Virtual Story Time: Favorite Building Block Award Winners -- September 2024

Each month, Miss Amy records a virtual Story Time that goes along with the monthly theme.  It will be posted monthly in the morning of the first Tuesday of the month.  (The video is available to watch for one month before a new one is uploaded.) 

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Bunnies!!! by  Kevan Atteberry
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Books:
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont
I'm Terrified of Bath Time by Simon Rich
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
Naked! by Michael Ian Black
Pug Meets Pig by Sue Gallion

Extension Activities:
- Visit the Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award website for complete list of award winners and past nominees.
- Join us for our in-person story times at the Arnold Branch in September 2024 to hear the 2024 award nominees.

Virtual Story Time: Celebrate! -- August 2024

Each month, Miss Amy records a virtual Story Time that goes along with the monthly theme.  It will be posted monthly in the morning of the first Tuesday of the month.  (The video is available to watch for one month before a new one is uploaded.) 

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton
Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown by Eric Litwin

Books:
Cake by Sue Hendra
The Entertainer by Emma Dodd
How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab
If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Joffe Numeroff
It's My Birthday Too! by Lynne Jonell
Party Rex by Molly Idle
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin

Extension Activities:
- Play some party games such as Pin the Tail, Pass the Parcel, Water Balloon Toss, Musical Statues, etc.
- Plan a special dinner party.  Make your families favorite dishes.  Use the fancy plates, cups, and silverware.  Have a special dessert.
- Poll the members of your family to see what their favorite holidays are to celebrate.

Naughty or Nice -- 12/5/23

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am. A monthly virtual Story Time is posted the first Tuesday of the month on the library's Facebook page.  It is available to view for one month before the next video is posted.

Click HERE for this month's virtual Story Time.

The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

Books:

Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett Krosoczka

Cha-Cha-Chimps by Julia Durango

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen

How to Cheer Up Dad by Fred Koehler
Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

Craft: Winter Fat Cat

- Print out a cat picture to color and cut out

- Draw a scarf and hat to color and cut out

- Glue pieces together

Extension Activities:

- As you read through the books, ask your child to point out any "naughty" or "nice" behaviors.

- Bedtime rituals are a great way to encourage your child to go to bed easier.  Talk with your child about what rituals they have to get ready to go to bed (i.e. bath, brush teeth, final drink of water, read a story, etc.).

Colors: August 16, 2022

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am and Tuesday evenings at 6:00 pm.  Online Story Times will be posted weekly on Tuesday mornings.  (The video is available to watch for one week before a new one is uploaded.)

Click HERE for this week's Story Time video.

Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Books:
Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

I Know a Wee Piggy by Kim Norman
Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet

Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Vincent Paints His House by Tedd Arnold

Warthogs Paint: A Messy Color Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Craft: Crayon

- Print out template on heavy paper or cardstock and cut out

- Color crayon your favorite color

- Cut out four black strips of paper

- Glue black strips onto crayon as shown at left (two at top and two at bottom)

- Glue on eyes

- Draw on face

Extension Activities:

- Practice color sorting by having your child sort a bag of M&Ms or Skittles by color.

- Go on a color scavenger hunt trying to find an object for each color of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple.

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Virtual Story Time: I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems -- 2/9/21

Join us weekly for an online story time featuring a book read by Miss Amy on Tuesdays at 10:00 am.  The video is available to watch for one week before a new one is uploaded.

Click HERE to view the latest video.

I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems
Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown by Eric Litwin

Books:  (Party)

The Costume Party by Victoria Chess

If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff
Just Not Invited by Gina Mayer

Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Jane Cabrera

Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore by David McPhail

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin

Stanley's Party by Linda Bailey

Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman

When Elephant Goes to a Party by Sonia Levitin

Craft:  Party Crown

- Print and cut out template

- Color PARTY template

- Cut 2" strips of paper and glue to PARTY to make into a crown

Extension Activities:

- Hold a party for your family (i.e. tea party, birthday party, dance party).

- Groovy Joe holds a disco dance party.  Explore different types of music that you can dance to.

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Facebook Story Time: Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin -- 7/21/20

This is a weekly story time featuring a book read by Miss Amy on Tuesdays on Facebooks.  The video is available to watch on Facebook for one week before a new one is uploaded.

