Safari Animals -- 9/8/26

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.

Five Hiding Ostriches by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins

Books:
King Lion by Emma Yarlett
Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Lion Lullaby by Kate Banks
Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon
Slow Loris by Alexis Deacon

Craft: Scissor Practice Lion
- Draw a lion's face in center of piece of paper and with lines drawn from face to edges of paper for mane
- Color lion's face and mane
- Cut along lines of mane 
- Curl cut pieces if like




Extension Activities:
- Play a game of Cheetah Run, Turtle Fast.  While lively music plays have kids run and dance.  When the music pauses they freeze and rest like turtles. 
- Go on a Safari Hunt.  Hide pictures of different safari animals for kids to find.

Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates -- 11/25/25

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.

Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl B. Klein
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas
Cows in the Kitchen by June Crebbin

Books:
A Cat Like That by Lester Laminack
Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion by Stephen W. Martin
I Am Wriggly by Michael Rosen
Short Dog, Long Dog: A Book of Opposites by Anna Hrachovec
Sterling, Best Dog Ever by Aidan Cassie

Craft: Cat Necklace

- Print template (left) onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out cat

- Punch hole at end of tail

- Color cat

- String cat onto a piece of curling ribbon

- Optional: String beads onto curling ribbon

- Tie ends of curling ribbon so can wear as necklace

Extension Activities:

- Discuss pet responsibility.  What all do you need to take care of a pet?  What types of food would your pet eat? 

- Extend the song book Cows in the Kitchen by adding more animals into the house (ex - goats in the garbage, bats in the bathroom, ants in the attic, etc).

I'm My Own Dog -- 11/10/25

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.

I'm My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein
Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj
Cowy Cow by Chris Raschka

Books:
Buddy and the Bunnies in Don't Play With Your Food by Bob Shea
Flat Cat by Tara Lazar
Hamster Sitter Wanted by Tracy Gunaratnam
Pet This Book by Jessica Young
That's My Dog! by Rick Walton
Widget by Lyn Rossiter McFarland

Craft: Hamster

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (body, legs/arms)

- Color pieces

- Fold body along dotted lines and then roll and glue end of body to just behind the head to make it stand

- Glue legs to bottom of hamster

- Glue arms to sides of hamster

Extension Activities:

- Visit a pet store to learn more about the different types of pets and how to care for them.

- Make a pets mural by letting your child cut out pictures of animals they think would make good pets from old magazines and then gluing them to a piece of paper.

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How to Lose a Lemur -- 11/4/25

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.

How to Lose a Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon
I Am a Tiger by Karl Newson

Books:
Blueberry Mouse by Alice Low
Finnegan Fox by Katie Gilstrap
Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Mama in the Moon by Doreen Cronin
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin
Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon

Craft: Standing Lion

- Print template onto cardstock or heavy paper

- Cut out pieces (body, head, tail)

- Color pieces

- Fold body along dotted lines to make it stand

- Glue tail to back of lion

- Glue head to front of lion

- (Optional) Cut along the lines of the mane and fold them slightly

Extension Activities:

- Have your child(ren) try to guess an animal from physical descriptions (ex - furry, whiskers, stripes, etc).

- Take a trip to a local zoo, petting zoo, nature center, etc. to view the different animals.

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Back to School: Science -- 8/29/23

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.

Bear in Sunshine by Stella Blackstone
Oh No, Astro! by Matt Roeser
Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert

Books:
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros
Hello, Puddle! by Anita Sanchez
I've Got Eyes! by Julie Murphy
The Weather Girls by Aki
What Is Science? by Rebecca Kai Dotlich


Craft:  Sea Turtle
- Print out template onto cardstock or heavy paper 
- Cut out and color pieces (body, shell)
- Glue shell to body


Extension Activities:
- Practice some simple engineering by building with Legos.  Give your child some challenges to build such as tallest tower, favorite animal, etc.
- Visit the St. Louis Science Museum or the Magic House.  They have many interactive exhibits to make science fun for kids.


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When Winter Comes -- 1/3/23

Story Times are held weekly on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am.  Online Story Times 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 Winter Story Time.

 When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan

Books:

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson

If You're Snowy and the You Know, Clap Your Paws! by Kim Norman

Once Upon a Wintry Day by Lisa Woodruff

Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright

Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling

Craft: Bear in Winter Sweater

- Print template onto heavy paper or cardstock

- Cut out pieces (bear body, arms)

- Color pieces

- Glue arms to back of bear's body

Extension Activities:

- Add some interaction to your reading of the stories.  Ask your child what you think will happen on the next page.  Or find an object on each page.

- Take a nature walk during the winter.  See what animals, plants, etc. you can spot on your walk.  Discuss with your child how things look different during a winter walk from a walk during other seasons.

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Picture Book Genres: Animals -- 6/14/22

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.

