Earth to Clunk (2011) Pam Smallcomb & Joe Berger

Earth to Clunk (2011) Pam Smallcomb & Joe Berger

Earth to Clunk is a wonderful story about a boy who’s forced to have a pen pal, even though he doesn’t want one, not even an alien pen pal named Clunk. The boy sends all sorts of disgusting things (including his sister) to Clunk, hoping that each package will end the “friendship.” But Clunk keeps sending the boy cool, strange presents. 

I loved what Earth to Clunk has to teach kids about friendship and diversity. It’s a fun story that would be most engaging for an older Storytime audience. Vibrant colors, imaginative artwork and a compelling story make this one a winner for smaller, older groups. (If your group has more than 20 kids with most of them in the 2-3 year-old age range, this one probably won’t work so well.)

Storytelling  5
Color Attractiveness  5
Size of Book  4
Text Size  4
Illustrations 4
Participation Potential  3
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime  4

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! (2013)

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! (2013) - Scott Magoon

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! gets a lot of things right. Primarily, it's a fun story about kids and what they think they see, what they want people to believe, and much more. It is, of course, a variation on the old "Boy Who Cried Wolf" story.

The book itself is large, although the characters are sometimes drawn small (especially the boy), leaving a lot of room for the outdoor scenery and, of course, Bigfoot himself. Most of the book features dark colors, which may be a deterrent for large groups, but the colors still work. The text, also, is a bit small at times, but the strength of the story and the opportunities for group participation are very good.

Storytelling  4
Color Attractiveness  3
Size of Book  4
Text Size  3
Illustrations 4
Participation Potential  4
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5

Chloe and the Lion (2012) - Mac Barnett and Adam Rex

Let me start by saying that Mac Barnett is one of my favorite children’s authors and Adam Rex one of my favorite children’s illustrators. And while Chloe and the Lion is a fun, clever and intelligent children’s book, it simply does not work for a Storytime setting.

First, the book is 48 pages long, rather than the more standard 32. That wouldn’t necessarily make the book problematic, but the story is quite complex with lots of starts and stops in the form of Barnett and Rex appearing throughout the story (as clay figures), arguing over parts of the story. Most of the children we have in Storytime are on the younger side and would not understand the interaction of the creators; they’d only know that these scenes interrupt the story.

Also too many pages consist of multiple panels more appropriate to a graphic novel format. This makes the visual elements too small for large groups. The book contains very few opportunities (if any) for group participation. While Chloe and the Lion would make a great story for some one-on-one situations (or even better, for independent reading), it simply does not work for a Storytime situation.

Storytelling  2
Color Attractiveness  2
Size of Book  2
Text Size  1
Illustrations 2
Participation Potential  1
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 1.5

How to Be a Cat (2013) - Nikki McClure

Nikki McClure’s How to Be a Cat only features three colors – black, white, and blue – but it makes effective use of those colors. Most of the artwork covers a two-page spread with only one word of text, words like “stretch,” “explore,” “tumble,” “lick”… You get the picture.

The book allows for a good bit of audience participation by imitating what the cats are doing. There’s really no story, just a sequence of words/actions, but who cares? I wouldn’t use How to Be a Cat for a large group, but for just a few kids (and those on the younger side), it might be a good filler book.   

Storytelling  1
Color Attractiveness  3
Size of Book  4
Text Size  5
Illustrations 4
Participation Potential  4
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5

Dog Storytime

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

We had a great time in Storytime today reading, talking, singing, and woofing about dogs!

(* = planned, but didn't get used this time)

"Shake Your Sillies Out" - Raffi - opening song

Dog Storytime Drawing

Bark, George – Jules Feiffer

Five Little Puppies (fingerplay)

"Bingo"

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy – Mo Willems

“This Old Man” *

"If You're Happy and You Know It" - closing song

Craft - Dog Ears

We had 57 kids and 37 adults - a little bigger (and slightly older) audience than last week. Everyone enjoyed singing, dancing, barking and woofing!