A CRANKENSTEIN VALENTINE by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat

February 16, 2025

Love is in the air…or is it? Crankenstein does NOT like Valentine’s Day! Vocabulary word: The children find this story hilarious. Who doesn’t like Valentine’s Day? Friends are the best. I showed these two pictures to see how many noticed the difference. When they did notice, why do they look different? There was lots of… More A CRANKENSTEIN VALENTINE by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat

ON A PIRATE SHIP by Sarah Courtauld and Benji Davies

February 9, 2025

Argh Mateys! “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere” – Einstein Pirate week was full of fun and imagination! Each child received a pirate patch from Captain Library. They then had to “walk the plank” (over the sharks) onto the “library ship”. The pirate ship was projected on the… More ON A PIRATE SHIP by Sarah Courtauld and Benji Davies

CHLOE’S LUNAR NEW YEAR by Lily Lamotte, Illustrated by Michelle Lee

February 2, 2025

Happy Lunar New Year. It is the year of the snake. We started our Lunar New Year off with a parade! The kindergarten class built this amazing dragon, and our transitional kindergarten class built these fantastic lion heads. Watch a little of the parade here: I like this story because Chloe lives in the US.… More CHLOE’S LUNAR NEW YEAR by Lily Lamotte, Illustrated by Michelle Lee

THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES by Hans Christian Andersen

January 25, 2025

Retold by Susanna Davidson, Illustrated by Mike Gordon Queen Library here. This is a story about my great, great grandfather. In preschool, our job is to provide building blocks. One of these blocks is introducing the children to classic stories. They may not understand all of the lessons from these stories now. But if they… More THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES by Hans Christian Andersen

PASTA PASTA LOTSA PASTA by Aimee Lucido, illustrations by Mavisu Demirag

January 20, 2025

In a world of globalization, it is important that our children learn about other cultures. This week we celebrated Italy. The food, the historical sites, and the language. How fun! In the library, we read Pasta Pasta Lotsa Pasta. We looked at all the pastas from the book. Do you know them all? Do you… More PASTA PASTA LOTSA PASTA by Aimee Lucido, illustrations by Mavisu Demirag

DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE SLIEGH! By Mo Willems

December 20, 2024

The last week before Christmas break is always busy. Christmas concerts, parties and all sorts of activities. So I thought I would keep it simple and have some Pigeon fun! The children always have fun saying NO to the pigeon. Not to mention some good ole’ belly laughing! Our Vocabulary word: NO Pigeon! The Easter… More DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE SLIEGH! By Mo Willems

THE STORY OF BABY JESUS retold by Mary Kelly, illustrated by John Jovan

December 15, 2024

I love this very simple and easy to understand story for our preschoolers. Does it look like King Herod’s messenger is nice? “Is there room at the inn?” Our vocabulary word: A celebration! On the projector: This made the library smell amazing! We also read this during my after school classes: They love playing with… More THE STORY OF BABY JESUS retold by Mary Kelly, illustrated by John Jovan

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER by Jim LaMarche

December 8, 2024

This is an old Brothers Grimm story that highlights helping, giving and receiving. Our vocabulary word. What a great word, and to hear the children (at least try to) say it is priceless. Which shoes do you want? Elves! Giving AND receiving, both make us happy. Are the elves going to your house? On the… More THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER by Jim LaMarche… More THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER by Jim LaMarche

BEAR SAYS THANKS by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jane Chapman

November 24, 2024

It is a simple theme this week. Thanksgiving, and remembering to give and say THANKS! My favorite page of this book: This colorful picture book has some wonderful rhymes (remember: rhyming is a building block of reading). Our vocabulary word – perfect for Thanksgiving! Beatrix has so many cousins: Lots of empathy. On the projector… More BEAR SAYS THANKS by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jane Chapman

THE LEAF THIEF by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater

November 16, 2024

This is a widely popular book with our students. It is brightly illustrated and funny. It seems to get their attention instantly. You know I love to make reading and learning fun – this book does that! Our vocabulary word. I also had a basket of leaves to show what rustling leaves sound like. (Sorry… More THE LEAF THIEF by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater

THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF by Mara Alperin, illustrated by Kate Pankhurst

November 10, 2024

Last spring I attended a preschool education conference. A very talented and inspiring speaker, https://playtolearnpreschool.us, was giving away literacy sets from https://rallyfeltco.com, via numbers under our seats. How thrilled was I to win this!? You know it is one of my favorites. Retelling a story is so important for our emerging readers. I have not… More THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF by Mara Alperin, illustrated by Kate Pankhurst

GUSTAVO THE SHY GHOST, by Flavia Z. Drago

November 3, 2024

There were ghosts in the library this week as we celebrated Halloween and The Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is celebrated mostly in Mexico. It honors loved ones who have passed away. The children loved this book. It is cute, colorful and just a little spooky. I think almost every child… More GUSTAVO THE SHY GHOST, by Flavia Z. Drago

A FIRE TRUCK’S DAY, by Lily Schell, Illustrated by Mike Byrne

October 26, 2024

We wrapped up our community helper month with a fire truck visit and a book to go with it. Our vocabulary word was handline. If you watch the video above, toward the end, you will see the firefighter showing us their handline. We talked about fire safety. Do we touch a hot flame of any… More A FIRE TRUCK’S DAY, by Lily Schell, Illustrated by Mike Byrne

THERE’S A MONSTER IN YOUR BOOK, by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott

October 19, 2024

Did you know I like monster books? Probably because the children do. This one is so cute and interactive, they loved it! You know Miss Library is not happy. This monster is eating the book! Yes B eats paper too – but not from a book. I especially like these next few pages because the… More THERE’S A MONSTER IN YOUR BOOK, by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott

