Pouch by David Stein

Introduce the book: Our next book is Pouch by David Stein. Mother kangaroos carry their babies in a pouch, like a little pocket in front of their stomachs. This baby kangaroo called a Joey is exploring the world and sometimes wants to feel safe in his pouch. Then he yells, "pouch". Can you say that with me? Pouch! Good, try again. Pouch! Each time we come to the word pouch, you say it with me.
Read the book, pointing to the word pouch as you say it.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Print Awareness): The word pouch is written in bold letters which makes it easy to point out as your child says the word. Pointing to the word helps them understand that you are reading the text, the written word. This helps develop print awareness, knowing that print has meaning, one of the early literacy skills.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Print Motivation): By having your child participate in the story by saying "pouch" each time, you are helping to keep your child engaged in the story in an enjoyable way. This helps to develop print motivation, your child's interest and enjoyment of books and reading. Print motivation is one of the six early literacy skills, the one that later keeps children trying to learn to read even when it can be difficult.

Choose only one skill to highlight (to say the aside).

Big Chickens Go To Town by Leslie Helakoski

Introduction to book: Our next book is Big Chickens Go to Town by Leslie Helakoski. There are a couple of other Big Chicken books and I think they are very funny. See what you think.
Read the book taking your cue for voice expression from the pictures.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Vocabulary): This book has so many interesting words. Use them all, like "the chickens bawled, squalled and caterwauled." This is how your child's vocabulary will grow. Even if they (or you) don't understand every word, you can get the idea from the story itself. That's one of the wonderful things about books, they have so many interesting words.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Phonological Awareness): This book has many rhyming words. [Demonstrate with one page. For example, reread the page that starts Shouting voices wobbled.] Wobbled rhymes with bobbled. Flumped rhymes with bumped and rushed rhymes with crushed. Let's think of some other words that rhyme with crushed. They don't even have to make sense. (mushed, brushed, zushed) Pointing out and making rhyming words helps to develop one of the early literacy skills called phonological awareness--hearing the smaller sounds in words. This will later help your child sound out words when they learn to read.

Choose only one skill to highlight (to say the aside).

Eats by Marthe Jocelyn

Introduce book: Our next book is Eats by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter. You will see that they use very stark and bright colors, making it easy for young children to see the pictures. There are just two words on a page, the animal and what it eats. Children let's see what the animal is right on the cover. A monkey! and he is eating a banana. Yummy!
Read the book. Point to some of the words as you read them.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Print Awareness): You may have noticed when I read the book that I not only pointed to the pictures but also to the words. The words are so distinct. It is as if they are part of the artwork. Pointing to the words as well as the pictures helps your child focus on the print. They can see that pictures and words represent real things, part of print awareness, one of the early literacy skills that will later help them to read.

For Vocabulary: Read the book. Add some more information as you talk about the pictures. Fore example: Bees like to eat nectar. See the black and yellow striped bees? They make a buzzing sound. Let me hear you make a buzzing sound. Good! Nectar is a sweet liquid that flowers have and the bees love to eat it.
Early Literacy Aside--Example (for Vocabulary): Even though there are just one or two words on a page, you may have noticed that I said more than just those words when I read the book. When you read books with your children take time, especially with simple books like this, to add more information to the words on the page. This helps build their vocabulary, learn new words.

Choose only one skill to hightlight (to say the aside).

