What We Read at Morris Arboretum: BUGS!

Story Time at Morris Arboretum was the place to be today! We had a large crowd to hear stories about BUGS with Ms. Tegan.

What We Read

• I Love Bugs by Emma Dodd – JJ DOD: A little friend tells us all about the bugs they like!
• Can YOU Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas – JJ THO: A bug invites readers to pretend they have a tiny bug on them.
• Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr & Illustrated by Lois Ehlert – JJ EHL: Ten caterpillars go about their day.

Check out Morris Arboretum’s Story Time Schedule and more here!

Were you at Story Time at Morris Arboretum? Tag us in your pictures on Facebook or Instagram!

Stories in the Park: Frogs!

We’re in the last weeks of Stories in the Park! The first week in August will be the last Stories in the Park! After that, I’ll get ready for the end of our Summer Reading Challenge which comes August 8!

I’ll be out at Wentz Run Park on Tuesday, August 2nd, at 10:30 AM and Oxford Park on Wednesday, August 3rd, at 10:30 AM. We’ll read stories, sing songs, and move around! Meet us by the playground.

Our Theme: Frogs!

What We Read

• Jump! by Scott M. Fischer – JJ FIS
  • There’s a bug who is snug, but what happens when he sees a frog? This story builds with a great repeating refrain of JUMP!
• The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long – JJ LON
  • A new version of everyone’s favorite classic song. Read just at Wentz Run.
• Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack – JJ MAC
  • Two words tell this story of a frog who just wants to relax! Read just at Oxford Park.

What We Did

• Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
• Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” – Just at Oxford
• Sang “Itsy Witsy.”
• Sang “Hokey Pokey.” – Just at Wentz Run.
• Sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
• Sang the “ABC Song.”
• Recited “Five little Froggies jumping on the bed.”

Tip: Changing a word or two in a song is a perfect way to bring in phonological awareness of words (knowing how they sound and break down). Work on special vocabulary words and adapt to what you see by changing some words to a beloved song.

Be sure to check out all of our Summer Offerings here!

Stories in the Park: Animal Fun

Every week until the beginning of August, I’ll be out at Wentz Run Park on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM and Oxford Park on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM. We’ll read stories, sing songs, and move around! Meet us by the playground.

Our Theme: Animal Fun!

What We Read

• Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig – JJ CRA
  • Dancing feet make fun noises, but which animals do those feet belong to?
• Animal 1 2 3 by Britta Teckentrup – JJ TEC
  • Count to 10 with this lift-the-flap book.

What We Did

• Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
• Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
• Sang “Itsy Witsy.”
• Sang “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
• Sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
• Sang the “ABC Song.”

Tip: Play guessing games with your child. Books are a perfect way to play! Read the story, Talk about the clues and see if you and your child guess correctly. Make it fun and pretend to have the wrong answer when they have the right one.

Be sure to check out all of our Summer Offerings here!

Big and Small Stories in the Park

Every week until the beginning of August, I’ll be out at Wentz Run Park on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM and Oxford Park on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM. We’ll read stories, sing songs, and move around! Meet us by the playground! Rain or shine, hot or cold, I’ll be there.

Our Theme: Big & Small

What We Read

• Lunch by Denise Fleming – JJ FLE
  • A little mouse is ready for lunch! Guess what he’s going to eat next as you turn the page.
• Big Bug by Henry Cole – Request
  • Ah! It’s a Big Bug, but turn the page and it changes. Follow as things grow smaller and smaller until you reach the biggest thing of all.

What We Did

• Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
• Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
• Sang “Itsy Witsy.”
• Sang “Twinkle Twinkle.”
• Recited “Five little monkeys.”
• Sang the “ABC Song.”

Tip: Books are a great way to develop print awareness. With titles such as the ones we read in story time, the big words are easy to point out as you read. Be sure to talk about some of what you’re seeing as you read. You can play with a book by turning the story into a guessing game. Ask questions such as: what do you think the mouse in Lunch will eat next? What could be bigger than the bug in Big Bug? Reading should always be fun!

Be sure to check out all of our Summer Offerings here!

We Love Trees In Stories in the Park

Every week until the beginning of August, I’ll be out at Wentz Run Park on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM and Oxford Park on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM. We’ll read stories, sing songs, and move around! Meet us by the playground.