HANSEL AND GRETEL by James Marshall

October 13, 2024

In music class at our school, Miss Jennifer told me she likes to incorporate a German-Octoberfest theme. She plays polka music for her students. I thought it would be fun to do the same in the library! What better story than Grimm’s classic of Hansel and Gretel? (This James Marshall version makes it fun and… More HANSEL AND GRETEL by James Marshall

CHICKEN LITTLE adapted by Mara Alperin, illustrated by Nick East

October 4, 2024

What says FALL more than acorns falling? The classic tale of Chicken Little (Henny Penny) is a fun book. There is a lot to appreciate about this tale. The children like that they understand right away that the sky is actually NOT falling. You know how important I think retelling a story is to pre-literacy… More CHICKEN LITTLE adapted by Mara Alperin, illustrated by Nick East

JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT by Simms Taback

September 27, 2024

Look at this brightly colored and beautiful illustrated book. It brings art, music and culture together. Our vocabulary word: “You can always make something out of nothing” This book is based on a song: Here is the version of the song I played: We danced like Joseph might have danced at his nephew’s wedding (to… More JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT by Simms Taback

LOS TRES CERDITOS/THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, adapted by Luz Oriheulo, illustrated by Maria Ruiz

September 22, 2024

It is Hispanic Heritage Month! What is more fun than a well known bilingual fairytale? Our vocabulary word this week was lobo (wolf in Spanish): Flamenco dancers on the projector: During my afternoon classes, we looked at a few more Three Little Pigs books. We also acted out the story. We made wolf puppets: And… More LOS TRES CERDITOS/THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, adapted by Luz Oriheulo, illustrated by Maria Ruiz

Jack and the Beanstalk Returns to the Library!

September 13, 2024

Jack and the Beanstalk, retold by Carol Ottolenghi, illustrated by Guy Porfirio As long as I have “Jack” still hanging down from the library ceiling, I have to read this story. The children love it. We have so much fun, stomping and acting out being the giant in the book. Five magic beans! Fee, fi,… More Jack and the Beanstalk Returns to the Library!

CHICKEN STORY TIME by Sandy Asher, illustrated by Mark Fearing

September 6, 2024

How could I not bring a real chicken into the library with this story? I had to explain what a light bulb means to most of the children (see page below). Our vocabulary word for this book was flock. Looks like fun to me! We colored and glued feathers on a chicken during my after… More CHICKEN STORY TIME by Sandy Asher, illustrated by Mark Fearing

DAVID GOES TO SCHOOL by David Shannon

August 30, 2024

We are so happy to be back! 🙂 Children love the “misbehaving” David. Probably because we can all relate to him! 🙂 Our vocabulary word for this book is tardy. How do we know this is the library? What will David do now? Will he play nicely with his friends? I love David Shannon. On… More DAVID GOES TO SCHOOL by David Shannon

BUBBLES, BUBBLES EVERYWHERE by Dwight Kuhn and Melvin Berger

May 16, 2024

The end of the year always comes upon us, fast and furious. And as always I am ready, but not ready. I am never ready to let go of the students leaving. This week I thought we would just have some plain old simple bubble fun! Parents, don’t be mad at me, but I did… More BUBBLES, BUBBLES EVERYWHERE by Dwight Kuhn and Melvin Berger

EVERYBODY BONJOURS by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy

May 10, 2024

A few months ago, I asked my director if she would consider “flying” the children at our school to Paris, because I had this cute book about Paris that I wanted to read. (When she she taught, she would usually take a “trip” somewhere with her children). She said yes! In my mind I had… More EVERYBODY BONJOURS by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA retold by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam

May 3, 2024

A classic fairy tale, originally written by Hans Christian Andersen. I love the illustrations in this book. It is also simple and easy for the children to follow. After the story we looked at a real pea. How did the princess feel this under twenty mattresses? Each child then got to see if they were… More THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA retold by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam

OUR EARTH by Anne Rockwell

April 26, 2024

Earth Day was on Monday, but we know everyday should really be Earth Day, right? We celebrated our Earth all week long. How perfect that our chicks hatched this week too! This is our 7th year hatching chickens. It is truly such a wonder, and never gets old. The children have been so engaged -but… More OUR EARTH by Anne Rockwell

Mother Goose reading LITTLE LUMPTY by Miko Imai

April 19, 2024

Miss Library’s Sister, Mother Goose is always happy to see all of the children! Each child jumped over a candlestick to get into the library (and took home this card so they could jump at home!): Mother Goose reminded the children how she gets around (on her goose of course) and where she lives(in this… More Mother Goose reading LITTLE LUMPTY by Miko Imai

A DAY AT GREENHILL FARM by Sue Nicholson

April 12, 2024

It was FARM WEEK at our school! This was a wonderful opportunity to make sure the children know their farm animals, and the sounds of each one. Who does not like to make farm animal noises? Our vocabulary word from this story was SNOUT. I am not sure why, but I love this word. Lots… More A DAY AT GREENHILL FARM by Sue Nicholson

HERE COMES THE EASTER CAT by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda

March 28, 2024

This is a funny little Easter book that has some subtle character lessons in it for the children. Cat is JEALOUS (our vocabulary word) of the Easter Bunny. He chooses a motorcycle to get around, which of course the children love. He also puts together a snazzy outfit. But Cat soon learns how hard he… More HERE COMES THE EASTER CAT by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda… More HERE COMES THE EASTER CAT by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda

THERE IS A BIRD ON YOUR HEAD by Mo Williams

March 22, 2024

It is Spring! Have you heard the birds? Have you seen any nests? It is a short week for us (conferences), so I thought this Mo Willems book would be perfect for the first week of spring. My favorite thing to do for this book is to have the children tell me the title of… More THERE IS A BIRD ON YOUR HEAD by Mo Williams