Spider on the Floor by Raffi

Read Spider on the Floor by Raffi or use the Raffi recording on Singable Songs for the Very Young.You can add verses with less familiar parts of the body.
Activity: Give each child a plastic or rubbery spider. As the song progresses have them put their spiders on the correct body part until it jumps back on the floor. (Shopping for spiders around Halloween is the best time for getting creepy rubbery spiders.)
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Using props during a song or story that prompts children to act out the meaning of the words, provides children with a fun and active way to learn new words and to practice their vocabulary skills.
Submitted by Kathleen Moore, Dayton (OH) Metro Library System

Scarecrow, Scarecrow Rhyme and Dance

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Here's a rhyme that you can do anytime and it reinforces rhyming words which develops phonological awareness while having fun at the same time.Do Scarecrow, Scarecrow activity Children stand up with arms bent at elbows like a scarecrow and head tilted. Actions to words. Scarecrow, Scarecrow, turn around Scarecrow, Scarecrow, jump up and down Scarecrow, Scarecrow, raise your arms high Scarecrow, Scarecrow, wink one eye Scarecrow, Scarecrow, bend your knees Scarecrow, Scarecrow, flap in the breeze Scarecrow, Scarecrow, climb into bed Scarecrow, Scarecrow, rest your head.

Submitted by Terri Stringer, Vandalia Branch, Dayton Metro (OH) Public Library

Now Matter What by Emma Dodd

Earlly Literacy Aside--Explain: Welcome. Today we are going to have stories that have elephants in them. [Show elephant puppet] I am also going to highlight vocabulary as a fun way to help your child get ready to read. The more words they know, the easier it will be for them to understand what they read and also to make sense of words as they sound out words.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Very young children learn the names of things they see or see pictures of, like elephant, flowers, mouse. As they get older they understand words for feelings and concepts like sad, happy, good, bad, big elephant, little elephant. And older still, they understand words for ideas like brave, kind, mean. These are examples of ways you can develop your child's vocabulary daily in a fun way. You can use books to help develop all levels of vocabulary. Listen to some of the words as I read our next book. Read No Matter What Early Literacy Aside--Empower: The library has many books with opposites, feelings, and other concepts to help you have fun with vocabulary development with your child. Books from naming items to talking about ideas. Just ask us for some suggestions.

Submitted by Jeanenne Robinson, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Cock-a-Moo-Moo by Juliet Dallas-Conte

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Hello, parents. Today in storytime we are highlighting one of the early literacy skills, phonological awareness. This is the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words including rhyming, beginning sounds and today we'll be doing animal sounds. Developing this skill will help children later sound out words as they learn to read.As you read Cock-a-Moo-Moo, note when the rooster crows that the font is large which means to use a LOUD voice. Point out the words for the corresponding sounds. Conclude the story by having the children say cock-a-doodle-do loudly to convey the rooster getting it right. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Hearing and learning animal sounds helps children hear the smaller sounds in words too. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Hearing the rhythm of language and making the sounds of animals, both of these contribute to phonological awareness, hearing the smaller sounds in words, one of the skills that researchers have found helps with reading later on. Take opportunities during the course of the day to point out and to imitate sounds you hear, a car horn, the doorbell ringing, and so forth.

Submitted by Mona Ferguson, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Dog's Day by Jane Cabrera

Read Dog's Day. As you point to the title also point out the letter D in Dog and Day.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Help your children find letters based on the subjects they like. D is the first letter in dog. If your child is interest in trucks, you can point out the letter t. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Remember that letters are everywhere! Have your child make letters with their fingers, whole body,  or playdough.

Submitted by Emily Leachman, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Pigeon books by Mo Willems

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Print motivation is an interest in and enjoyment of books and reading. It is one of the early literacy skills that researchers say are important for children to have before they learn to read. Choose books that you enjoy. Your child picks up on your feelings and understands the enjoyment of books and reading.Read several of the "pigeon" books during the storytime, having fun with them in different ways: acting them out, predicting outcomes, singing "The Pigeon on the Bus" to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus", drawing a pigeon, etc. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Parents, you can see we are building on the book to add to the enjoyment of sharing the book itself. You know your child best and you can use your child's interests to build on the books you read together. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: You may not realize it but by sharing books you and your child enjoy, you are helping to develop your child's print motivation. So, every day continue to share books that you enjoy with your child.