Our Theme: Trees

What We Read

• Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson – JJ MAT
  • This interactive book will lead readers on a journey through the seasons.
• Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis – Request
  • An imaginative pig has great adventures with a stick!

What We Did

• Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
• Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
• Sang “Itsy Witsy.”
• Recited an Apple Rhyme
• Recited “Five little monkeys.”
• Sang the “ABC Song.”

Tip: Trees provide many ways to support early literacy. Talk to your child about what you see on the tree or how the bark feels. This helps to build vocabulary. Play with a stick and enjoy imaginative games. This will help with narrative skills as you work through an imaginary story.

Be sure to check out all of our Summer Offerings here!

Beach Time In Story Time

The sun is out and it’s a beautiful day, so we decided to read beach themed stories (or shore stories).

Next week, we’re changing Story Time up and inviting a music school in to run a music class for you and your little one! It’ll be toward the same age groups (babies first, toddlers second) and at the same times (10:15 and 11:15) so I hope you’ll join us to make music fun!

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If you’re tracking your books for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten (with us or another library), you can count these books if you were at Story Time!

Our Theme: Beach or Shore!

What We Read

–Baby & Toddler Story Time

• Beach Day! by Anahid Hamparian – JJ BOARD HAM
  • Say “Hello” to the various sights at the beach.
• At the Beach by Mandy Stanley – JJ BOARD STA
  • Just in Baby Story Time. One word, one image help illustrate what children might see at the beach.
• Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant – JJ RYL
  • Just in Toddler Story Time. Brownie, a girl, and Pearl, a cat, decide to take a swim in a little pool.

What We Did

• In both:
  • Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
  • Recited:
    • Here is the sea, the wavy sea
      Here is my boat,
      And here is me.
      All of the fishes, down below
      Wiggle their tails and away they go!
• In Baby Story Time
  • Recited (bounce rhyme):
    • Trot Trot to Boston…
• In Toddler Story Time
  • Recited “Where is Thumbkin?”
  • Sang “Itsy Witsy Spider.”
  • Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
  • Recited: “I saw a little bird…”

Tip: Like gardening, the beach or shore is a great place to engage the senses and talk about what your little one is seeing, hearing or touching. This helps expand their vocabulary.

Want to get e-mail reminders? Sign up here for Baby Story Time and here for Toddler Story Time.

Time to Garden In Story Time!

We have had almost a full week of clouds! I knew that this week, we had to do something wonderful and possibly sunny in story time, so we read stories about gardening! This was a new theme for me and I’m so very glad you and our little friends enjoyed it. Here’s to the sun coming out soon!

Every week until the end of May, we have a Baby and Toddler Story Time just for our little friends under 3 years of age. On Thursday at 10:15 AM, babies 18 months and younger can hear stories and songs. On Thursday at 11:15 AM, toddlers two to three (2-3) years of age can hear stories, participate and move around in story time. After stories, we have an open free play time where you can meet other caregivers!

If you’re tracking your books for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten (with us or another library), you can count these books if you were at Story Time!

Our Theme: Garden!

What We Read

–Baby & Toddler Story Time

• Planting Seeds by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace – (Special request)
  • In this counting story, we watch a family of bunnies plant seeds and eat what they grew!
• A Seed Needs Sun by Kate Riggs – JJ BOARD RIG
  • In Baby Story Time Only. For a seed to grow it needs a few things!
• The Little Gardener by Jan Gerardi – JJ BOARD GER
  • In Toddler Story Time Only. What does one need to garden? Lift the flaps to find out!
• I Like Bugs by Lorena Siminovich – (Special request)
  • Count to five with these friendly and colorful bugs.

What We Did

• In both:
  • Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
  • Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
  • Recited:
    • I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop.
      I told the little bird to stop, stop, stop.
      I went to the window to say “How do you do?”
      But he shook his little tail and away he flew.
• In Baby Story Time
  • Sang:
    • I wish I were a-bunny, a-bunny…
  • Recited (bounce rhyme):
    • Bumping up and down in my little red wagon…
  • Recited (by request):
    • This is the way the baby/farmer/jockey rides…
• In Toddler Story Time
  • Recited “Where is Thumbkin?”
  • Sang “Itsy Witsy Spider.”
  • Recited “Two Little Black Birds.”
  • Sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

Tip: Gardening really engages the senses from smelling the flowers to touching the dirt (or mud) to maybe tasting your veggies! It’s a great activity for talking to increase vocabulary like colors, food, or textures.

