Recent Favorite Story Time Reads

Being a children's librarian in an ever-growing community means a consistently bustling story time schedule, both in the library and for outreach visits. To keep my material fresh and exciting for me, and thus for the kids I'm reading with, I like to pick new books to share pretty regularly. I've had great success with a handful of books in particular lately, and I wanted to share them with you (in case you're looking for something to save you from reading that same go-to for the millionth time this month).

Favorite Interactive Books

Don't Push the Button! by Bill Cotter - This silly story is just begging for you to push the big red button. When you finally do, plenty of interesting things ensue. As will delighted laughter.

I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison and Frank Morrison - A girl steps out of her home and immediately catches the rhythm of everything around her. It's impossible to not move along to the beat of this text, and the words invite plenty of great action. The diverse children depicted in the illustrations make this an exemplary story time choice.

Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman - This title was brought to my attention by a post on The Library as Incubator Project, where Jayne Gammons talked about sharing this story while having kids wiggle their bodies the way the lines on the page are wiggling. I've been having kids wiggle their fingers along with the story, to great success.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson - Follow a tree through the "magic" of the seasons, from bare branches to buds, flowers, and apples, before the leaves change colors and blow away. Kids have a look of wonder when I've shared this book, and it invites plenty of talk about seasons and the life cycle.

Favorite Folk Tales

Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg and Jos. A. Smith - A lonely old couple form a boy out of clay to keep them company, but it turns out the clay boy has an insatiable appetite. Luckily for everyone in the village, the local golden-eyed goat's wisdom is a match for the creature's hunger/

The Three Triceratops Tuff by Stephen Shaskan - This dinosaur retelling of the Three Billygoats Gruff is a great, well-paced read, with an opportunity to give yourself short T-Rex arms. Side note: When I read this story, I rename the biggest triceratops "Babs" instead of the written "Bob," because why should all the dinosaurs only be boys?

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What have been your recent favorite story time reads?