Crunch the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap
Cat Says Meow and Other Animalopoeia by Michael Arndt

Books: (Wild Animals, Pets, Dinosaurs, etc)

Frog on a Log by Kes Gray

The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson

I Got A New Friend by Karl Newson Edwards

Little Nelly's Big Book by Pippa Goodhart

My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee

Penguin by Polly Dunbar

Unicorns 101 by Cale Atkinson

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach

Craft: Narwhal

- Color pieces and glue together as in picture

Extension Activities:

- Take a field trip to a zoo, animal sanctuary, animal shelter, etc to visit the animals.

- Learn more about your favorite animal.  The library has a lot of great informational books about different types of animals for children.

Virtual Story Time: What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound? by Mo Willems -- 9/22/20

 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.

What's Your Sound, Hound the Hound? by Mo Willems

Books:  (Animals)

Cat Says Meow and Other An-i-mal-o-poe-ia by Michael Arndt

Chicken, Chicken, Duck by Nadia Krilanovich

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig

I Spy With My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs

If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre

Oodles of Animals by Lois Ehlert

Pet This Book by Jessica Young

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera

The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

What the Baby Hears by Laura Godwin

TumbleBook Stories: (Available through www.jeffcolib.org by clicking on E-Content.)

For Just One Day by Laura Leuck

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root

Craft: Picnic Puzzle

- Print out image at left onto heavy paper

- Color picture

- Cut on straight lines to get 20 puzzle pieces

Extension Activities:

- Pick an animal to learn more about.  Check out an informational book from the library about that animal.

- Play a game of animal charades.  Guess what animals are being acted out.

- Visit the zoo.

Polar Bears Story Time: January 27-28, 2020

Books:
Hush Little Polar Bear by Jeff Mack
The Lonesome Polar Bear by Jane Cabrera
No Place Like Home by Ronojoy Ghosh *
Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson
Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson *
Polar Bear's Underwear by Tupera Tupera *
A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom

Craft: Polar Bear Picture
The children ripped strips of blue, green, purple, and pink paper into squares.  They then glued them onto a piece of paper with a polar bear on the center.  They glued the pieces around the polar bear leaving the bear white.

Extension Activities:
- When doing the craft, have your child rip the paper themselves.  This is a great activity for working on gross motor skills.
- When reading Polar Bear's Underwear, have your child guess whose underwear it is before turning the page.  Use the clues given with the underwear's imagery to help them figure it out.


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Penguins Story Time: January 13-14, 2020

Books:
Baby Penguins Everywhere! by Melissa Guion
If You Were a Penguin by Wendell Minor *
Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bentley *
A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Waddle! Waddle! by James Proimos *

Craft: Folded Penguin
Kids colored a penguin face/belly before gluing it to a larger blue circle to make the penguin body.  They could then glue on a strip of orange paper for a scarf if they liked.  The sides of the circles were then folded in to make the penguin's wings.  (Note: If you want a chubby penguin, don't fold in the wings.)

Extension Activities:
- Practice letter recognition by asking your child to point out all the letter "P"s on the page as you are reading.
- Visit the Penguin and Puffin House at the zoo.


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Animals in Winter Story Time: January 6-7, 2020

Books:
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
First Snow by Bernette Ford
Moon Glowing by Elizabeth Partridge
Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! by Maureen Wright *
Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by Il Sung Na *
When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan *

Craft: Winter Animals Picture
The kids colored a winter animals coloring sheet.  They then glued on snowflake sequins.

Extension Activities:
- Add some interaction into your reading of stories.  Ask your child what they think will happen on the next page.  Ask them to find items in the pictures as you read.
- Take a nature walk in the winter.  See what animals, plants, etc. you can spot on your walk.  Discuss with your child how things look different on winter walks vs. summer walks.

Horse Story Time: May 28, 2019

Books:
Are You a Horse? by Andy Rash *
Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee
Do You Believe in Unicorns? by Bethanie Deeney Murguia *
A Horse Named Steve by Kelly Collier
Noni the Pony by Alison Lester *


Craft: H = Horse
The children were given a lower case "h" cutout.  The neck of the "h" was folded near the top to make the horse's head.  The horse was then colored.  Brown raffia strips were glued on for the mane and the tail.  A small triangle was glued to the head as either the horse's ear or a unicorn's horn.

Extension Activities:
- Before reading the books, ask your child to describe a horse.  Ask them for different characteristics and how you would tell a horse from other animals.
- This week's craft is made from the letter "H" as that is what horse starts with.  Ask your child to find the "H"s in the book as you are reading.

Cows Story Time: May 20-21, 2019

Books:
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson *
The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill *
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas *
Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier
Moo! by David LaRochelle *
Moo Moo in a Tutu by Tim Miller


Craft: C Is for Cow
The children colored a letter "C", a cow head, and a tail before gluing them all together to make the cow.

Extension Activities:
- Practice phonics recognition.  See how many words your child can come up with that starts with the letter "C" -- whether the hard "C" sound or the soft "S" sound.
- Cows help make some of our favorite foods. (i.e. - milk, cheese, ice cream, etc.)  Learn how these different foods are all made from cow's milk.  There are books and videos available at the library or visit a working farm to learn the process.

