Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott A Ball for Daisy  by Chris Raschka Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin, Illustrated by Betsy Lewin Creepy Carrots  by Aaron Reynolds, Illustrated by Peter Brown Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems Frog and Toad:  "The Story"  by Arnold Lobel (from the book Frog and Toad are Friends) Inch by Inch  by Leo Lionni Jumanji  by Chris Van Allsburg King Bidgood's in the Bathtub  by Audrey Wood, Illustrated by Don Wood The Lion and the Mouse  by Jerry Pin ..read more

Book:  Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger, illustrated by Michael Hays Puppets:  none Props:  Stuff to make someone look a little bit like a giant Presenters:  two Audience:   Family Storytime  (mostly 3-6 year olds) Abiyoyo is one of a handful of stories I tell that I actually heard as a child.  We had the Pete Seeger version on a record (it's possible it might even have been a reel to reel tape!).  It was too scary at first and I would leave the room at "the sun rose blood red over the hills," but eventually I got used to it.  I've told it solo a few times ..read more

Story:  "The Foolish Frog" by Pete Seeger Puppets:  Frog, Man, Woman, Child, Cow, Chicken (can cut one or two) Props:   Grass, Water Bottle, Barn (optional) Presenters:    One Audience:   Family Storytime, also good for K-2 When I started as a children's librarian a few decades ago the world of storytelling seemed totally new to me.  Later I realized it wasn't, because I grew up listening to Pete Seeger records, and although I liked his songs, it was the stories that really captured me:  "Abiyoyo"..."Sam the Whaler"...and this one, "The Foolish Frog ..read more

Book:  Here Comes Santa Cat  by Deborah Underwood;  Illustrated by Claudia Rueda Puppets:  2 Cats, Bird, Frog (or substitute) Props:  Signs (copied from book); Santa Clothes for Cat (just a hat would do); Two Cat Food Cans (or similar); Christmas Lights;  Puppet Stage (optional) Presenters:   Two Audience:  Family Storytime  (could be done with one) We needed a new holiday story to go with our annual puppet show presentation of The Nutcracker, so Brad and I decided to try Here Comes Santa Cat.  In the book, the "narrator" is talking directly ..read more

Book:  A Pet for Fly Guy  by Tedd Arnold Puppets:  Fly, Octopus, Monkey, Porcupine, Dog, Cat, Frog, Chipmunk, Spider, Worm (can substitute for all but Fly) Props:  Garbage Can, Banana (or substitute food), Bags for three puppets Presenters:  Two Audience:  Family Storytime Tedd Arnold's "Fly Guy" books are excellent, but most don't translate too easily into read alouds or a two-person act-out kind of thing.  But A Pet for Fly Guy is written as a picture book, rather than an early reader, and the structure is just right.  I've used as a storytime read a ..read more

Book:  The Dark at the Top of the Stairs  by Sam McBratney,    Illustrated by Ivan Bates Puppets:  None Props:  None Technology:  Projector and Scans; Music and Sound Effects in PowerPoint Presenters:   Two or more Audience:  Family Storytime For our annual "Slightly Spooky Storyime" we decided to try The Dark at the Top of the Stairs  (the Sam McBratney picture book, not the William Inge play), .  It's been one my favorites suspenseful/funny read alouds for a long time, but we thought it could make a good Act-Out with Scans. &nb ..read more

Book:  What's in Fox's Sack?  by Paul Galdone Puppets:  Fox, Bee, Rooster, Pig, Child, Dog; 4 people optional Props:  Sack (pillow slip works fine) Presenters:  One Audience:  Family Storytime (older too) Video:  How to Tell What's in Fox's Sack? with Puppets Here's one of the first stories I ever told with puppets.   It has a repetitive pattern that's easy to learn (and for the audience to follow), and that pattern builds and twists a bit at the end to make a very satisfying story.  When I tell it with puppets I like to it as narrator, as well as ..read more

Book:  The Lion and the Mouse  by Jerry Pinkney  Puppets:  none Props:  none Technology:  Projector with scanned illustrations + music clips Audience:  Family Storytime (mostly age 3-7) Presenters:  one Jerry Pinkney's version of The Lion and the Mouse has so much potential in storytime settings and we've used it with several variations.  We scan the images to project so they can be seen in our large storytimes.  We've done it with barebones narration and simple perscussion to give it rhythm.  Another time we had a local string quart ..read more

Book:  The Hat  by Jan Brett  Puppets:   None Props:   Character Signs, Various Articles of Clothing, Clothesline Presenters:  2, plus child volunteers (could be 1 plus kids) Audience:   Family Storytime (mostly 3-7) Brad and I chose to use Jan Brett's The Hat for a "clothing" themed Family Storytime.  Jan Brett's website has a bunch of great resources for teachers and storytellers, including neat and simple printouts for the animals from The Hat.  They're designed for reader's theater, but we used them in a slightly different way.  We print ..read more

Book:  There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish  by Jennifer Ward, Illustrated by Steve Gray Puppets:  Pirate Props:  Fish, Parrot, Map, Sail, Boat, Mast, Bubbles  (or substitutes) Audience:  Family Storytime (mostly ages 3-6) Presenters:  two For a pirate-themed Family Storytime Sheila and I decided to do this reworking of "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" using puppets, props, and a puppet stage.  Sheila was in front of the stage managing props and leading the song.  I was behind with a pirate puppet.   We adapted the book a b ..read more