Go to www.facebook.com/JeffCoLibMo and click on Videos to view the latest video.


Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin

Books:
20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee
Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
Cookies: Life-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
I Really Want the Cake by Simon Philip
Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sis
If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff
The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery Cuyler
Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? by Bonnie Lass
Whopper Cake by Karma Wilson


TumbleBook Stories: (Available through www.jeffcolib.org by clicking on E-Content.)
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Craft: Cupcake Liner Ice Cream Cone
- Draw a triangle ice cream cone onto a piece of paper and color.
- Flatten cupcake liner(s) and glue to top of cone for scoop(s) of ice cream.
- Optional: Glue on sequins for sprinkles.






Extension Activities:
- Take a poll of family and friends to see what the flavor of ice cream is the most popular?
- Enjoy a snack of ice cream sundaes.  Ask your child to help you make the sundaes as an early cooking lesson.
- This week's book is about sharing.  Talk with your child are why it is and isn't easy to share.  Ask what things they like to share and what things they don't want to share.

Facebook Story Time: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin - 6/16/20

This is part of a series of weekly story times offered on Facebook during the time we are unable to do in-person story time at the library due to the current health crisis.  Each Tuesday, a recording of a story will be posted on Facebook.  It will be available to view for a week before a new story is posted.

Go to www.facebook.com/JeffCoLibMo and click on Videos to view the latest story.


Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

Books:
Bruno, the Standing Cat by Nadine Robert
Cat Nap by Toni Yuly
Cat Secrets by Jeff Czekaj
Cat Up a Tree by John Hassett
Cats Are Cats by Valeri Gorbachev
Grumpy Cat by Britta Teckentrup
Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? by Bill Martin
Love That Kitty! by Jeff Jarka
Pete the Cat series by Eric Litwin and various other authors
Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
          * Books can be placed on hold for checkout at www.jeffcolib.org and clicking on the link for the catalog.


TumbleBook Stories (Available through www.jeffcolib.org by clicking on E-Content.)
Caillou and Gilbert by Joceline Sanschagrin

Craft: Pete the Cat Puppet
- Color Pete's face before gluing to bottom of the paper bag
- Cut two strips of yellow paper (6.5 inches x 2.75 inches) and glue to side of bag for Pete's shirt.  (You can fold down the top inside corners to make a collar if you like.)
- Put on four stickers to hold shirt closed.



Extension Activities:
- In Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, readers count the buttons on Pete's shirt.  Practice counting by having your child count various things on their clothes (i.e. stripes on shirt, pockets on pants/shorts, etc.).
- Practice dexterity and hand coordination by having your child practice buttoning shirts.
- Did you know Pete the Cat was a real cat?  Learn his story and how he came to be featured in books by visiting the website petethecat.com/pages/bio.


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Elephant and Piggie: I Am Invited to a Party! Story Time: July 22-23, 2019

Books:
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson *
Groovy Joe: Disco Party Countdown by Eric Litwin *
I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems *
If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff
Just Not Invited by Mercer Mayer
Miss Spider's Tea Party by Daniel Kirk

Craft: Party Crown
Kids colored a cutout of the word PARTY with Elephant and Piggie on it.  They could add sequins if they liked.  They then glued on strips of paper to turn it into a crown to wear.

Extension Activities:
- Several of the suggested books include an element of math.  Practice counting in the other books by counting the number of party guests.
- Being invited to a party is a great time to go over etiquette.  Go over simple party manners with your child and practice them at home.


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Elephant and Piggie: Should I Share My Ice Cream? Story Time: June 24-25, 2019

Books:
20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin *
Ice Cream Soup by Ann Ingalls *
The Little Ice Cream Truck by Margery Cuyler
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems

Craft: Ice Cream Popsicle
The kids colored a popsicle cutout before gluing to a jumbo craft stick.  They could also glue on sequins as sprinkles.


Extension Activities:
- Ask your child to list various ice cream flavors.  Then have them take a poll to see which flavor is the most popular.
- Make some homemade ice cream.  If you don't have an ice cream maker, there are some simple recipes and directions for making ice cream in your freezer online.


