storytime katie

For an overview of the Book Bundles and Parenting Packs early literacy kits, please visit the original post. The cost listed is the list price of each item, regardless of whether or not we got it on sale/discount. The activity sheets amount was calculated by cost of binder clip + lamination sheets.

Itemized List

• Backpack ($7.39) — 4Imprint
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear by Steven Lenton ($8.95) — Baker & Taylor
• You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You by Mary Ann Hoberman ($17.99) — Baker & Taylor
• Nursery Rhymes (Twin Sisters Productions) ($7.99) — Amazon
• Kids Preferred Amazing Baby Nursery Rhymes Flash Cards ($21.95) — Amazon
• Lakeshore Learning Storytelling Lapboard ($9.99) — Lakeshore Learning
• Nursery Rhymes Felt Pieces ($16.29) — Amazon
• Vinyl Bag ($2.99) — The Container Store
• Activity Sheets ($2.55) — created in-house

Total: $96.09

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear is a soft-covered squishy board book that’s great for reading a page or two at a time. It’s also brightly colored and a younger nursery rhyme collection that I’m very happy with. Then, to satisfy older readers, I went with You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You which is perfect for beginning readers or two voices (older siblings/caregivers).

I really want to have a Nursery Rhymes CD because it’s important to have nursery rhymes read aloud. It’s better for listening to the rhymes, cadences, and sounds of different letters. Think about reading “Jack Be Nimble” versus hearing it chanted aloud as a jumping rhyme.

The toddlers and preschoolers are obsessed with the flannelboard at this library. Normally, they don’t get a lot of opportunities to interact with the felt pieces and the board at storytime. The circulating Bundles were a perfect chance to let them play to their heart’s content with the flannelboard.

It’s the middle of May and the Nursery Rhymes Book Bundle has gone out 9 times since launching at the end of November! I’m okay with this one being a low circulating kit because it’s still an important concept for kids to know.

For an overview of the Book Bundles and Parenting Packs early literacy kits, please visit the original post. The cost listed is the list price of each item, regardless of whether or not we got it on sale/discount. The activity sheets amount was calculated by cost of binder clip + lamination sheets.

Itemized List

• Backpack ($7.39) — 4Imprint
• From Head to Toe by Eric Carle ($17.99) — Baker & Taylor
• My Nose, Your Nose by Melanie Walsh ($16.99) — Baker & Taylor
• Steady, Ready, Jump: Preschool Fitness Fun ($13.99) — Amazon
• Lakeshore Learning: Let’s Get Moving! Activity Mats ($49.99) — Lakeshore Learning
• My Body Match-Up Game & Puzzle ($8.99) — Amazon
• Mesh Bag ($3.99) — The Container Store
• Activity Sheets ($2.55) — created in-house

Total: $121.88

I chose From Head to Toe because it’s a classic and identifies body parts, but also because it encourages the reader to get up and do some moving: “Can you do it?”. This is the perfect opportunity for the whole family to get up and do some exercise. To balance it out, I chose My Nose, Your Nose because it talks about body differences in a positive way and also identifies parts of the body that From Head to Toe does not cover.

Since Shakes, Shimmy, and Dance is such a positive class at the library, I knew I wanted to include a music CD to carry that fun home. The Georgiana Stewart CDs provide prompts for movement and are really a great help for caregivers (and librarians!) who might struggle with helping a child do a specific dance.

The Let’s Get Moving! Activity Mats are one of my favorite purchases. I only include five in the circulating Book Bundle, but I’ve used the others in programming often. These are a great way to get kids up and moving. It’s also a backdoor way for me to publicize the Book Bundles. When we used them in Discovery!, I made sure to let caregivers know that they could bring some home if they checked out the Bundle!

Sadly, the My Body Match-Up Game and Puzzle is no longer being sold. It’s a great manipulative since it can be used two ways: as a memory game and a floor puzzle which involves a lot of movement to put together. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the families keep track of these pieces since I can’t replace it anymore. Or that the company starts selling it again!

It’s the beginning of May and the My Body Book Bundle has gone out 10 times since launching at the end of November! This includes a stint where it spent about two weeks on my desk because I was trying to track down the correct copy of From Head to Toe — a library copy was inside the Bundle instead of the Bundle copy.

For an overview of the Book Bundles and Parenting Packs early literacy kits, please visit the original post. The cost listed is the list price of each item, regardless of whether or not we got it on sale/discount. The activity sheets amount was calculated by cost of binder clip + lamination sheets.

Itemized List

• Backpack ($7.39) — 4Imprint
• The Feelings Book by Todd Parr ($6.99) — Baker & Taylor
• Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley & Anne Miranda ($12.99) — Baker & Taylor
• My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss ($16.99) — Baker & Taylor
• Hape Expression Eggs Game ($24.99) — Amazon
• Lakeshore Learning Moods & Emotions Mirrors ($29.99) — Lakeshore Learning
• Vinyl Bags ($5.98) — The Container Store
• Activity Sheets ($2.55) — created in-house

Total: $107.87

All three of my choices are ones that I recommend to caregivers who are working with their children to identify and name emotions. I really think that the interactivity of Glad Monster, Sad Monster is one that can help a child since they can use the masks to “see” the emotions. It’s also another book that I hesitate to keep in the general collection for wear and tear purposes. Also having to inventory the book until return. And I chose the board book of The Feelings Book so that the Bundle didn’t become too heavy.

Hape Expression Eggs is a board book that comes with eggs to match up with their base colors, each describing a feeling. I appreciate the high quality of the materials of this set. I also like that it provided a guided play opportunity while caregivers read the book with their child. Especially because feelings can be hard to understand.

The Moods and Emotions Mirrors were recommended to me by a fellow librarian who has worked with autistic children. The mirrors are a great resource because they provide a photo-realistic image of an emotion and then have a mirror on the opposite side for the child to practice with. I did remove “proud” and “shy” from the set because they are harder emotions and they made the Bundle really heavy for the kids.

It’s the beginning of May and the Feelings Book Bundle has gone out 11 times since launching at the end of November! I am happy with this Bundle and the chances we’re providing for families to work on emotional development at home.