"Inside a House that is Haunted" by: Alyssa Satin Capucilli ISBN:9780590997164
I don't know about you, but in my library Halloween books are one of those that circulate the best and almost year round. This one has a "there was an old woman who swallowed a ..." musical quality to it if you're inclined to sing, and if you get the kids to play out the parts with you (such as "knocking on the door" or moving their arms to "swoop with the bats") it will keep their attention the whole time, and give them the physical activity they need not to fidget during a longer story next.
"Dino Bites!" by Algy Craig Hall ISBN: 9781907967504
The simplest concept book I can find on the idea of small, medium and big sizes. Easy to pair with a big, bigger, biggest eating puppet with a little bit of creativity and some brown lunch bags after the story. Plus, no kid wants to turn down dinosaurs.
"Goodnight Little Monster" by Helen Ketteman ISBN: 9780761456834
Sing along to the tune of "Hush Little Baby, don't say a word" and you have a great sing-songy book that has the perfect mixture of fantastic illustrations, not too text heavy, and has those gross wonderful little details that make monster stories so well loved.
Hands down, my favorite story time book E-V-E-R. Great for younger or older audiences, and never fails me to lighten up a room. This is an interactive book that causes tons of giggles, and I only wish they had more like this one. It lends itself to easy art projects, and there's a digital app that's fun to play too.
A more recent alternative would be: "Don't Push the Button!" by Bill Cotter ISBN: 9781402287466
It has slightly more complicated pictures such as spotted monsters vs. stripped ones instead of more abstract art concepts with dots like the one above, but they're pretty similar works logistically speaking. I've used both, and they've liked them well enough.
Get the kids howling right off, and they will love to take turns shouting and hooting with the main character as the other forest animals run away as quick as they can. It has a foreshadowing of a big bad wolf, but with a delightful surprise ending that teaches kids not to be scared. Added bonus: try to get the kids to find his friend the spider hidden on every page.
"Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite" by Nick Bromley ISBN: 9780763661632
This book is made of heavy cardboard stock which is great since all the kids will be grabbing the pages, and (in some pages) through them. The story begins well meaning enough, some fairy tale or another. Suddenly an alligator is eating his way through the book. It's a fun read on its own, but if you lay down a sheet (or "book page") for free play afterwards and let the kids chomp their way around the storytelling room they'll have a fun time being the crocodile.
"Where's Walrus?" by Stephen Savage ISBN: 9780439700498
A picture-only book that serves a "Where's Waldo?" function for a younger budding but equally truth-seeking curious crowd. When one of my shorter patrons refused to give it back after story time, I knew it was a keeper.
"Batman Shapes" by Benjamin Bird & Ethen Beavers ISBN: 9781479558926
For one, it's one of the few board books that's actually large enough to use for story time. The text is large, and the content is easy enough for any pre-kindergarten story time classroom. The awesomeness of superheroes goes without saying, and it is one of those rare books that can get boys screaming to participate shouting out things like "There is the square! That's the circle! I found the rectangle!" with more enthusiasm than they will probably ever show again in their life until they reach the age where they can buy their own batman costume and participate in any number of shenanigans as they pledge to their favorite fraternity.
It seems perfectly harmless at first. A little shake here, a gentle swish there. But then there's always one patron that ruins it for everyone. You know the kid I'm talking about. The one that makes you smile painfully as they eat your supplies while mom (or could she possibly be their sister/neighbor/dealer?) plays on their phone that is if you're lucky enough not to be ding-dong-ditched as an unanticipated babysitter. Two words: GLITTER EVERYWHERE. When art programs can often seem like the first five chaotic minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" the frustration can really settle in for a librarian. Therefore, here's a few tried and true field dressings to help make it past the beach front.
Glitter: Mix with a touch of rice in a salt shaker. If they want to empty to whole thing into the carpet, why not make the kid work for it am I right? It makes it last longer, and it's a lot more economical in the end then spending what little free time you have vacuuming, picking out the bits of dirt, and refilling glitter containers.
Glue: Never use a bottle when a glue stick will do. In fact, why not skip the glue all together unless you absolutely have to use it. I have made quick work of most fixing and fastening with tape and a well-meaning stapler. It might not look as "pretty" but it gets the finished product to the patron faster, and (assuming they don't leave their art project under a computer table to rot) its anticipated life span isn't as long as you would hope anyway. Though we all have those fleeting visions of coming up with a craft idea so spectacular the kids will place it in their keepsake box until they day they hand it down to their children, and their children's children. Be realistic about the outcomes and expectations of your craft. Let the kids have fun, and don't be heartbroken when every piece isn't hung in the Louvre. It's all about the experience and playing with the work.
Crappy t-shirts: Best bloody investment you'll ever make. Nothing has ever left me in a state of complete befuddlement more than a parent who brings their child to an art program wearing the most expensive all-white-stain-magnet-clothes they can conceive of. Art is messy. Children are messy. And kids at an art programs are the modern day reincarnation of Shiva the Destroyer of Worlds. This small investment of your money and time at a local Goodwill will save you hours of "Are you going to pay for that?" arguments over the kids' ruined clothes.
Pipecleaners: aka Manna from heaven. Have you ever heard the phrase "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?" Between you, me and the wall I think it was really a metaphor for trying to thread any string-like substance when trying to make jewelry for several impatient girls in princess costumes at once. This life hack involves pipecleaners, the materials that not only bend to your will but probably shape space-time as we know it. For easy jewelry making grab a handful of these with some beads and you got yourself the easiest-to-string set of bracelets and necklaces you'll ever make. Offer a variety of colors, and the kids'll be too busy picking out favorite colors to be picky.
Like many things in life, this is a product of absolute boredom. It's a fastening together of random ideas to throw at the wall and see what sticks. Help yourself to anything here especially since most of it has been taken from somewhere else in the first place. Call it Manifest Destiny if you need justification. Librarians are shameless thieves after all. From Hobbit quote tattoos they pull from Pintrest (right down to the curly cue font) to architectural designs in order to feng shui their programming room (You know what we do on our vacations? Visit other libraries. Sad but true) we take from a little bit of everywhere and add to our "collection". We try to bring the best this world has to offer, and present it with no further ado in our natural habitats. Our libraries.