Submitted by Susan Blombert, Sugar Creek Branch, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Down by the Cool of the Pool by Tony Milton

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Researchers have noted one of the areas of early literacy to be print motivation. This means having an interest in and enjoying books. Children are more likely to have print otivation when they are involved with the story. As I share books today, you'll see different ways you can keep your children interested as you read with them.Read Down by the Cool of the Pool Early Literacy Aside--Example: Having a child say a repeated phrase with you throughout the book keeps him involved and it's an easy way to you to support print motivation. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Remember that promoting literacy does not mean creating a school-like setting in your home, but rather taking advantage of the opportunities in your everyday life. Submitted by Emily Little, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming

Cat Puppet: There's a cat in my hat, a cat in my hat, a cat in my hat today (do twice). What does the kitty cat say? [cat puppet says meow]Read Mama Cat Has Three Kittens Early Literacy Aside--Example: When children hear rhymes, rhythms and sounds of animals, it helps them develop phonological awareness, hearing the smaller sounds in words. This is a skill that will help them as they begin to read. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Keep doing rhymes with things in your children's world. Today we did cat in my hat. You can do ball in the hall or star on my car (give a star sticker).

Submitted by Cathy Cartedge, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Swim, Little Wombat, Swim by Charles Fuge

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Today we are going to be reading stories about Australia. We're going to be hearing about a lot of new animals and learning a lot of new words. Those new words PLUS all the words you already know are vocabulary. If children have a good vocabulary, know a lot of words, which they learn from you and from books, it will be a lot easier for them to understand what they are reding when they learn to read. It starts NOW! That's why today, as we read about all these new animals, we're going to be learning about vocabulary, too.As you read Swim, Little Wombat, Swim use the pictures to explain unfamiliar words. The furry little wombat is something like a pig with a grumpy nature and an awful urge to dig, complete with claws made mighty and strong for moving tons of dirt along . . . Early Literacy Aside--Example: This story had a lot of words you might never use in everyday conversation. By using the words in the story and not replacing them with more familiar words, your child's vocabulary will grow. Also, they learn to use the pictures to get an idea of what the word means. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Now that you've heard all these stories about Australian animals like the platypus and the wombat, you all can look at these factual books with photographs of Australian animals that I have pulled from the shelves. You and your children can use your new vocabulary and you might even learn some more new words to use as you share these books together.

Submitted by Larisa Martin, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Three Bears by Byron Barton

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Narrative skills is the ability to talk about events and tell stories. Having children tell you what they are thinking, talk about things that happen, or tell you stories is later going to help them understand what they read.Read The Three Bears and have children help you retell the story using props or a flannel board. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Retelling stories helps children understand what they read. Using props found around home can help children remember and retell stories. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: When children do what is called dramatic play, when they act out stories, this kind of play helps children understand the structure and story and helps them understand the story itself. Play is a great way to support later reading.

Submitted by Sue Smith, Independence Library, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Shape Bee

Early Literacy Aside--Example:  Before children learn letters, they learn shapes. Let them play with shapes to develop later letter knowledge. Flannel Board: Do Shape Bee on flannel board. See attachment for pattern Shape Bee pattern Craft Activity: You can use the pattern as a basis to have the children make their own Shape Bee. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Wherever you go today, look for the letter B, on signs, in books, on products. Then you can do the same with other letters throughout the week.

Submitted by Erin Nguyen, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck

Introduction:  I am going to read our next book, Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck. Then you can tell it with me on the flannel board.Read Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea. Repeat some of the rhymes to help them remember. Flannel Board: As you put up pieces on the flannel board have the children retell the story. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Using the flannel board pieces as a clue will help your child remember the story to retell it. Encouraging your children to retell stories helps them to both remember and to understand them. It is a first step in helping them to later understand what they will read.

