Online Storytime

My in-laws proposed an amazing idea this weekend for social distancing that was too good not to share! Mimi and Pop Pop got on FaceTime and read Sam and Emma the story of Pinocchio for over an hour. My kids were entertained and enthralled, got to connect with their grandparents during social distancing, and Mom and Dad got to relax and enjoy this new cocktail in peace and quiet.  Highly recommend both the FaceTime Storytime and the cocktail!

No grandparents for FaceTime? During this period of school closure, I have been impressed and encourage you to check out this YouTube link that features celebrated actors reading stories out loud for child audiences. Because, again, parents need a break!

Looking for books to engage your child? Or need a great literary gift idea? I love giving books to children that have the recipient’s name in the title or as the main character. For example, I gave my nephew Joe the Groovy Joe book, our friend Lulu the Ladybug Girl book whose title character is Lulu, Sam the Sam & Dave Dig a Hole book, and Emma the Emma & The Whale book. Sam and Emma love listening about characters that share their own names!

And, while on the subject of stories, here is a list of the books that my children (and I) have found engaging thus far:

Infant:

1. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
2. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
3. Corduroy by Don Freeman
4. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
5. Pat The Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
6. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
7. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
8.  Mem Fox books (Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes; Time for Bed; Where is the Green Sheep?; Hello Baby!)
9. Sandra Boyton books (e.g., Pajama Time; Blue Hat, Green Hat; Barnyard Dance)
10. Eric Carle books (e.g., The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Brown Bear, Brown Bear; Polar Bear, Polar Bear; The Very Busy Spider; The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse)
11. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
12. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
13. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
14. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (and Good Night Moon and Big Red Barn)
15. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres
16. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
17. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
18. Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman
19. Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
20. Dinosaurumpus! By Tony Mitton
21. Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson & Lucy Tapper

Preschool:

1. The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
2. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
3. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
4. The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater 
5. Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
6. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
7. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
8. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
9. Julia Donaldson’s stories (e.g. The Gruffalo, The Snail and the Whale)
10. The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
11. The Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne
12. Mo Willems’ Pigeon books (e.g., Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Too Late)
13. Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie Series (e.g., There is a Bird on your Head!)
14. Pete the Cat Series (e.g, Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses)
15. David Goes to School by David Shannon
16. Great Books for Learning to Read: Itty Bitty Phonics Readers and Bob Books)

Early Elementary:

1. Andrea Beaty’s books (Rosie Revere, Engineer; Iggy Peck, Architect; and Sofia Valdez, Future Prez)
2. The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
3. The Dog Man Series by Dave Pilkey
4. Roald Dahl novels (e.g., Matilda, James and the Giant Peach,Danny Champion of the World)
5. Erin Hunter’s Warrior Series
6. Ivy & Bean Series by Annie Barrows
7. My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

And, finally, just in case there’s a book you want to purchase, here is the online shop that I often use for purchasing my kids’ books secondhand because, lets be honest, I need new material to read Sam and Emma before bedtime long before they are asking for new books.