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Elephant & Piggie: Are You Ready to Play Outside? Story Time: June 3-4, 2019

Books:
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems *
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin *
Peek-A-Boo Bunny by Holly Surplice *
Please Play Safe! Penguin's Guide to Playground Safety by Margery Cuyler

Craft: Elephant & Piggie Rainsock
Children colored a half sheet with Elephant on it and Piggie cutout.  They glued the half sheet into a cylinder and glued 3 crepe paper strips to the bottom to make a windsock.  Cutout raindrops and Piggie were glued to the crepe paper.

Extension Activities:
- Take a trip to a local playground.  Go over playground safety beforehand (maybe by reading Please Play Safe).
- Not a Stick imagines all the different things you can imagine a stick to be.  Stretch imaginations by asking your child to come up with different things an object (i.e. - box, rock, ball, etc.) can be.


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Music & Movement: Dinosaurs -- January 9, 2019

Most Amazing Dinosaur Songs CD from Music for Little People played before and after program for extra dancing.





Opening Action Song: "Move Like the Dinosaurs" by Pinkfong
YouTube Video

Book: Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland

Action Rhyme: We're Going On A Dino Hunt
(Kids chant back each line while keeping a clap rhythm until "Run out of the cave" when simply do actions.)

Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not a afraid.
There's a tall mountain.
Can't go under it.
Can't go around it.
Guess we'll go over it.
Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not afraid.
There's a river.
Can't go over it.
Can't go under it.
Guess we'll swim across it.
Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not afraid.
There's some tall grass.
Can't go over it.
Can't go around it.
Guess we'll go through it.
Going on a dino hunt.
I'm not afraid.
There's a cave.
Can't go over it.
Can't go under it.
Guess we'll go in it.
I feel some scales.
I feel some big teeth!
Oooooh! It's a dinosaur!
Run out of the cave (running motion)
Go through the grass (parting motion)
Swim across the river (swimming motion)
Climb the mountain (climbing motion)
Run, hope (running motion)
Open the door (opening motion)
Jump into bed.
I went on a dino hunt (clapping rhythm until end)
And I wasn't afraid!

Action Song: "We Are the Dinosaurs" by Laurie Berkner
YouTube video

Book: Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin

Action Song: "Dinosaur Stomp" by Mother Goose Club
YouTube Video

Book: What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night by Refe & Susan Tuma

Closing Action Song: "Baby T-Rex" by Pinkfong
YouTube Video

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (Clothes) Sing-Along Story Time: June 18-19, 2018

Books:
Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling *
Hello, Sun! by Dayle Ann Dodds
How to Dress a Dragon by Thelma Godin *
The Nuts: Sing & Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants by Eric Litwin *
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin *

Craft: Pete the Cat Headband
This week's craft was based on the picture at left.  The children were given a strip of cardstock with Pete's eyes and nose to color as well as two triangles for ears.  The pieces were then glued together along with another strip of cardstock to make into a headband.  Thin black strips of paper were then glue on for whiskers.

Literacy Extensions:
- Learning to dress yourself is an important skill for children to learn.  Have your children pick out their outfit to wear and practice dressing themselves.  Work on snaps, buttons, and ties.
- Extend Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by asking your child to name more things that Pete can step in and then what color it would change his shoes.


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Best of 2017 Story Time: January 22-23, 2017

Books:
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin *
Shorty & Clem by Michael Slack *
There's a Pest in the Garden! by Jan Thomas
Chicken Wants a Nap by Tracy Marchini

Craft: Shorty Headband
The children colored a half sheet template of Shorty's face before gluing on three tetth and strips to the back to make into a headband.

Literacy Extensions:
- Groovy Joe promotes sharing.  Do a survey with your child of which foods they would share with others.
- After reading Shorty & Clem, talk about mail and how the postal system works.


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Math & Numbers Story Time: August 14-15, 2017

Books:
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett *
Is That Wise, Pig? by Jan Thomas
My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman
Night Light by Nicholas Blechman *
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin *

Craft: Numbers Snake
The children glued together a paper chain snake.  The paper chain was made from strips of paper numbered 1-12.  The children were asked to make the paper chain putting the numbers in order. A snake's head was glued to one end of the paper chain when done.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practicing counting can be done anywhere.  Simply start counting objects near you.  You can also practice other things while counting such as colors, shapes, etc.
- Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is a great example of how to include simple subtraction into a counting book.  Try to incorporated simple addition and subtraction whenever you read a counting book with your child.