Submitted by Stem Saunders, Steele Creek Library, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Talking with children as you read books and share rhymes can add to the words they know and to their knowledge if YOU use words they are not familiar with or add information they may not yet know. Both adding to their vocabulary and to their knowledge will help them understand what they read when they learn to read. Say/sing the rhyme with actions: The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out.                                        Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.                                       And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. Early Literacy Aside--Example: Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you can ask your children. Then add to what they say to introduce new words and information. [Then you ask the children a couple of questions. Some possibilities are below. Be careful to keep it fun and engaging, not like a test of knowledge.] Where was the spider going? What happened when the rain started? Where do you think spiders live? Have you seen a spider? Where? What was it doing? What do you know about spiders? Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Sometimes we do not know much about some of the topics our children are interested in. We have lots of factual books on a variety of topics like spiders, snakes, dinosaurs, trains, and more. Just let us know what you and your children would like to read about. These books not only  make reading enjoyable because yuou are building on your child's interest, you are also setting a good foundation for helping them learn new words and knowledge.

Submitted by a library staff person at Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

Catch That Goat by Polly Alakija

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Today we're going to highlight narrative skills. This is the ability to describe things and to talk about events and tell stories. Researchers have noted this skill as one of the early literacy skills that will help your child be ready to read. It helps children understand what they will read.Read Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg Flannel Board of Three Billy Goats Gruff Early Literacy Aside--Example: In Catch That Goat we're going to say part of the story together. Acting out or repeating parts of stories helps children internalize and understand what is happening in the story. This will help them tell the story back to you, especially with their favorite stories which they like to hear over and over again. OK, now, let's all say together, "Have you seen my goat?"  and "No!"  Great! Read Catch That Goat Song: "Spaghetti Legs" on Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes Rhyme: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive Read Oh, Look by Patricia Polacco Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Today we read some of my favorite stories. Practice telling and retelling stories. If you let your child watch television, talk about the shows you watch together. Have them tell you what happened in the show. This will help them talk aout what is happening in books also. Talking about what they know and retelling events and stories helps them understand what is being read.

Submitted by Vera Beers, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC)

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Teddy Bear puppet talking to introduce the skill: Today we are going to develop your children's story knowledge and thinking skills. These skills help them to understand what they read when they learn to read. [Then hide the bear in a black piece of paper like a cave.]Read We're Going on a Bear Hunt, putting motions to the words. Activity: Give children colored stips of paper to represent each of the scenes in the book. Connect each color strip with each scene; for example: blue for river, green for grass, brown for mud. Now, retell the story using first, second, third, etc.--first we went to the river and as they say the phrase they place the blue colored strip down, and so on. For the last action where they go home, have a piece of material to represent a blanket. Early Literacy Aside--Example:  With this activity what your child knows, by helping them in a couple of  ways--retelling the story so they understand how stories work and also with sequencing and connecting colors with actions which develops their thinking skills. 

Submitted by Irania Patterson, Public Library of Charlotte and Mechlenburg County (NC) and Saroj Ghoting

Train Song by Harriet Ziefert

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Researchers have found that one of ways you can support later reading is by helping children hear the smaller sounds in words. This skill is called phonological awareness. Today I'll point out some thing you can do to help your childrne develop this skill.Early Literacy Aside--Example: Rhyming is one way that children learn to hear that words are made up of smaller parts. By doing rhymes with your children you are setting the stage for them to sound out words to read. Read Train Song Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Find a book at home which has rhyming words and see if your child can identify words that rhyme. If you don't have a rhyming book, just read a book and then pick a word and think of rhyming words together.

Submitted by Rita Doran, Dayton Metro (OH) Public Library

Flora's Surprise by Debi Gliori

Early Literacy Aside--Example: This is a favorite book of mine. It shows children enjoying planting seeds and also how children think, in interesting ways. Let your child know when you are reading a favorite book of yours. This helps develop print motivation.Read Flora's Surprise

Submitted by Marie Kupchinski, Buchanan Branch Library, Saskatchewan (Canada) Public Library