Want to get e-mail reminders? Sign up here for Baby Story Time and here for Toddler Story Time.

Opposites In Story Time

Every week until the end of May, we have a Baby and Toddler Story Time just for our little friends under 3 years of age. On Thursday at 10:15 AM, babies 18 months and younger can hear stories and songs. On Thursday at 11:15 AM, toddlers two to three (2-3) years of age can hear stories, participate and move around in story time. After stories, we have an open free play time where you can meet other caregivers!

For this story time, we explored opposites! If you’re tracking your books for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten (with us or another library), you can count these books if you were at Story Time!

Our Theme: Opposites

What We Read

–Baby & Toddler Story Time

• Animal Opposites: A Pop-up Book by Petr Horacek – JJ HOR
  • Explore opposites with animals under flaps and those that fly off the page!
• Stop! Go! A Book of Opposites (Everything Goes Series) by Brian Biggs – JJ BOARD BIG
  • Using cars and funny illustrations, little ones can explore opposites.
• Happy Dog, Sad Dog by Sam Lloyd – JJ BOARD LLO
  • Dogs explore opposites! Read only in Toddler Story Time.

What We Did

• In both:
  • Sang my favorite opening and closing songs: “If You’d Like to Hear a Story” and “The More We Read Together.”
  • Sang “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
  • Sang “Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands/ Wave your hands / Pat your knees.”
• In Baby Story Time
  • Recited (bounce rhyme):
    • I’m bouncing, bouncing every where
      I bounce and bounce into the air
      I’m bouncing, bouncing like a ball
      I bounce and bounce and down I fall.
• In Toddler Story Time
  • Recited “Where is Thumbkin?”
  • Sang “Itsy Witsy Spider.”
  • Sang “The Alphabet Song.”

Tip: Talking about opposites is a great way to add to your little one’s vocabulary. What is up in the tree? What is down on the ground? Talk to them about opposites they might see in the world!

Want to get e-mail reminders? Sign up here for Baby Story Time and here for Toddler Story Time.

Digital Manga!

We have eBooks, but did you know that we now have some eManga? If you’ve spent time looking in our Overdrive collection, you might know or have found a few Tokyopop* titles available to check out. As of this month, that selection has expanded as part of our Overdrive Advantage Plan (special titles just for those who have WVPL cards). We now offer a few Kodansha Comics* titles such as Attack on Titan, A Silent Voice, and Your Lie in April (just the first volumes at the moment). These all teen rated.

How does it work? To see these titles in Overdrive, you need to sign in with your library card first. After that, you can search for them by title, browse the new ones, or search by their format: MediaDo. You check them out like any other eBook or eAudio book. The difference comes when you want to read them.

Use the filters on the left to find them by their format.

This eManga uses a different format than any other ebook called MediaDo. MediaDo is a special format that you read in your web browser. There’s no downloading involved! On the other hand, if you’re reading on a mobile device and start in the app, the app will send you to the browser and you’ll have to log-in again. At least, this was my experience on an iPad Mini. After that, it was easy to read!

Here are the new titles we have!

*Manga publishers

1000 Books Before Kindergarten is here!

That’s right! We now have 1000 Books Before Kindergarten here at WVPL! With a huge thanks to Upper Dublin Public Library (our partner) and Kiwanis Club of Ambler (our sponsor).

What is 1000 Books Before Kindergarten? It’s a reading program for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers! The goal is simple: read 1000 books before your little one or little ones starts kindergarten. But wait! It doesn’t have to be 1000 different books. It can be the same book 20 times, or more throughout the program as well as books from daycare or preschool or story time. Also, if you read to two children, the same book counts for both children. You can read the instructional letter here (PDF) for all the details.

How much time will this take? It depends on you and your child or children as this is a self paced program.

How does it work at WVPL and UDPL? Visit here to read about our prize levels and what to do.

Sign me up! Yay! Stop by WVPL in Blue Bell or Ambler, or UPDL to fill out a card and we’ll give you your first log and answer any questions you have.

I look forward to seeing you and your little one or little ones in the library soon!