Tellers by Lloyd Alexander (OPL Link) comes to mind right now as well. A favorite author of mine, this is a picture book rich in detail, making it a bit difficult to share in a large group, but that's not to say the more talented of tellers couldn't pull it off.
Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale
(OPL Link)
The pictures are too good to not use, but in a storytime, particularly for the easily distract-able, and not-so-sophisticated-in-the-language-arts preschool group, this book needs to be told TO the youngest of the group, while leaving subtle (non-distracting) word-play hints for the adults in the audience.
Keep in mind that any of these books work for an older audiences, most any elementary-aged group would do. But for the preschool set -- well that's where the talent of a true storytime artist plays in.