Eric Litwin Story Time: July 31-August 1, 2017

Books:
Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin *
The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin *
The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin *

Craft: Pete the Cat & His Shoe
This week's craft was based on the picture above.  The children colored a Pete the Cat head and a converse shoe before gluing it together.  If they wanted, they could then practice their lacing and tying skills with a piece of white yarn for a shoelace.

Literacy Extensions:
- Groovy Joe is a great introduction to the topic of sharing.  Use the book to start a discussion about sharing.
- Extend the book Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by coming up with more things for Pete to step in and the colors his shoes would change.


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My Family Story Time: May 1-2, 2017

Books:
The Biggest Bed in the World by Lindsay Camp *
Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler
My Dog Is As Smelly As Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven *
The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants by Eric Litwin *
Templeton Gets His Wish by Greg Pizzoli

Craft: Family Tree
The kids colored a sheet with a tree outline on it before gluing on leaves with their family member's names on them.


Literacy Extensions:
- After reading My Dog Is As Smelly As Dirty Socks, have your child create a family portrait using pictures from magazines as descriptive parts of the family.
- Discuss with your child the different types of family relationships and how those people relate to them (i.e. - parent, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc.)


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Math Story Time: August 15-16, 2016

Books:
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
Let's Count Goats! by Mem Fox *
One More Bunny: Adding from One to Ten by Rick Walton
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin *
Ten Eggs in a Nest by Marilyn Sadler *

Craft: Color by Numbers Sheet
The children practiced their number recognition by completing a color by numbers sheet.  Template below.

Literacy Extensions:
- Practice number recognition.  Look for numbers around you and see if your child can identify them.  (i.e. clock, signs, etc.)
- Count while you eat.  Count the number of chips you have or the number of bites it takes to eat your sandwich.

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Shoes Story Time: March 7-8, 2016

Books:
Baby Shoes by Dashka Slater *
Centipede's 100 Shoes by Tony Ross
Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley *
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin *
Shoes for Me! by Sue Fliess

Craft: Family in a Shoe
Our craft was based on the picture at left and the nursery rhyme "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe".  The children were given a cardstock boot cutout and small cardstock people cutouts.  They colored the boot and the people before gluing the people onto the boot.

Literacy Extensions:
- Continue reading nursery rhymes including One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.
- Practice lacing and tying knots.

Tops & Bottoms Story Time: February 22-23, 2016

Books:
Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep by Teri Sloat *
If Elephants Wore Pants by Henriette Barkow
In My New Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli
The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants by Eric Litwin *
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin *

Craft: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
The kids colored a card stock head, two arms and two legs cut from a template I drew.  They then folded a quarter sheet of yellow paper so that the edges met in the middle to make a shirt.  The upper corners could be turned down to make a collar.  They then picked for small stickers to use as groovy buttons to close the shirt.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons practice counting.  Have your child count various things on their clothes (i.e. stripes on their shirt, pockets on their pants, etc.)
- After reading My New Yellow Shirt have your child stretch their imagination by coming up with different things they could be in the outfit they are wearing.


Notes:
I originally thought to have the kids pick out the stickers they wanted to use.  However, this did not work very well.  We got a traffic jam at the sticker bowls.  We also had a lot of younger children who were not yet counting.

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Our Favorite Books of 2015: December 28-29, 2015

Books:
Duck's Vacation by Gilad Soffer *
Duddle Puck: The Puddle Duck by Karma Wilson
Get Out of My Bath by Britta Teckentrup
It's Only Stanley by Jon Agee *
The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants by Eric Litwin *
Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein
That's (Not) Mine by Anna Kang

Craft: Microphone
The children colored a cardstock microphone cutout (template below) before covering the head of the microphone with aluminum foil.

Literacy Extensions:
- We've talked about favorites and why we like stuff the past couple of weeks.  This week, try to make top ten lists of favorite things (i.e. favorite foods, favorite books, favorite animals, etc.)
- A lot of this week's books use rhyming words.  Practice rhyming with your child.

Notes:
For some extra fun this week, we handed out polka dot stickers to add to our pants for the book The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants.