Picture Book Month
November is Picture Book Month, so in honor of picture books, I chose the theme for this storytime to be “books about books”!
We read :
- The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore
- It’s a Book by Lane Smith
- We are in a Book! by Mo Willems
- Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nick Bromley and Nicola O’Byrne
Other great options:
- Chester by Melanie Watt
- Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson
- Open this Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier (Visit the Official Picture Book Month website to read why Jesse Klausmeier thinks picture books are important.)
Rhymes:
Books
I like books
I really do.
Books with stories
And pictures, too.
Books of birds
And things that grow.
Books of people
We should know.
Books of animals
And places, too.
I like books
I really do!
“Alphabet Beat”
First clap your hands. Then stomp your feet.
Everybody do the alphabet beat.
Apple, Apple, Apple – a – a – a,
Apple, Apple, Apple – a – a – a,
Wave your arms high. Swing your arms low.
The alphabet beat is the way to go.
Blue, Blue, Blue – b – b – b
Blue, Blue, Blue – b – b – b
Move to the left. Move to the right.
The alphabet beat is way out of sight.
Car, Car, Car – c – c – c
Car, Car, Car – c – c – c
Now give a high five to a nearby friend.
The alphabet beat has come to the end!
Winter
Winter is cold (Hug yourself and shiver)
There is snow in the sky (Flutter fingers above your head)
The squirrel gathers nuts (Pretend to gather nuts)
And the wild geese fly (Flap arms)
The fluffy red fox (cup hands over head to form ears)
Has his fur to keep warm (Stroke arms as if stroking fur)
The bear’s in her cave (Form a cave shape with your arms)
Sleeping all through the storm (Fold hands under cheek and pretend to sleep)
Notes
When I first told them that we were going to read books about books, the kids were skeptical, but they loved these selections! It’s no surprise that Mo Willems’ We Are in a Book! was popular, even though I am still working to perfect my Gerald and Piggy voices. Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite was another favorite, and a good choice for the last selection, since the surprise character and interactive nature of the story fascinated the kids recapturing their wandering attention.
For more Picture Book Month themed ideas, check out my post on Book Making. Have you done any fun Picture Book Month themed activities with your children or in your library?
