Show Me Your Book Nook!

It's that time of month again! Time to show off your book nooks! You know, that favorite spot where you kick back with a good read, keep your treasured novels, or make fun books accessible to your little ones. I wanna see!!

Above is a photo of one of my book nooks. This is my favorite bookshelf. I bought it at IKEA, and I really wish I had bought two, because after I got it home I realized all my books don't fit on it. Sad day!

I love that I can show off my cute plush toys here though.

And it's also a handy place to store my lesson plan bags (in the basket).

Now that you've seen mine, it's time to show me yours! Paste the link to your book nook post (not your blog's homepage) in the Mr. Linky below. Be sure to leave a comment here, and link back to my blog in your post!

What Do You Think of Interactive Digital Books?

I recently had the chance to check out Story Fort's latest digital interactive book, What Is Bothering Carl? 

I don't have much experience with digital interactive books. There was one I used with some children I used to babysit for called The Smelly Mystery (Mercer Mayer). I loved this interactive storybook. Cute! Cute! Cute! So entertaining, and so funny! It's one that's truly enjoyable and entertaining for adults as well as children. I wonder if I still have it somewhere...

Anyhow, I mention The Smelly Mystery because it has set the bar pretty high for what I expect to get out an interactive storybook. I want a solid story, good narration, lots of interactive features on each page, and text that is highlighted as it's read (narrated). I expect at least this much. 

What Is Bothering Carl? met most of my expectations, and pleasantly surprised me in some areas. I had pretty high hopes when I learned about Story Fort. Did you know Story Fort was founded by Andy Hull, a former toy designer at Melissa and Doug? He has created several best-selling toys that have won Toys of the Year at Family Fun and Child magazines and have been featured on The View and in Cookie Magazine.  So I knew this storybook he created had to at least be pretty fun, right?

Fun it was indeed! It started off a bit rocky to me. The writing seemed a bit awkward. I wasn't quite sure where the story was trying to go. But it started to click for me part way through, and I was loving it. I was actually giggling out loud as I read through it. 

There were a couple interactive features on each page, and these usually directly correlated with what was going on in the story. For example: there was a page that talked about Carl scaring the gnomes that nibbled on his toes. The illustrations shows silly little gnomes on Carl's toes, making nibbling sounds. Then when you click on Carl, he makes a scary (more silly, actually) face at the gnomes and they shriek and fall off the page. 

I was expecting more interactive features because The Smelly Mystery had a ton of them, but I did like the fact that you weren't overwhelmed by all the interactive features on each page in What Is Bothering Carl?. They didn't distract from the story, they enhanced it. I think the simplicity of these features makes What Is Bothering Carl? appropriate and appealing to a younger audience than The Smelly Mystery. Story Fort's target age is 3+, but I think even two-year-olds could enjoy this read.

Some other notes about What Is Bothering Carl?

• Charming illustrations
• Highlighted phrases as it was narrated
• Option for reading it yourself or having it read to you
• Could click on selected words for definitions
• There were a couple songs (with music videos, I'm told) with the story, but they didn't work on the copy I received. I did view one of the music videos they had on their website. Catchy!
• Memory game included 

The What Is Bothering Carl? ebook is available through Story Fort for $15. Unfortunately, it is only currently available for a PC. I'm a Mac gal myself so I had to view it on a friend's computer. :( 

And you can find The Smelly Mystery on Amazon, but there are also some cheaper copies on ebay. 

What do you think of interactive digital books? Like 'em? Use 'em? Buy 'em? Share!

Puppet Storytelling - Easier Than You Think

Using puppets to tell a story can be an intimidating idea for some mommas and teachers. But the truth is, puppets are a guaranteed win! Seriously! Kids love 'em! They're something different, something silly... something highly tangible. You don't have to be anything even close to an expert storyteller to make a big impression when using puppets. 

When telling a story (not reading one), I make sure I know the general gist of the story, and then I add my own touch to it. I DO NOT memorize the way I'm going to tell the story. This never works well. Instead, I have a basic idea of the story I'm going to tell, and then I just let it naturally flow. So the story is never told the exact same way twice. Telling a story this was is easy, and it's fun for both your audience and you!

I have to admit, one of the reasons I have such an easy time being silly and hamming up my puppet storytimes is because there are no other adults present during my Literacy Launchpad lessons; there is nobody to really be embarrassed in front of. So, if this is part of your hang-up, kick the other teacher out (nicely) if you can. Just for story time. OR (and this is probably the more realistic option) pretend they're not there. This is easier said than done, I know. Just remember this though, they will most likely be in awe of your successful storytime, and wishing they were brave enough to tell such an amazing story with the puppets!

Warning: your kiddos are going to want to grab the puppets. Mine also seem to always have the urge (at least one or two of them) to hit one or both of my puppets. Why, I don't know. But for this reason I make sure I explain to the students that they will have a chance to give the puppets each a hug after the story. 