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Lions Story Time: April 29-30, 2019

Books:
How to Be a Lion by Ed Vere
How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens *
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar
Lion Lessons by Jon Agee *
Quiet! by Paul Bright
Roar! A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards *

Craft: Lion Headband
Children colored a lion head on a strip of cardstock.  A second strip of paper was glued to it to turn into a headband.

Extension Activities:
- This week's letter is "L".  Ask your child to point out the Ls on the page as you are reading.
- Visit a zoo to learn more about lions and other animals.

Imaginary Animals Story Time: April 22-23, 2019

Books:
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas *
Clara and Asha by Erick Rohmann
Emma Kate by Patricia Polacco *
Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman *
There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss

Craft: Gorilla Puppet
This week's craft is based on the picture at left.  The kids colored a gorilla head cutout and glued to a jumbo craft stick.  Then a pipe cleaner was twisted around the craft stick to make the gorilla's arms.

Extension Activities:
- Encourage your child to get up and move by acting out the various types of activities from Still a Gorilla.
- This week's letter is "I".  Have your child point the letter "I"s as you are reading books.


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Alligator Story Time: April 1-2, 2019

Books:
Alan's Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis *
Alberto the Dancing Alligator by Richard Waring
Alligator Boy by Cynthia Rylant *
For Pete's Sake by Ellen Stoll Walsh
A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan *

Craft: Paper Chain Alligator
This week's craft was inspired by the above picture with several changes.  Instead of gluing paper tubes together, the children make a three link paper chain out of green paper for the alligator's body.  A strip of cardstock was colored and then folded to make the alligator's mouth.  Two sequins were glued onto it for the eyes.  The head was then glued to one end of the chain for the head.  Four legs were colored and glued to the chain for the alligator's feet.

Extension Activities:
- This week we are focusing on the letter "A" for alligator.  Have your child point out all the "A"s in the book as you are reading.
- Learn more about alligators by checking out a book from the library.  There are several great nonfiction children's books about alligators.

Winter Animals Story Time: January 14-15, 2019

Books:
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson *
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathon London *
Sleepover with Beatrice & Bear by Monica Carnesi
Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by Il Sung Na
When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan *

Craft: Mouse
Our craft this week was based on the picture at left with several changes.  The children colored a mouse cutout that had 2 small slits cut in the body.  They then twisted together 2 half pieces of pipe cleaner together and inserted it in the slits to make the mouse's tail.

Extension Activities:
- Take a winter walk to see if you can find some animals.  If it has snowed, look for animal prints in the snow.  See if you can figure out which animal it is from the prints.
- Make a coloring book of winter animals.  Find coloring sheets of various winter animals to staple together into a coloring book.  Ask your child which of the animals hibernate and which ones don't.


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Farm Animals Story Time: January 30-31, 2017

Books:
The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill *
Cows in the Kitchen by June Crebbin *
Farmyard Beat by Lindsay Craig
I Spy on the Farm by Edward Gibbs *

Craft: Rocking Chicken
Our craft this week was based on the picture at left.  Children folded a small paper plate in half.  They then colored three small teardrop shapes and glued to a folded corner edge for the head feathers.  They colored one small teardrop shape and glued to the side with a triangle for the beak and waddle.  Three large teardrop shapes were glued to the back folded corner for the tailfeathers.

Literacy Extensions:
- There are a lot of fun farm themed songs to sing with your kids - Old MacDonald Had a Farm, BINGO, etc.
- Take a visit to a local farm or petting zoo to visit the farm animals.


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Savannah Animals Story Time: January 23-24, 2017

Books:
Elecopter by Michael Slack
Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Starry Safari by Linda Ashman *
Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora *
Roar! A Noisy Counting Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards *

Craft: Lion Puppet
Children colored a lion head cutout which they then glued to a jumbo craft stick.  They could use scissors to cut slits in the mane to make it look more like hair.

Literacy Extensions:
- After reading Old Mikamba Had a Farm, have your child extend the song by coming up with more verses.  See if they can identify animals from various areas of the world to make up more verses.
- Do some more cutting skills practice by giving them paper with lines drawn on it.  Have them try to cut on the lines.

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Ocean Animals Story Time: January 17, 2017

Books:
Clumsy Crab by Ruth Galloway
I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs *
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry *
Nugget and Fang by Tammi Sauer
Ocean Animals from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick
Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone *

Craft: Paper Plate Stingray
This week's craft is based on the picture above.  Paper plates were cut into quarters.  Each child got one quarter to color.  They then attached half a pipe cleaner to a hole punched at the pointy end of the quarter.  Two googily eyes were glued onto the curved edge.

Literacy Extensions:
- Visit a local aquarium or zoo with ocean animal exhibits.  In the summer, the St. Louis Zoo offers the chance for people to pet stingrays and baby sharks.
- Practice your counting while reading the books.  Ask your child to count the different types of ocean creatures in the books.