So go ahead and grab that puppet (or two) I know you've got lying around your house. Use it to tell a favorite story, or make up a new story to tell with the puppet. Try it, and see how easy it is. You kiddo(s) will love it, and be begging you for another performance!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that we heard "The Tortoise and The Hare" this week. Hence the photos. :)

A Goldilocks Lesson

Our fairy tale unit continues with Goldilocks and the Three Bears! This story was told using both storyboard pieces used with the traditional telling of the tale, and an alternative telling of the story by Brinton Turkle. 

Here's an idea for presenting fairy tales to your children/students: compare two versions of the same story. There are many interpretations out there (check your local library) of most fairy and folk tales. Pick similar interpretations, or vastly different versions of the same story. Let your students point out the similarities and differences. Make comparison charts. Have everyone vote on their favorite. 

I'm always surprised when I present two versions of the same story. I think I know which will be the favorite, but I'm often wrong. You just never know which interpretation will speak to each student, or group of students. It's different every time. 

You Can Help!

A bit off topic but...

Help a cause near and dear to my heart! Fourth Watch Productions needs your help to tell the world the fascinating story of an amazing family! Please visit this link and view the awesome promo for this proposed documentary. It's a story that needs to be told, but it can't be told without your help!

Go visit now and see for yourself!

I'm sorry about the lack of posts this past week. I had friends and family in town, and didn't get around to posting like I had hoped. Regular posting has now resumed again. :)

I HEART Children's Bookstores

I don't know how many children's bookstores are still out there... Does anybody? I'm guessing less than we would all hope, unfortunately.

We spent the weekend with my in-laws in Memphis and my mother-in-law and I were looking to kill some time Monday afternoon. There was a little used children's bookstore we used to frequent (I love a good deal), but my MIL told me it is now closed. No wait! I just looked it up, and I think she's mistaken. It's still open. 

Well anyhow, we thought it was closed and so I inquired as to whether or not there might be an independent children's bookstore in the area. She told me that she used to take my husband and his sister to a place called Pinnochio's when they were young. But she assumed it was now closed. 

She went and grabbed the phone book to look it up, and guess what? It's still open! (I told her she needs to have a little more faith in her local children's bookstores!)

So, of course, we headed out to Pinnochio's. (I'm sorry, they don't have a website, or I would link it.) This store has been open for 31 years, and it's the same women working there now that opened it! Sweet women, and so helpful. Shopping an independent bookstore is truly an experience. 

We were greeted the moment we walked in the door. We were asked if we needed help finding something, but we weren't pestered. It's a very small shop, located in an old house, so you don't have to go searching for someone to help you when you need it. The women in the shop let us browse all we wanted, and gently offered helpful info and suggestions from time to time. 

There were other shoppers in the store as well. One was a father, there with his children. The shop owners told him how happy it made them to see a dad taking interest in his children' reading. I heard them tell another customer that they wanted them to be excited about their purchase, so they would be excited to go home and read it with their child. I love these ladies!

These ladies knew their stuff, and had a great selection of quality books displayed. I spent a bit of money in there (more than I had planned to), and there was still so much more I wanted to buy! Another day... Another day...

So what did I purchase?

• Llama Llama Red Pajama
• A storytelling Snow White doll (for a birthday party this weekend)
• A couple birthday cards
• Barnyard Bath 
• A Grand Ole Tree (A fun alternative to The Giving Tree)
• A Click Clack Moo t-shirt 

Next time you are in the market for a children's book, I encourage you to try to find an independent children's bookstore (unless you must buy it online... then buy it here). It'll cost more, but it's worth the money... for yourself, your children, and your community!!

Green Veggies and Princesses

Last week my students came into class asking (literally), "What kind of adventure are we going on today?" Is that not the coolest thing? The answer was: a fairy tale adventure! Our adventure unit has wrapped up, but our fairy/folk tale unit is just beginning. It's difficult for me to pick a favorite unit, but our fairy tale unit ranks pretty high. 

We read The Princess and the Pea (Lauren Child) last week. It's a long story, so I always paraphrase when presenting it. The children seem to enjoy the story all the same, and it keeps us on time with our lesson. The illustrations are what make this book (if you haven't seen this book yet, leave your computer now and head for the nearest library or bookstore), so I don't feel too bad about not reading the text word for word. 

All my students (that's not an over generalization) love this story, boys included. I think it has a lot to do with Lauren Child's own telling of this classic tale. Those photographs of her beautiful paper princesses, prince, king, and queen amongst each detailed dollhouse-esque scene... It leaves even me gazing at the illustrations utterly mesmerized. 

Some photos from our lesson are below. Can you guess what we were doing?

You can purchase your own copy of The Princess and the Pea at the Literacy Launchpad Store.

A couple other unrelated notes:

• I was told that there might be a problem with the link to subscribe to my blog via email. I'm looking into that. 

• Sandra at Preschool to Pre-K and More awarded me another I Love Your Blog award! Yay! Thanks, Sandra!